car battery issue? opinions please

May 21, 2010
1,176
NJ & IA
If after about six hours of highway/other driving the car is shut off for 1.5 hours. Then I try to start it and it needs to be jumped, its the battery, right? Just checking before I go out and make a purchase (i pray that walmart will be open early tomorrow for it)...


What can be doing this to the battery? Is it just shot? I did drain it once by accident...
 

cajunblitz

Member
May 20, 2010
1,217
Saint Martin Parish LA
kinnelonfire75 said:
If after about six hours of highway/other driving the car is shut off for 1.5 hours. Then I try to start it and it needs to be jumped, its the battery, right? Just checking before I go out and make a purchase (i pray that walmart will be open early tomorrow for it)...

What can be doing this to the battery? Is it just shot? I did drain it once by accident...

Most likely. If the battery is bad, once jumped the car will run mostly off of the alternator, but by doing that the alternator can also be damaged. You may have a battery with a dead cell(s). Many folks think that a new battery should always be good when you buy it, but batteries aren't always perfect and you never know how long they were stored before purchased. And the ones that came with the car don't last forever either.


A bad battery will kill an alternator and a bad alternator will kill a good battery.


Most of the time a chain auto parts store (like AutoZone) will walk out and test your battery and alternator at the same time with their magic machine. I'd recommend hitting one of those.
 

Richard P

Member
May 23, 2010
1,031
Sudbury, On
check/clean/change post terminals also. Its a quite too often over looked problem. I had that issue, thought battery was dead, then though starter, then though solenoid, nope, $6 teminals. same thing happened to a friend the other day, we though battery, changed one post, the other appeared good, still didnt start, it acted like dead battery, dim lights, lose all power after no start (just a click, then no lights or power at all). I twisted the terminal to clear out grit and it fired right away.
 
May 21, 2010
1,176
NJ & IA
Here is what I have established...if I disconnect the battery after driving and then reconnect it prior to starting it, it works fine...


But if I leave the battery connected for 2 hours it dies and then needs a jump. Ideas?
 

GaryErrol

Member
May 28, 2010
308
Indianapolis
kinnelonfire75 said:
Here is what I have established...if I disconnect the battery after driving and then reconnect it prior to starting it, it works fine...


But if I leave the battery connected for 2 hours it dies and then needs a jump. Ideas?

I suspect you have a battery with a dead cell. Leaving it disconnected from any load is allowing the battery to regenerate enough energy to start your car but not have enough to do anything else.


But all any of this is, is pure guessing. Take it to an Auto Zone, Pep Boys, what ever is out your way and have your charging system and battery load tested. That's the only way your going to know for sure if it is the battery, alternator or something else.
 
May 21, 2010
1,176
NJ & IA
Gary, I will be doing try that.


SireLite, This all started when i attempted to install a remote starter. It didn't come out right, I drained the battery in the process. I put everything back to the way it was supposed to be and removed the starter. I had someone check to make sure it was kosher. No, everything on the car is factory, its a 2009 pilot, no aftermarket toys or lights.
 
Oct 27, 2010
279
Irving TX
kinnelonfire75 said:
Here is what I have established...if I disconnect the battery after driving and then reconnect it prior to starting it, it works fine...

But if I leave the battery connected for 2 hours it dies and then needs a jump. Ideas?
Assuming the battery ends up fine, It sounds like an electrical device is cont. draining power from the battery. Might be worth taking ten or fifteen minutes to check your electronics and see if anything is drawing power after you turn off the vehicle. But deffinately get the battery checked.
 
Dec 9, 2010
23
McHenry County, IL
Sounds like you have a bad cell in the batery. When the battery was drained to the point of complete depletion the bad cell was not able to recover a good charge. While the battery sits the bad cell continues to drain the good ones and thus no power left to stat the car. I would still test the battery and altenator to be sure, but I would say that you just need a new battery.
 
May 21, 2010
1,176
NJ & IA
Update: Took it to the dealership. They do not know what is going on, the battery and alternator are fine.


This whole thing started after attempting to install a remote starter from auto alarm pro. I followed everything by the book exactly to the T. It didn't work out. I had the starter parts swapped out and tried again, also did not work out. I had people more skilled than I try installing the starter, they did exactly what I did and could not get it to work. What is going on? This is a $40k car and I am absolutely clueless and at this point terrified that I screwed something up pretty bad. The starter is currently not installed, however I left the T-Taps on constant power, ignition and other wires in the factory harness under the dash. They are not shorting or touching or anything like that. All are separated - could that be doing it?


It is acting as if something is draining it. However there is nothing plugged in anywhere...
 
Last edited by a moderator:

EVModules

Member
May 16, 2010
864
Deer Park, WA
I've seen T-taps actually cut the wires it's supposedly tapping. I'd take those T-taps out and inspect the wiring. Just because the wire appears intact doesn't mean it's not separated inside the insulation so keep that in mind. A quality tap always require stripping the insulation with the wire intact, the new wire wrapped around it, soldered, and taped up with high quality electrical (Super 3M) tape and the new wire secured to the factory wire via a wire tie.
 
Nov 21, 2010
440
Pelican Rapids, MN
EVModules said:
I've seen T-taps actually cut the wires it's supposedly tapping. I'd take those T-taps out and inspect the wiring. Just because the wire appears intact doesn't mean it's not separated inside the insulation so keep that in mind. A quality tap always require stripping the insulation with the wire intact, the new wire wrapped around it, soldered, and taped up with high quality electrical (Super 3M) tape and the new wire secured to the factory wire via a wire tie.

+100
 

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