OK, I know jack about electronics.

My battery went kaput on me a week ago. Replaced it and initially had no problems. But I forgot the negative battery connection had two nuts on it: one used to tighten the connection and another holding the ground wire for my alarm to the connection. I, like a dumbass in a hurry, only tightened the outside nut.

So today my car decides not to start, but it does it in a strange way. I open the door and the dome light comes on. But as soon as I turn the key the light cuts out and the car acts as if the battery is totally flat. It also makes some disconcerting noises like quietly crackling electricity sometimes when I hold the key in the start position.

I tightened both the positive and negative connections, but I'm afraid the off-and-on loose connection may have caused some voltage spikes and fried something expensive. The car keeps doing the same thing. Open the door, and the lights come on. Put in the key and it beeps. Turn the key and everything dies.

Any ideas on what may have happened?

 

take a voltmeter to the battery leads. what does the meter state?

i think you just drained your battery.

 

The same stuff happend to mine a while back. It ended up being the ground from the battery to the chassis was not making a good contact cause of some dirt and such. I disconnected, then cleaned up the area and havent had a problem since.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 255.255.255.255 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i think you just drained your battery.</TD></TR></TABLE>



I just had the EXACT same problem this week. Battery was so dead it wouldn't even take a charge. Replaced it and everything is fine.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Mugen Mike &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I just had the EXACT same problem this week. Battery was so dead it wouldn't even take a charge. Replaced it and everything is fine. </TD></TR></TABLE>

0ptima = ?

 

Battery is less than a week old. And the lights come on bright when I open the door. I really doubt the battery is flat.

All the connections were cleaned, and the terminals were coated with fresh anti-corrosion goo during the installation.

I have a theory. My alarm has an ignition cut that activates when the alarm has been bypassed. The thing is, I've had the ignition cut happen before, and it didn't behave the way the car is now. The lights would stay on, but the car wouldn't start. This is different. When I turn the key, everything dies. But maybe it's the POS alarm. Long story short, I broke off the second nut, which held the alarm ground wire to the negative terminal connection. To avoid shorts, I pulled the alarm fuses and taped up the ground wire. But perhaps the alarm is the cause of my problem. I sure hope so, because if it's not the alarm, I'm near convinced something expensive or difficult to trace has been damaged.

This sucks.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MK Ultra &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Battery is less than a week old. And the lights come on bright when I open the door. I really doubt the battery is flat.

All the connections were cleaned, and the terminals were coated with fresh anti-corrosion goo during the installation.

I have a theory. My alarm has an ignition cut that activates when the alarm has been bypassed. The thing is, I've had the ignition cut happen before, and it didn't behave the way the car is now. The lights would stay on, but the car wouldn't start. This is different. When I turn the key, everything dies. But maybe it's the POS alarm. Long story short, I broke off the second nut, which held the alarm ground wire to the negative terminal connection. To avoid shorts, I pulled the alarm fuses and taped up the ground wire. But perhaps the alarm is the cause of my problem. I sure hope so, because if it's not the alarm, I'm near convinced something expensive or difficult to trace has been damaged.

This sucks. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Dude, don't sweat it so much. It sounds like you either have a crappy ground (you checked already) or your brand new battery died.

IF, as you say:
-- lights seem OK when not starting car
-- Everything goes "black" when starting

Then either your battery is no longer capable of putting out any current, or your starter motor is shorting out, which would probably be more exciting (smoke or sparks after a little bit). My vote is you got a crap battery. I would jumpstart it.

-Chris

EDIT: Try turning on the stereo and headlights. See if they look dim/weak. Interior lights and alarms (etc.) probably draw a hundredth of what your starter motor will draw. If your lights/stereo make your car go wonky, it's gotta be the battery or ground/power connection. Good luck.

 

Thanks.

Come to think of it, turning on the headlights did the same thing.

So of it is the battery, the question is did I just get a defective one, or is there something draining it. The car started just fine on the way to my friends' place, and was only parked for maybe 1.5 hours before the trouble started, so I'm guessing if the battery is flat it is probably defective.

I'm just stressed because I'm totally broke right now and can't afford either to be without my car or to fix it if something is really wrong with it.

Oh, and I wish I had a voltmeter.

 

Most auto stores will do a battery and alternator check for free. Take the battery back to where you bought it, seriously. I bought a brand new battery for my GS-R back in 2000 from Advance Auto Parts, drove home, tried to start it and nothing. It didnt look very new either so I have a feeling it was used and returned from a previous customer. Went back, they gave me a new one (this one looked brand new too ), and it was great thereafter.

 

Thanks, guys.

Turns out, the clamps on my battery cables are a bit stretched out. No matter how tight the nut was, the clamp wouldn't get any tighter. Ended up squeesing them a bit with channel locks to improve the connection. Ghetto solution, I know, but hopefully it will hold for a couple of years.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MK Ultra &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Thanks, guys.

Turns out, the clamps on my battery cables are a bit stretched out. No matter how tight the nut was, the clamp wouldn't get any tighter. Ended up squeesing them a bit with channel locks to improve the connection. Ghetto solution, I know, but hopefully it will hold for a couple of years. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Stock terminals are teh suck. Before I switched to aftermarket ones, a had to stick a folded up paperclip in there to get a tight connection.