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Old 12-19-2005, 11:25 AM   #1
sonicblue
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Default Must vent: frickin' car dead this morning

Put a new battery in about three months ago. Definitely was starting slow and the new battery was clearly needed. Been starting strongly ever since even in all the cold weather. Just went to a concert in downtown Philly on Saturday night and it started up right up, drove home, and it sat in my garage all day Sunday. Wake up this morning to go to work, turn the key and get "click"-nothing. It wasn't even a full click, just "cli-" and then kaput. After that, wouldn't even click, all power gone.

Gotta be the alternator, right? If it was the starter, I'd have acc power, just no crank. But how would the battery drain so completely so fast? I checked and didn't see any lights left on. What sucks is, I just noticed a real small oil leak (very tiny) and was going to call my mechanic to check it out (a quick look by me revealed nothing). I also noticed an acc belt that looked like it might be cracking. I was all prepared to put a little money into it for my inter checkup but was otherwise JUST telling a buddy of mine how great my car has been and was thinking it may be solid enough that I could begin thinking about a third car for fun. Now I'm bracing myself for a huge bill and now you get into that, "how much do I spend on a car worth about $7K" argument. Oh, and we JUST spent yesterday finally doing all our Christmas shopping, so the money will be just FLYING out..... gawddamit
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Old 12-19-2005, 11:28 AM   #2
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alt is fine. sounds like you have a short somewhere.

See below for specifics...
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Old 12-19-2005, 11:28 AM   #3
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Prolly a battery cable is loose
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Old 12-19-2005, 11:30 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HOV
Prolly a battery cable is loose
checked the connections at the battery - looked solid to me.
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Old 12-19-2005, 11:36 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sonicblue
checked the connections at the battery - looked solid to me.
Did you check main fuses? Something could have shorted and blew a fuse. Also, did you wiggle the battery connectors? Sometimes it looks solid but it;s quite loose.
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Old 12-19-2005, 11:41 AM   #6
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do you have a aftermarket stereo in your car? Power cable connected to your batter? Those are things to check. Also make sure everything is completley turning off. I had a car once that when I turned off the headlights the Daytime running headlights would turn on but I would not notice because they are dimmer. Turned out to be a loose wire in the steering column.

But, sounds to me like you have a short/grounding problem. Honda's are known to have some corrosion problems so make sure you have good cables and they are not corroded out.
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Old 12-19-2005, 11:50 AM   #7
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I do have an amkt stereo, but it's been installed for - shoot - like a year and never any problems. When I put the new battery in, I cleaned up all the crap and cleaned off the connectors. I gave them a little wiggle and they didn't budge (I did have them get just a little loose once, you're right, it doesn't take much).

I really hope it's something easy. It needs prolly new plugs, new belts and whatever is causing the oil leak (maybe just a gasket somewhere?). I just don't want the $3,000 bill 'cuz they started digging and found all kinds of problems. I'm REALLY jonesing for a new car (when I say 'new,' I mean 'new to me' - I'd probably buy used) - we shoulnd't spend the money on another car, but it'd be really hard to swallow a bill that big on this car when I could use it as a down pmt on something else.

I really hate this: I haven't spent much on this car at all - maybe even a $3K bill would be the only thing it would require for another five years, but you never know. When is a large repair bill a "sign to drop it like it's hot" and when is it simply "the cost of owning a used car." I bought this car for its reliability, so I hate to dump it but I hate to miss the beginnings of a money pit, too....
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Old 12-19-2005, 11:52 AM   #8
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oh, power for amkt radio is not connected to battery. Brand-specific harness adapter uses stock connections
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Old 12-19-2005, 11:53 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sonicblue
I do have an amkt stereo, but it's been installed for - shoot - like a year and never any problems. When I put the new battery in, I cleaned up all the crap and cleaned off the connectors. I gave them a little wiggle and they didn't budge (I did have them get just a little loose, you're right, it doesn't take much).

I really hope it's something easy. It needs prolly new plugs, new belts and whatever is causing the oil leak (maybe just a gasket somewhere?). I just don't want the $3,000 bill 'cuz they started digging and found all kinds of problems. I'm REALLY jonesing for a new car (when I say 'new,' I mean 'new to me' - I'd probably buy used) - we shoulnd't spend the money on another car, but it'd be really hard to swallow a bill that big on this car when I could use it as a down pmt on something else.

I really hate this: I haven't spent much on this car at all - maybe even a $3K bill would be the only thing it would require for another five years, but you never know. When is a large repair bill a "sign to drop it like it's hot" and when is it simply "the cost of owning a used car." I bought this car for its reliability, so I hate to dump it but I hate to miss the beginnings of a money pit, too....

Dude, you gotta focus on the symptoms and not go chasing after oil leaks and worn belts.

The most significant symptom is lack of power everywhere in your car; no lights, etc. That meas either the battery is totally dead, or there's an interruption in your wiring somewhere (e.g. blown fuse). Since the car ran fin yesterday and it's a 3 month-old battery, the most logical place to look is to the fusebox and/or loose or grounded wiring.

Don't waste your time and money chasing after other things until you fix this first!
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Old 12-19-2005, 11:55 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sonicblue
oh, power for amkt radio is not connected to battery. Brand-specific harness adapter uses stock connections
Its still connected to the battery...
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Old 12-19-2005, 11:59 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pityr
Its still connected to the battery...
I thought the OP meant "directly connected." Point is, it's not constant-on, its power is ignition-switched.

I know, I need to breathe. Power is the issue BUT the fact is, I have been meaning for it to go in and get onced-over. When that little oil leak popped up, it told me I had to get it in soon. In fact, I was going to call today for the appt. Now, after this morning, I'm calling with:

* do the check-up
* oh, this little oil leak popped up, check that out
* oh, btw, you'll need to figure out how to get it started, too!

The whole thing just went from 0-warp overnight........
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Old 12-19-2005, 12:17 PM   #12
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Batteries are upredictable. Was it below freezing all day sunday, battery could have froze.

If its only 3 months old its still should be under warranty, take it back to where you bought it if you have the reciept, they will test and it and if it bad, give you a new one.

Best part is you wont have to spend any money!

Jay
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Old 12-19-2005, 12:26 PM   #13
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did you cross the jumper cables when you tried to jump the last battery?

if so the main fuse is prolly blown, check there
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Old 12-19-2005, 12:44 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Georgethefierce
did you cross the jumper cables when you tried to jump the last battery?

if so the main fuse is prolly blown, check there
wife just called - freakin' battery cable WAS loose. What the heck - now I feel like an idiot. I checked the damn cables. /me
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Old 12-19-2005, 12:47 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sonicblue
wife just called - freakin' battery cable WAS loose. What the heck - now I feel like an idiot. I checked the damn cables. /me

You never checked the battery cable?


*points and laughs*
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Old 12-19-2005, 01:09 PM   #16
sonicblue
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MrBlue
You never checked the battery cable?


*points and laughs*
Reading > you

Post #4
Quote:
Originally Posted by sonicblue
checked the connections at the battery - looked solid to me.
Post #14 - the one you actually quoted
Quote:
Originally Posted by sonicblue
wife just called - freakin' battery cable WAS loose. What the heck - now I feel like an idiot. I checked the damn cables. /me
Of course, battery cables > me, so.......
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Old 12-19-2005, 01:18 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sonicblue
wife just called - freakin' battery cable WAS loose. What the heck - now I feel like an idiot. I checked the damn cables. /me
WhadidItellya!

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Old 12-19-2005, 01:23 PM   #18
sonicblue
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HOV
WhadidItellya!

You = winn4r. You called it, I was skeptical, I was wrong. What I want to know is:

* how come when I gave them a wiggle, they didn't budge, AND
* how did they just go loose after months since I replaced the battery and many, many miles? I don't recall hitting any potholes or any unusual driving Saturday night that was any different than what it's seen lately

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Old 12-19-2005, 01:35 PM   #19
HOV
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sonicblue
You = winn4r. You called it, I was skeptical, I was wrong. What I want to know is:

* how come when I gave them a wiggle, they didn't budge, AND
* how did they just go loose after months since I replaced the battery and many, many miles? I don't recall hitting any potholes or any unusual driving Saturday night that was any different than what it's seen lately

Sometimes a clamp can get tightened around a certain position very well, but if it shifts even slightly it will come off. It was probably that a bunch of little road bumps added up to a fairly small clamp shift, and the tension of the stiff battery cable made the clamp rise just a hair, enough to break 100% contact.

I've had that happen before too.
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Old 12-19-2005, 01:37 PM   #20
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Sounds like a loose battery cable to me. I would check that first.
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Old 12-19-2005, 01:40 PM   #21
sonicblue
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HOV
Sometimes a clamp can get tightened around a certain position very well, but if it shifts even slightly it will come off. It was probably that a bunch of little road bumps added up to a fairly small clamp shift, and the tension of the stiff battery cable made the clamp rise just a hair, enough to break 100% contact.

I've had that happen before too.
I know what you mean, if the connector isn't perfectly round or the post isn't, it feels tight but then a little shift and it's like it's barely on. See, that actually DID happen to me on two separate mornings, and I popped the hood, felt the play and fixed it. This time, I didn't feel any play though now that I really think of it, I may have just checked the positive post

Quote:
Originally Posted by Skirtboy
Sounds like a loose battery cable to me. I would check that first.
this is me not responding to you
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