Battery, Alternator or Starter issue?
 

So about 10 months ago in January my car won't start. I jumped the battery and it starts right up. Then like a week later same thing happens again..the car won't start. So I figure I had a dead battery. Took the car to Autozone and they tested the battery and alternator. They said battery and alternator is runner good! But I have to jump the car every other week because it won't start. So I went and got a new battery and everything is fine for 10 months. Then today my car didn't start again. I to jump it and it starts right up. Took it to Autozone again for a test. The guy said that my battery and alternator is good.
I told him about the issues and he said it might be my starter. If its the starter then why did my car starts right up when I jumped the battery? If its the starter then the car wouldn't start at all. Also the car was fine for 10 months with a new battery. What do you guys think?

Battery. VatoZone isn't always right...

What does your V meter read when you attempt to start the car?


Also, you bigger issue is that you have a large (relative to most peoples' cars) parasitic loss caused by something... Gotta find what that something is...



(Let's wait for SouthArk to give some real advice and to tell you to RTFM that's in his signature)

So its something draining the battery?

More than likely... Maybe see if they'll warranty out the battery for you

If its a bad alternator the car won't run for 10 months without the battery dying correct?


I don't want to keep putting in new battery and having the same issues. I need to find out why the battery keep dying.

I doubt it's the alternator because your car won't run for 10 days without one.

What's your Voltage reading when the car is off and on? That's a good indicator (assuming the gauge is correct)

Sorry its not my Z its my 2007 hyundai azera. So no gauge voltage

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... Ok.


Welllllllllllllllllll, go buy or borrow a volt meter.

Keep an eye on your voltmeter. I suspect either a large parasitic load or a bad connection at the battery.

How old is your battery? If its over four years old replace it. Or get a load test done at advanced auto parts. Bring the battery in so they can charge it fully then they will put it under load. You will then know for sure if its the battery or not. The alternator is not the issue because you dont drive it. I seriously doubt that its not your starter because you dont drive it much so my thoughts tend to go back to the battery. Also check to see what may be drawing power from it. i.e. accessorys such as radar detector, portable devices, amplifiers, etc.

battery is 8 months old... got it around January

I will get a volt meter and test it..it should read 14 or higher correct?

Forgot to mention I use to work at Advanced Auto Parts part time and I heard this story several times while I worked there. More times than not it was the battery. It would hold a charge long enough to start your car several times but after some time with the car sitting the battery would eventually die. I hope this is the case for you.

Get it load tested.

You should have around 14-15V when the car is running and around 12-13V when the car is off. Check the manuals or the Web for more accurate figures.

I will get a load test done at advanced auto parts. How much it is or is it free? You guys don't think its the spark plugs?

Parasitic drain or user issue. Like listening to stereo while engine off, etc.

Thanks...you guys give me lots of good info.

Most auto parts stores will test your battery for free. Call around.

At this point, can't rule out the plugs but they are very near the bottom of my list of possibilities. I'd check the electrical stuff first.

It's free. Drop it off as it may take several hours to get a full charge on it

My wife has a 04 Hyundai Sonata and we bought a battery from Auto Zone and sure as heck, one day the car wouldn't start. Brought the car and receipt to Auto Zone and got a new battery. BTW, the battery was only 1 year old.

I would not be surprised if your battery is shot.

So what's the verdict OP?

Plug in coffee maker... :ugh:

okay I tested the battery with a multimeter ...

The battery is showing 12.6 volt with the car off. Turn the car on and its showing 14 + volt.

Did a parasitic Draw Test. and its shows 0 MA.

Testing a battery without a load is all but worthless.

If you got zero for parasitic load you are doing something wrong or your meter is not sensitive enough.

I load tested and its good....what am I'm doing wrong here?

I suggest one or more of the following:
*Check all wiring and connectors in the starting system. The FSM has everything you need to know about wire colors (check the key; the abbrevs they use for colors aren't always obvious), harness routing, connector pinouts, and much, much more. My guess is that this is where the problem is.
*Log voltage and see if any anomalies show up. It doesn't really sound like it's the alternator from your descriptions but it's worth looking at.
*Check parasitic load. IIRC, expected/acceptable figures are in the FSM (I can't remember what it's supposed to be but I'm certain it is greater than zero). Might need to log this to see problems.


Edit: It sounds a lot like you have an intermittent electrical problem. These can be a royal PITA and, because of the come-and-go nature, can give very misleading clues (eg, replace battery and car starts, even though a bad electrical connection was the problem).

The problem could also be in the IPDM-E/R. A dealer will have to check that and they may not be able to diagnose an intermittent.

One other inexpensive way to eliminate this issue is to change out your wire terminals to the battery. I had to do this on my 350z when I had it.

I suggest in a worst case scenario to take it to a local electrical car shop that specializes in these types of problems.

Im sure they will determine if there is something drawing power or if the alternator is not regulating the power like it should or the battery maybe at fault.

So the battery guy at Pep Boys tested my 2 year old "3 year free replacement" Bosch battery and the printout says it tests OK and charging system is ok, he said that I probably have some sort of parasitic draw which is causing it to be dead after sitting for just 2 days, so I put it on the ammeter and there's only a 22 mAh draw and shows 14.4V when running, and the alternator diode tests fine, then I charged it for 8 hours on 10A and let it sit disconnected overnight, connected, and it won't crank the engine.

Did Pep Boys fake a test result to avoid replacing?

Discuss..

How many volts does the battery show after charging and leaving it sit overnight? How many on voltmeter during starting?

12.6/idk

How many volts after charging?

How many volts after leaving the battery sit over night with no battery charger?

How many volts during starting? Use a volt meter for this. Not the gauge on the dash.