strange problem with car!

[johna_99_99]

ok guys my car wont crank!!!!! i went out one morning and my wouldnt start.......so what i did was boosted the battery and it started up fine......but as soon as i took off the booster cables car stalled.......so i once again hooked the booster cables back up and left them on for a while.....took them off.....and now it stays started.....then i got home turned off the car.....went out 5 minutes later to see if i can start it and it did fire up........so i think everything is ok.....the next morning car wont crank doesnt start.....i was pissed so i thought it was the battery and went out to buy another one..........put it in the car and car started!!!! so i think everything is ok..........next morning......it wont start again!!!! which means i wasted money on a new battery........another thing i did was when the car was started i unhooked the battery from the car and it was still running..........what is going on here??? thanks guys sorry its so long but i wanted it to be detailed

is my alternator shot????? one guy said i couldve damaged the coils because i was boosting too much????

[PDX_S14]

is your battery cable look ok ? sit tight on the battery ? then use a voltmeter to check your charging system.... test the positive side and neg. side of the coil. forogt the spec you gonna look it up in the FSM. check the belt too, if your belt was on too tight. that would over charge your alternator too. hope this help....

[johna_99_99]

do u think something might be draining my battery when im not around the car........the reason whyi dont think its the alternator is because after driving for a while then shutting off the car....if i start it again a short time later it starts fine....its only when i let it sit for a while.....that it doesnt start....im so ***in pissed......****!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[PDX_S14]

do you have a alarm? cuz it happen to my buudy's alpine alarm. if he let it sit for a day without starting it. it have the same issus. if not then start checking wires/connections.... i know is not fun...

[johna_99_99]

ya i dont have an alarm...man this is gonna suck ****.......is the alternator good if u disconnect the battery while the car is running and it still runs? does this mean its good?

[johna_99_99]

and i guess i dont have to have the ignition on while i pull fuses and stuff right since the power is draining when the ignition is off?

[woahdavE]

my car has the same problem = / . When i start my car and leave it there running and turn off come back 14 mins later it wont start so i moved around my battery and it starts again and its a new batttery of course . dunno why it does that at time to time arrg pissarama

[johna_99_99]

ya it sucks for sure man.....actually i just noticed something else while fooling around with the car......u know when u pop the hood or reconnect the battery and u get 2 clicks with the lights flashing on then off again.....the click isnt stopping and its coming from the fuse box by the intake.....also while that click was happening i was checking the voltage of the battery at the same time and every time that click would happen the voltage would drop......what is that clicking noise?????? again its when u either pop the hood or reconnect the battery.....i think this may be the problem.....sometimes it stops and sometimes it will click 15 times in a row...i dont think its supposed to do this????

[luv2spedup]

it's a long shot but check ur ground, not jst on the battery but on the body itself. if not check ur wiring u may have a shot some where that's dranin ur battery out, do u by any chance have ur battery relocated

[johna_99_99]

no its not relocated....i tried that test where you take off the negative battery cable take a multimeter and test the amps between the cable and terminal? i dont get a reading at all....how can you even get one if the cable is disconnected.....that shuts down everything (internal clock...ecu...etc) am i doing the test wrong?

[DawgMode]

most likely its the alternater

[sr20detmaybe]

i also think it is the alternator, but u said that u could diconnect the battery and it would stay running and that shows a good alternator. one way to check an alternator is to start the car then disconnect ur battery and then reconnect it and see if there is a difference in the way the alternator sounds becuase it should sound a little different when it is trying to charge a battery. and i would check for little lights like the trunk lights or something like that that could be staying on and killing ur battery. and in an above post some1 said to check ur belt tention. do that but they also said that if its too tight, it can overcharge ur battery and this is wrong. if the belt is overtightened then it can wear the bearings out in ur alternator. sorry for the long post

[virus77]

Check the two plugs that go into the red connector on you positive battery terminal, this will do what you are describing if the connections are loose/corroded.

[johna_99_99]

cool...ill check those........

i just got back from a shop .....they tested the alternator and said it was not charging...they said battery and starter are ok

the odd thing is that when i disconnect the battery when the car is started the car stays running....now im really stumped......the technician said the test doesnt lie but why is the car able to run without the battery connected??????

[Jesse SR20]

The alternator could be putting out just enough volts to run the car, but not enough to charge the battery aswell.

[johna_99_99]

im gonna get a new alternator and see if it fixes the problem....

[johna_99_99]

i also forgot to mention that i had a small coolant leak and coolant was dripping on the alternator...could this have fried it??? i checked the alternator fuse and it didnt blow....hopefully the new alternator will fix the problem

[johna_99_99]

i tested the voltage at the battery with the car running....it read 12 volts......turned on the stereo and lights.....voltage dropped to 13 so ya i guess its the alternator........the funny thing is that if i drive it around the battery charges back up........its as if the alternator works only at higher rpms

[luv2spedup]

drivin the car around charges the battery much better than lettin it run idle

[johna_99_99]

took alternator out and got it tested and its working perfectly...just great.....now i have to look at wiring..just great

[johna_99_99]

found problem...short circuit in my stereo system