Battery - Completely Died While Driving

[phantomx]

My battery died suddenly while I was driving. No lights. No horn. No dash light. My HID was turned on at this time. I've experienced also a problem before with my HID where the right part doesn't turn on immediately when switch on.

I don't know what could have cause it unless you could help me identify it?

It's a Honda City '01 car.

Some parts I've installed recently are K&N air filter, xenonworx hid, Pivot volt stabilizer and Pivot engine push start button.

A kind hobbyist of car batteries passed by and helped series it.

After the series, my hid lights won't turn on. Only the park light works. Could the HID be the problem? Every time I open the hood, its hot. Would that be normal?

My volt stabilizer still reads 13.2 and I was informed that its suppose to be somewhere 10.0 when the battery needs to be replace. So, I guess its not the battery or still is since car won't turn on after I shut the engine when I got home?

Or could it be my air filter sensor?

Hope somebody here could help me.

[ghosthunter]

Check your car battery clamps for good connection to the battery terminals.

[phantomx]

Hi. Thank you for the advise. I've check it already and it's still tight. What other factors could I look into?

[ghosthunter]

even if the terminals are tight, check for corosion between the terminal and clamp. You will need to remove and clean the terminals to be sure.

Check the ground wire (black) from the battery to the chassis.

[meledson]

baka sira na ang alternator.

[phantomx]

okay. here's what I notice. My park lights and alarm works. So, I guess it wouldn't be the battery?

The only thing not working is my headlight aside from the battery.

Also, every time I would switch on the headlight, my volt reader would read lo (short for low?) and I would experience a temporary shortage in electricity like I can't use the car alarm.

Could it be the HID consuming a lot of volts?

[shakatak70]

HID?!? maybe one of the reasons especially if not properly installed with correct wattage. Mabilis ma drain ang battery mo.... wag naman sanang alternator.

[batang_raon14]

question: is your battery maintenance-free? If it's not, hope you regularly fill up the plates. I experienced that before with my Lancer. I didn't know the batteries isn't maintenance-free until the car completely went dead while I was cruising through the Ayala Tunnel. If that's the case you may have to replace your batteries.

[phantomx]

I'm guessing it's not. I took out the caps and look into the plates and I noticed that the fluid level is low. I just filled it up. Though, would this be the cause?

[phantomx]

I'm guessing it's not. I took out the caps and look into the plates and I noticed that the fluid level is low. I just filled it up. Though, would this be the cause?

I'm currently using Outlast. Do you think that's good battery brand already or are there more superior batteries out there?

[meledson]

I'm guessing it's not. I took out the caps and look into the plates and I noticed that the fluid level is low. I just filled it up. Though, would this be the cause?

what did you use?

[phantomx]

it's a battery fluid. the bottle has no label. I can't say what brand is it.

[grandprix]

My battery died suddenly while I was driving. No lights. No horn. No dash light. My HID was turned on at this time. I've experienced also a problem before with my HID where the right part doesn't turn on immediately when switch on.

I don't know what could have cause it unless you could help me identify it?

It's a Honda City '01 car.

Some parts I've installed recently are K&N air filter, xenonworx hid, Pivot volt stabilizer and Pivot engine push start button.

A kind hobbyist of car batteries passed by and helped series it.

After the series, my hid lights won't turn on. Only the park light works. Could the HID be the problem? Every time I open the hood, its hot. Would that be normal?

My volt stabilizer still reads 13.2 and I was informed that its suppose to be somewhere 10.0 when the battery needs to be replace. So, I guess its not the battery or still is since car won't turn on after I shut the engine when I got home?

Or could it be my air filter sensor?

Hope somebody here could help me.

Oh no!!! If you are correct for using the term "series" you damaged the whole electrical & electronic system of your car because 2 batteries with 12 volts when connected in series it produced 24 volts and if connected in "parallel" the volts still the same as 12 volts and only the current will be changed which will not affect the whole electrical system.

[meledson]

^^^ ordinary drivers call it "series" but actually the connection is actually parallel. do not ask me why it is called as such. baffled also. hehehehe :D

[jick.cejoco]

it's a battery fluid. the bottle has no label. I can't say what brand is it.

to isolate possible battery caused problems, a couple of basic tests are needed:
1-as previously mentioned, check the battery terminals for corrosion, security or tightness, and voltage drop between the terminal posts and the terminal clamps while under load like cranking
2- check for specific gravity of the electrolyte. at around 80 degrees fahrenheit, it should be between 1.260 - 1.265 on a reliable hydrometer
3- check the age of the battery, if the battery has an indication of service life expectancy, verify its service duty since the time it was put to service; remember, batteries don't last forever
4- if available, have the battery fully charged and load tested to half of its CCA rating for about 15 seconds without the voltage dropping below 10.5 volts while under load, if the battery is unable to hold to the minimum voltage, it is a good candidate for replacement
5- have resistance measured on the positive cable and the negative cable
6- measure voltage drop across the positive terminal of the battery to the terminal 30 of the starter while under load, do the same on the negative side from the battery cable to the engine block, and to the chassis ground

[ghosthunter]

I'm guessing it's not. I took out the caps and look into the plates and I noticed that the fluid level is low. I just filled it up. Though, would this be the cause?

I'm currently using Outlast. Do you think that's good battery brand already or are there more superior batteries out there?

The batteries from OUTLAST for the last four years have been going down in quality. From experience, they start to fail as early as seven month to twelve months after purchase. Even with the warranty, it is not worth the hassle of being stuck somewhere with a car that cannot start due to a defective battery.

You would be better off with MOTORLITE. In fact, I have switched brands already.

[phantomx]

* ghosthunter: you're right. it's only been 5 months and my battery died already. it also happened to my civic which died in duration of 5-6 months. i think I'll consider getting motolite next time.

an update: I've had it checked and the problem was pinpointed to the battery. For now, my car is running on a service battery. They'll be checking my old battery and it might takes 1-2 weeks before they can point out the problem.

a question about the "series" topic. okay, I used that term since I only heard it from drivers, but didn't really had an idea what it does. So, I guess, it's not suppose to be called series. Should the right term be parallel? Though when is a series use or apply? Thank you for enlightening me about that.

[indiej]

it's a battery fluid. the bottle has no label. I can't say what brand is it.

following up on meledsons thought, are you saying your battery is the type that has the obvious refill caps/Low Maintenance? Is that battery fluid you're referring to 'distilled water' or something else? you cannot refill with electrolyte. hint: mas malapot yata ang electrolyte sa tubig.

kung series talaga, delikado ang electrical system mo. parallel is + to + (red to red), and booster's - (negative) to ground on the body of your car that is close to the battery but not on the battery - (negative) itself.

[phantomx]

Hi. yes, it is the battery with the obvious refill cap/low maintenance. with regards with the battery fluid, I think it would be the distilled water you're talking about. It is sometimes referred to me as water so I guess it's not electrolytes.

As for the series and parallel topic, what was done was a parallel according to what you've define. it was (+) to (+) and (-) to (-).

I upgraded my battery already to a motolite gold which I heard and was promised that it takes 2 years and half before it drains.

Thank you everyone here in this thread who shared your thoughts and advice about my battery problem. I learned something new.

[mbk347]

maybe your electrical has problems within, because based on my experience, cars never stall while driving because of the battery, but if you think its the battery have it checked by a reputable battery technician... might i suggest you get a higher amp battery because you've started using HID bulbs... like motolite excel or AMARON hi-life...