Damn !!! Need help please

[Mike-san]

Battery appeared dead, so I went and bought a new one
http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103061
I installed the new battery, started up the car w/out any problems and took a drive. The car ran fine. I parked it about 7 hrs. ago, then when I just went out to take it out again, the NEW battery is totally dead !!! I guess there's something that's draining the juice, but I didn't leave a light on, or a door ajar...What gives ?

 

[Jfowler]

check the trunk lid. push down under the fin gently. I have had this problem with the wife not closing the glass or lid properly.

 

[Racerxjling]

Have your alternator checked as it is likely not charging the battery. How many miles on the car/alternator? In 7 hours, it is unlikely a parasitic drain as it would take longer to drain a fully charged battery. In 7 hours, it would be something pretty obvious like headlights or radio/amps...something with a bigger draw. You can take the alternator into Kragen's...believe they check it for free but think it must be out of the car. BTW, I have a formula red painted alternator w/ 30k miles on it for sale if you end up needing one.

Good luck.

Jeff

 

[Mike-san]

Have your alternator checked as it is likely not charging the battery. How many miles on the car/alternator? In 7 hours, it is unlikely a parasitic drain as it would take longer to drain a fully charged battery. In 7 hours, it would be something pretty obvious like headlights or radio/amps...something with a bigger draw. You can take the alternator into Kragen's...believe they check it for free but think it must be out of the car. BTW, I have a formula red painted alternator w/ 30k miles on it for sale if you end up needing one.

Good luck.

Jeff

The car is a 93' w/ about 103 K miles. I don't know if the alternator has ever been replaced...I'll check the service records.

 

[RON98]

get a volt meter and with the car running, check the voltage across your + and - post of your battery.

If you get a 14+ volt, your alternator is working fine. also you have the stock volt meter on the cluster.

If you only see 12 volts, then you have an issue with your alternator.

7 hrs for a new battery is caused by a big drain.... ie headlights or engine fan, etc.

you can leave the trunk light on for 3-4 days and it wont drain the system completely.

If the alternator is dead, usually the car dies when your driving since firing the plugs and running accessaries takes up alot of juice.

happy motoring.

Rob:smile:

 

[onefastrx7turbo]

check not only the voltage, but the amperage as well. Autozone can check the status of the entire system without removing anything. They can put a load test on the battery as well as the alternator. Their scanner can also detect shorts.

 

[PhiAlpha44]

check the trunk lid. push down under the fin gently. I have had this problem with the wife not closing the glass or lid properly.

Grounds for dismissal. :wink:

 

[MoogieBoogie]

Just curious, but is it an Interstate / Optima battery?

 

[Hugh]

Just curious, but is it an Interstate / Optima battery?

It's probably a POS Die Hard. :biggrin:

 

[onefastrx7turbo]

I have used optima's in the past in many of my vehicles and never had any problems with them. I currently have an optima in my prelude, and a lightweight odyssey battery in the Porsche.

 

[davidf]

I have used optima's in the past in many of my vehicles and never had any problems with them. I currently have an optima in my prelude, and a lightweight odyssey battery in the Porsche.

Question about the Odessy batteries? Being such lightweight, surely it can't produce that many amps can it? Most new cars have so many electonics that need proper amperage to work properly. Fuel pump/ECU/injectors ect. Is some of this compromised with a smaller amperage battery? Thanks.:smile:

 

[4AU4LIFE]

check the trunk lid. push down under the fin gently. I have had this problem with the wife not closing the glass or lid properly.

The red light on the dash didn't come on showing you the trunk was open?

 

[onefastrx7turbo]

Question about the Odessy batteries? Being such lightweight, surely it can't produce that many amps can it? Most new cars have so many electonics that need proper amperage to work properly. Fuel pump/ECU/injectors ect. Is some of this compromised with a smaller amperage battery? Thanks.:smile:

Well, they make a variety of different size and amperage batteries. As far as the amperages go for new cars vs. older cars, the battery is only really there for starting the car. Once the car is running, the amperage and voltage are coming from the alternator. Ususually cars which require a large battery are cars which need a lot of cranking power such as trucks, big V8's, etc. The thing that I liked about the Odyssey line of batteries is the same as the optimas; being able to mount them in any position and also they are a sealed, maintenance free battery. If you search their site you will find a wide variety of different battery types. The lightweight version I have for my Porsche is just a lightweight version of other batteries they offer. It is rated at 680 amps for 5 seconds, then 370 CA, and 220 CCA. It has a 24 minute reserve capacity as opposed to the optima's 2 or 3 hour. Weighing in at only 15 lbs, it was ideal for my use in that car. I used the heavy, large optima in the Honda because I didn't want to take a chance when I had the car in cold weather (I take trips to Colorado in it) Plus, that car is already heavy so whats another 50 lbs worth of battery :biggrin:

 

[Mike-san]

Update : Well hopefully the problem is solved, and truth be told, it was a minor one. First off, the previous battery was finished according to tests conducted on it. Why did the new one die ? It didn't-The problem was that the age of the clamps prevented them from tightning properly on the new battery posts. After I first installed the new battery, the car started and ran fine. Although sufficient contact was achieved during the initial installation, my drive afterwards must have loosened the clamps enough to where there was not enough cable clamp/battery post connection, hence, when I tried to start the car again, the loose connection did not transmit the battery power. I took it to a friend who cleaned up the connections better, and using proper tools, made the clamps fasten much tighter onto the posts. I have stopped and started the car now several times, and everything seems to be o.k. For anyone's refference, apparently, if there is an alternator problem, the check engine light will come on (it didn't in my case). Also, the car would probably not run for very long (as a previous poster suggested).