Car people, halp!

[Vanyali]

Sooo my car. Some of you might know, some of you might not, but it's kinda a pos. Dodge Neon, 2004, a laundry list of problems that I've fixed, yadada. Can't replace it right now (you know.. that.. money thing), and it's one again having problems and I need help to try to identify the problem. I know, I know - doing it online is kinda dumb, but I'm bored and looking for what it *could* be.

I (and my dad) can fix most problems that appear, and take the car apart as I'm not using it. So.. what's happening:

Battery went dead because it sat for a week. Whoops, hadn't realized it'd been a week. No problem, got a jump.

Next day.. battery went flat again. Okay.. maybe it didn't catch. Let it run for two hours, drove it for another half hour to get somewhere, drove back, it was fine. Day after that, was fine.

Two days latter.. battery dead again when I went to make sure I started it. Went to jump it the next day (was late) and it started up.. but dropped when the negative was removed from my car (still connected to other car). Jumped again, it was fine, ran it for an hour no problem.

Went out yesterday (so one day later), was almoooost dead, managed to get it started, ran it for 5-10 minutes, but noticed the lights on the radio / warning lights / dials all pulsing in and out.

Today.. same thing, but when it started it just died. No power at all.

Now.. this battery is only a year old. We replaced it when we drove here. The terminal postsare new as well, because the old ones were gnarly as hell. The cables are not, however; they were merely trimmed to remove the nasty ends and ran through the terminals. The alternator was tested using a voltmeter.. but got a -14 rather than the 14 that everywhere said it should be, so not sure if that's an indication of a problem or not. Haven't tested the battery itself, will probably do that either today or saturday.

So with that in mind.. bad cables? bad alternator? bad battery? something else all together? we have extra cables, so might try that first, but i reaaaally need a car and need to figure this out x_x


For the curious:

forward o2 sensor, AC / PS belt, tension pulley, engine struts (all of 'em), radiator, camshaft position sensor, radio (non-stock), thermostat, shock struts, entire rear brake system, headlights... all replaced in the 3-4 years I've had this car already *_*

[the game]

check your blinker fluid. If you run out of blinker fluid it will cause all kinds of problems.

[Berengil]

If the sulfides ( spelling?) have come out of the battery fluid solution, you're fkd. Happened to me once when I left my lights on overnight. I could start it with a jump off, but alternator couldnt charge the battery because it wouldnt hold a charge. My advice: get a pal to jump you, drive to nearest Autozone store ( or the equivalent wherever you are), and get them to do a battery test. They can tell you if its fried.

[Vanyali]

If the sulfides ( spelling?) have come out of the battery fluid solution, you're fkd. Happened to me once when I left my lights on overnight. I could start it with a jump off, but alternator couldnt charge the battery because it wouldnt hold a charge. My advice: get a pal to jump you, drive to nearest Autozone store ( or the equivalent wherever you are), and get them to do a battery test. They can tell you if its fried.

We actually have the tools to do it at home (my dad's an airplane mechanic, we have... so many tools, i never knew you needed fifty different types of hammers), it's just I don't know how to do it by myself. dad's at work now, and I don't like pushing him to do a lot of car work immediately after which is why saturday for that.

But yeah, that's one of my fears too... but the damn thing is only a year old. Gah. Autozone batteries, man.

[lockedout]

Sooo my car. Some of you might know, some of you might not, but it's kinda a pos. Dodge Neon, 2004, a laundry list of problems that I've fixed, yadada. Can't replace it right now (you know.. that.. money thing), and it's one again having problems and I need help to try to identify the problem. I know, I know - doing it online is kinda dumb, but I'm bored and looking for what it *could* be.

I (and my dad) can fix most problems that appear, and take the car apart as I'm not using it. So.. what's happening:

Battery went dead because it sat for a week. Whoops, hadn't realized it'd been a week. No problem, got a jump.

Next day.. battery went flat again. Okay.. maybe it didn't catch. Let it run for two hours, drove it for another half hour to get somewhere, drove back, it was fine. Day after that, was fine.

Two days latter.. battery dead again when I went to make sure I started it. Went to jump it the next day (was late) and it started up.. but dropped when the negative was removed from my car (still connected to other car). Jumped again, it was fine, ran it for an hour no problem.

Went out yesterday (so one day later), was almoooost dead, managed to get it started, ran it for 5-10 minutes, but noticed the lights on the radio / warning lights / dials all pulsing in and out.

Today.. same thing, but when it started it just died. No power at all.

Now.. this battery is only a year old. We replaced it when we drove here. The terminal postsare new as well, because the old ones were gnarly as hell. The cables are not, however; they were merely trimmed to remove the nasty ends and ran through the terminals. The alternator was tested using a voltmeter.. but got a -14 rather than the 14 that everywhere said it should be, so not sure if that's an indication of a problem or not. Haven't tested the battery itself, will probably do that either today or saturday.

So with that in mind.. bad cables? bad alternator? bad battery? something else all together? we have extra cables, so might try that first, but i reaaaally need a car and need to figure this out x_x


For the curious:

forward o2 sensor, AC / PS belt, tension pulley, engine struts (all of 'em), radiator, camshaft position sensor, radio (non-stock), thermostat, shock struts, entire rear brake system, headlights... all replaced in the 3-4 years I've had this car already *_*

Sounds like your alternator is shot.

[abracmike]

If you have a volt meter or multimeter you can borrow, check the voltage on the battery terminals while the car is running.
If it's ~13.5-14.5V, then your alternator is fine, otherwise alternator is suspect (I believe some parts stores offer free testing on alternators and batteries)

[Nengal]

Test the alternator. Test the battery load while the car is off. That will help determine the size of the loss. Then you can work on finding the short or whatever the problem is.

[Vanyali]

If you have a volt meter or multimeter you can borrow, check the voltage on the battery terminals while the car is running.
If it's ~13.5-14.5V, then your alternator is fine, otherwise alternator is suspect (I believe some parts stores offer free testing on alternators and batteries)

Test the alternator. Test the battery load while the car is off. That will help determine the size of the loss. Then you can work on finding the short or whatever the problem is.

I did this, with it on - got negative ~14. Couldn't find anywhere that would say whether that was bad or fine (everywhere just talked about positive ~14).

[Reeve]

I'd guess it's the battery. If it were the alternator, I wouldn't expect your car to stay running for those hours you're talking about. But yeah, use a multimeter.

[abracmike]

-14V means you crossed the leads on the meter (not harmful).
Anyway, in that case, alternator is probably OK.
Getting the battery checked at a parts store would be the next best best, followed by Nengal's reply (#7)

Edit:
On second thought, the alternator might still not put enough current out.
Try taking another reading with your headlights, wipers, radio etc all on.
You should still see something ~14V (-14V if you flip the leads again)

[ZweiHandler]

If you have an AutoZone around you they will check it for free.

If your alternator is shot then a new battery will get cooked too.

[Alcomo]

The lights pulsing makes it sound like its most definitely the alternator. If you have a scrapyard near by you should be able to get a working one for pretty cheap. Usually you can knock off a little more if you bring in your old alternator as well. As long as its easy to get at it is very easy to change.

[Reeve]

Letting a battery die completely can damage the cells in the battery, especially if you leave it dead for a while.

I just Googled it to be sure my memory on that was correct.

[Vash The Stampede]

#1 Weak battery

Go to your local Autozone and have it tested. But do not buy a battery from them. Best batteries are ACDelco and the ones from WalMart. That's just my experience. The Duralast batteries from Autozone are junk. Red or Yellow, it doesn't matter. Equally junk. Also some batteries need maintenance. yes that's right, you don't just run them to the ground. If your batter is a maintenance battery, then it has caps on top that your can remove to check if the water level is filled. If not, then buy some distilled water and fill it "almost" to the top. Do this and then recharge the battery. But if you don't see any liquid in one of the cells, you killed one cell and the battery can't hold much of a charge.



#2 Intermediate Alternator

Not all alternators just die. Some work sometimes and then stop working, and you won't notice cause the car will happily run off the battery. If you have a multimeter, hook it up to the battery while the cars running and measure the voltage. At 13v or higher, the alternator is working but rev the engine to see if this changes. Different RPMs can cause alternators to produce more or less voltage. Anything less than 13v is probably a bad alternator. BTW anything more than 15v and the alternator is overcharging and killing your battery, as well as your electrical system.

#3 Slow electrical leak

Something in the car could be pulling power away. Maybe a fan stuck running in the dash? Maybe a light left on you can't see? This is hard to figure out cause you just have to be persistence and look and listen for things that shouldn't be on when the car is off.

[Vanyali]

Letting a battery die completely can damage the cells in the battery, especially if you leave it dead for a while.

I just Googled it to be sure my memory on that was correct.

I was afraid of that


I'll try to get it started and test the alternator again with the stuff on.. it wasn't doing the pulses (to my knowledge) when we did the test, so it might be that it was going and just not enough to measure or something

Gonna have to wait two hours for someone to come home for a jump though, whoo.

[MasterOfNone]

omg dude seriously dont listen to most of this shit here. if you want real help pm me and ill set up a time to talk. this is coming from an ASE auto mechanic and A&P military aviation mechanic. most of what you are gonna read here will make this harder for you trust me.

[chazus]

If the battery is only a year old it may still be under warranty. Might want to check -exactly- when you bought it.

Also, where do you live? Out in the desert here, I've seen batteries died in under a year if they aren't used regularly. Mine just died (after ~3 years) because I was out of town for two weeks, and even had someone start it in the middle to make sure it held a charge.

But yes, if not the battery, the alternator. Your battery might be lacking power (but not actually 'dead'), but if the alternator is having problems, it isnt charging the battery when in use. But if you're gettin ~14 on there then it may just be a shit battery.

My policy is, either buy a shitty walmart battery every year, or buy a better one with a 3-5 year warranty on it.

[abracmike]

omg dude seriously dont listen to most of this shit here. if you want real help pm me and ill set up a time to talk. this is coming from an ASE auto mechanic and A&P military aviation mechanic. most of what you are gonna read here will make this harder for you trust me.

Even better, ignore what I had before Vanyali, a help offer like this one is definetly a good one to take!

[Vanyali]

omg dude seriously dont listen to most of this shit here. if you want real help pm me and ill set up a time to talk. this is coming from an ASE auto mechanic and A&P military aviation mechanic. most of what you are gonna read here will make this harder for you trust me.

I'm just looking for "what could it be"s here, man. As I said, my dad has credentials pretty identical to yours, so I'm really not about to tell him we should do something he's against "'cause the internet told me!". No offense to anyone here

But cars are fickle things and sometimes people have similar issues and can say what they did to fix it. Seriously though, fuck cars.

[abracmike]

I'm just looking for "what could it be"s here, man. As I said, my dad has credentials pretty identical to yours, so I'm really not about to tell him we should do something he's against "'cause the internet told me!". No offense to anyone here

But cars are fickle things and sometimes people have similar issues and can say what they did to fix it. Seriously though, fuck cars.

That I can agree to.
I had a 97 neon for a number of years, eventually scrapped it because I was getting sick of all the damn maintenance (and the body was starting to get some serious rust problems).