So over the past few weeks my car has been slowly losing its charge. Today I wake up to see that my gauge is below the red line. Im thinking great......So Im kinda mad now so i step on the gas and its just kinda like....putt putt putt chuga RAWR! I go to turn on my stereo and it just keeps cutting in and out so i turn it off.....then signaling to turn sounded like this.....blink (2 second pause) blink (2 second pause) Blink (2 second pause).....

Finally show up to work.....I thought it was the alternator so I asked around telling people how the car was acting. Yeah, they say, the alternator..... WRONG there goes 100 bucks I knew it couldnt be my battery cause its only a year old, but i got a load test done and it was perfect! GREAT!......So please please help me out here. It takes 31 seconds (yes i timed it) to get my window down.......

Thanx

 

do you maybe have a loose ground ?

 

Yeah, check and clean all terminals.

 

Ill go try that right now I hope thats it

 

I had similar problems (but not this bad) and it all turned out to be a corroded & loose connection at the battery.

 

So I just cleaned a few connections, tightend the battery cables, checked all the grounds, found out a loose connection at the starter and tightend it......

Went from 8 - 10 (on the gauge) So im still far from good. But the good news is the stereo stays on

 

If the battery was drawn so low, it might be a good idea to check its individual cells. Pop the caps off the battery and measure form one cell to the next. Each cell should be about 2.1V. Just be REALLY careful to keep the acid off of you and clean the meter probes well or they'll corrode in a very short time. Also check that the battery cells are all filled. Just an idea since you're in there anyway.

 

caps on battery? Filled? sorry man my battery must be different.....i cant open mine without smashing it on the ground

 

If the terminals were corroded the battery may not be fully charged (unless you ran the car a while). Maybe let it charge and measure it again. If the battery is constantly drawn low it will shorten the life of the battery, may be time for a new one.

 

Most batteries (even the maintenance free kind) have caps which can be popped off, but they normally do not appear so unless you really look for the seam. I've yet to see a lead-acid battery which cannot be opened, but I guess it is possible...

Short of that, just put a meter on the battery terminals. You should be right around 12.5V with the engine off.

 

I got 10.5 - 11.75

 

I don't believe I understand the range you're posting. 10.5 is about the minimum most lead-acid batteries can be drained to without having problems, but it generally takes a few discharges this low to cause permanent problems. What reading do you get with the engine running?

 

didnt try with it running......but trust me man, this is far from normal, i have abosolutly NO electrical power for anything, my wipers take at least 15 seconds to do 1 wipe

 

Does the battery reading drop significantly when it is connected to the car? If you disconnect the (+) and take a reading, it should be pretty close to what it reads with the battery connected. It's probably something odd & unexpected like a starter which is constantly drawing a small amount of current. Could even be the fusible link which connects the alternator's output to the battery to charge it.

 

So battery has good voltage but nothing else has full power? That's the very definition of resistance. It's either resistance in wires or in the connections.

 

I hate resistance

 

Get your volt meter. Ground the negative probe to a very clean connection on the battery's negative terminal. Then measure the positive terminal with the positive probe. Follow the positive wire to the starter and measure voltage there. Continue to inside the car. Post here with your voltages and we may be able to make some sense of that. Also, make sure you have a good clean connection and make sure the voltage isn't fluctuating (make sure its accurate).

 

hey thanx man, Im gonna try that when I get home from work. Ill let you guys know