Car keeps dying

Nick Leone · Postby **Nick Leone** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 9:14

Ok so three days ago my car died cause my battery died, I got it jumped and it ran for a mile or two then died again, so my dad came and put a new battery in the car(not the right one but it started) The next morning I took it to (I will never take it here again) Pep Boys and had the alternator and battery checked they said that both were fine and I went home and put my battery on charge over night, the next morning I put it back in the car and run errands and it dies about half way into them. It ends up that I go and buy a new battery due to the old one being bad, but this morning on my way to work the lights on my car got really dim I get to work and the car dies, I checked the battery with a volt meter before it died and it was only putting out 6 and change with the car on. Help what could be wrong?

P.S. sorry for the word battery being used so much

~Barn~ · Postby **~Barn~** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 9:14

I know you said they did it already, but I would have another place check the alternator. The charged (old) battery may have had enough juice to get you through that first half of your stuff the other day, but if it wasn't getting any return, the symptoms of it dying a slow death, are in keeping with an alternator that is on its way out.

Same with the brand new battery. It obviously had enough juice to start you up in the cold weather and get you on the road this AM, but as you drove, if it wasn't getting any return, the same slow death pattern is there.

I don't know the scientific intricacies of the low voltage, but I can only guess that a weakened battery would display low readings.

Postby **RX-7 Chris** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 9:14

Battery cables. I would replace then because I bet that is the problem.

Nick Leone · Postby **Nick Leone** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 9:14

ok I'll do that and yeah I took it to Pep Boys and they charged me 16 bucks so that they could test it on there 10,000 dollar machine lol

Nick Leone · Postby **Nick Leone** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 9:14

RX-7 Chris wrote:Battery cables. I would replace then because I bet that is the problem.

Damn I hope its not that cause the + cable is spidered in to a lot of stuff

~Barn~ · Postby **~Barn~** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 9:14

They charged you to test it? Ouch.

If it ends up being the cables, I would buy them from Pep Boys, and insist that they apply that $10 towards it. Checking their condition should have been part of the "diagnostic". Especially if they are going to have the audacity to charge you for it!

Postby **RX-7 Chris** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 9:14

that is usuall the way the cables are but that is my best guess. Change out the - first and see how it does and then go from there.

MazdaTom · Postby **MazdaTom** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 9:14

An autopart store should NEVER charge you to have shit tested. Guess I'm never going to Pep Boys ever again for anything.

Did they actually test the alternator on the car or on their bench? And how did they test the battery? In the car or on the machine?

It definitely sounds like something with your charging/electrical system.

tbot · Postby **tbot** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 9:14

I agree, it sounds like either bad cables resulting in a poor connection causing too much resistance to charge or your alternator going bad and not charging anything at all. And yeah Pep Boys, not a big fan. I know checker will test all this for free but its in the car. On the other hand, its not that hard to figure out yourself, if when the car is running and you put a volt meter on the battery and your not getting 13.5-14.5 volts your alternator isn't puting out enough juice to charge the battery.

Nick Leone · Postby **Nick Leone** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 9:14

It is fixed now I got a new alternator and battery and all is good.

Postby **RX-7 Chris** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 9:14

Thats great

Car keeps dying

Car keeps dying

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