What's wrong with my battery?

**sHoCkAbSoRbEr** · April 25th, 2004 11:35 PM

I had a hard time starting up my van this morning and since I remember that my battery has been a year old already, I decided to replace it with a new one.

This afternoon, I drove to the church. After hearing mass, when I was about to turn on the engine, it didn't start.

What could be the problem? My bat is new. :confused:

**ghosthunter** · April 25th, 2004 11:39 PM

there might be ground somewhere in your van. Or could be a loose battery clamp (happened to me).

**sHoCkAbSoRbEr** · April 25th, 2004 11:45 PM

I checked the bat connection (+/-) and it is tightly connected...

**slip-slick** · April 26th, 2004 12:15 AM

first thing, since you put in a new battery, and it died after a short trip, so that means your charging system is defective. check your alternator if it is charging. if you have a voltmeter, check the voltage across the battery terminals WHILE the car is running. it should be about 14+ volts if the alternator is charging. if 12v or below, alternator is defective.

second, after parking, with a new battery, it won't start. so there must be a power drain someplace. this is a bit tedious to check, i just suggest you have a shop do this.

btw, as soon as your charging voltage drops, you should've seen the battery symbol on your dash light up, did you?

**odell** · April 26th, 2004 12:33 AM

ok na yan ate mau right?hehe

**wildthing** · April 26th, 2004 08:04 AM

I think, 1 year for a battery is not that old....my batteries reach me 2 1/2 years at least before they die....

It is very possible that it is not a battery problem. A loose body ground would have similar symptoms as a dead battery...a low charging alternator (defective IC or whatever inside it) could also have cause the battery to drain-dead. A dying starter solenoid would also behave like a dead battery.

If you can DIY it, try checking the wire that connects to the starter from the battery and see if it loose sa connection sa starter end. Then check the negative wire naman if it is loose sa body contact. Tighten the bolt if needed.

After that honk the car, the busina should sound loud enough if the battery is good pa. If yes, turn on the high beam and honk again...same scenario...loud honk would say that your battery is still good. Try starting the engine.

If you have multitester or a volt meter...set it to 50V (or any setting more than 15V) and check if the battery have a charge... it should be more than 12V. If it is below that malamang hindi na charge ang new battery mo, and thus you can include your alternator as a suspected culprit.

If you can start it and drive it around for a least 30 minutes (even at idling lang puede rin), a good alternator should be able to charge it back to more than 12V.

Hope those first aid remedy help you.

**ebbfolls** · April 26th, 2004 10:10 AM

1. Did the batt warning lamp turn on at any time? When you turn the key to the "on" position, check if the batt warning lamp(and all other warning lamps for that matter) illuminate. They should turn off after a few moments of starting the engine.
2. Clean your battery terminals with a wire brush and re-tighten your cables.
3. It could be a starter problem.

If the car started with a jump from another car, it could still be still possible that the starter solenoid connections are loose or corroded. A bad solenoid connection will require more amperage and thus will act slow on just one battery powering it.

I suggest (if the batt warning lamp is working and is not turning on when the engine is running) that the batt terminals and the starter cable connections be cleaned and retightened.

**ian_rex** · April 26th, 2004 01:04 PM

how old is your battery 1 year old? what type maintenance-free or low maintenance? anyway, i have observe that these batteries, live up to their warranty duration, pag beyond ka na, saka dun na magloloko yun.

anyway, i presume na well-kept ang van mo so my best bet is that the battery is malfunctioning na.

**sHoCkAbSoRbEr** · April 26th, 2004 02:36 PM

The batt warning lamp wasn't on.

odell, hindi pa um-ok kahit ni-rev ko na ng 10mins habang naka-park para mag-charge yung batt. Nag jump start ulit ako for the second time.

Good thing naka-uwi pa ako last night and exacto nung pag-park ko ng garage bigla na lang namatay yung engine mag-isa.

Maybe there's something wrong with the alternator nga, my batt won't charge.

Thanks for all the replies. I'll just bring this to the repair shop.

**slip-slick** · April 26th, 2004 04:38 PM

you say your warning light on your dash didn't light up? when you turn your key to Position 2, just before you start your engine, does it light up at all? some older cars have a flaw in the design, when the warning symbol bulb blows, even if the charging system is ok, the circuit is not be complete for the battery to charge. this is the case with my old E30 (bmw 320i)

btw, for comparison lang, my maintenance free battery is already 4yrs old, so your 1yr old battery is not the problem if the charging system is ok.