Ok, I wake up one morning, try to turn the car over, all I get was clicking. It sat for about 2 minutes then started right up. Three days later it did the same thing at a grocery store and hour and a half from my house. I shut the car off, went it to grab somthing to drink, came back out 2 minutes later and it wouldn't start, just clicking. I got it going by jump starting it but then a few miles down the road it quit, just stopped in the middle of driving. So I figured it is either the battery or altenator. Girlfriend drove me home where I got a new battery and the meter to check things. Put the new battery in and it started right up, voltages were perfect. Now today, I shut the car off for no more than a minute and it wont start, battery voltage is at 6...WTF. What could possibly cause a voltage drop that quickly? I am lost for things to look at.
Bad alternator? If it's not charging the battery you can run out of juice really fast.
<a href="http://www.cardomain.com/id/cting76">My Sunfire</a>
$10 says it's the alternator.
Jay
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C. TING wrote:Bad alternator? If it's not charging the battery you can run out of juice really fast.
The altenator is showing 14.7 volts output at idle. I turn off the car, then check the voltage of the battery, it shows slightly over 12. Then I checked the battery voltage a minute later and it is down to 6.
You got a bad short someplace. Might want to have a load test done on it.
98 Z24
RIP Specks
I would get a load test done also. If you want to see if you have a drain somewhere disconect the negative battery terminal and put a test light in series with the - battery terminal and the - cable. If it lights up with all accesories off and doors shut, there is a drain somewhere. Start pulling out fuses until the light turns off. It should help you narrow down your problem.
http://members.cardomain.com/scrawnyguy18
Well I narrowed it down to being a short somewhere in the instrument cluster area. Probably the worst spot to have to find a short. But the other weird thing I found is that if I pull the ignition fuse under the hood, the light gets brighter (or was it dimmer?). Either way that somehow means that it could involve the ignition circuits also. What a nightmare.
How about ur ignition itself. U might turn the key back but its not turning everything off. Could be worn out. Correct me if I am wrong, if u have a bad ignition couln't the power be on to the instrument cluster. Kinda of having ur iginition on all the time. Which lights get brighter?
