My GFs car has some sort of strange electrical gremlins inside it.
A couple days ago it didnt start up when she put the key in - next thing she knows, her car alarm goes off. Funny thing is, she didnt even realize she had one until then, and shes been driving it for years. My first guess is naturally battery issues - the power died, and reset whatever setting disabled the alarm, along with the clock and radio presets etc.
She eventually gets the car started...without a jump. Drives home, doesnt have a problem for 2 days or so. Tonight...it begins again, car wont start, all the lights flick on and off as if power was just cut and it reset, and car alarm goes off.
She has also had the engine and everything else die randomly on occasion in the past few days.
So I finally got there to check it out tonight as shes stranded in the parking lot. A few things I noticed:
If her engine was off, and the key was put into on without cranking it, everything will work fine, until you turn on the headlights, move the power seats, basically do something that draws enough power - and then itll die. Couldnt fire up the engine after that. Sounds like a dying battery.
So I thought I'd give her a jump. As soon as I had my battery connected to hers, I could turn on her headlights no problem. I cranked it, and it fired right up. Problem solved, dead battery I was thinking.
Then the engine and car randomly died. While the cables were still connected to the battery in my running car. Since her battery terminals were connected to my battery while this happened, cant her battery being dead basically be ruled out? Wouldnt that also rule out her alternator, since she was connected to my battery which is connected to MY alternator?
A few hours later, got it started up again after just trying over and over...doesnt it require far more juice to crank the engine than it does to move a power seat or headlights? So if its just a dead battery, how is it unable to turn on the lights without dying, but can eventually start the car after some coaxing?
Once the car is started and the engine is running, I can generally use the electrical accessories no problem, but the way the engine and everything randomly shut off every now and then worries me that I wont be able to make it to the closest service station. I left it running for a good 20 minutes in hope that the alternator will charge it up enough to start up tomorrow without a jump.
Throughout this time, the "battery volt" dummy light has never come on. If not the battery, then what else?
A couple days ago it didnt start up when she put the key in - next thing she knows, her car alarm goes off. Funny thing is, she didnt even realize she had one until then, and shes been driving it for years. My first guess is naturally battery issues - the power died, and reset whatever setting disabled the alarm, along with the clock and radio presets etc.
She eventually gets the car started...without a jump. Drives home, doesnt have a problem for 2 days or so. Tonight...it begins again, car wont start, all the lights flick on and off as if power was just cut and it reset, and car alarm goes off.
She has also had the engine and everything else die randomly on occasion in the past few days.
So I finally got there to check it out tonight as shes stranded in the parking lot. A few things I noticed:
If her engine was off, and the key was put into on without cranking it, everything will work fine, until you turn on the headlights, move the power seats, basically do something that draws enough power - and then itll die. Couldnt fire up the engine after that. Sounds like a dying battery.
So I thought I'd give her a jump. As soon as I had my battery connected to hers, I could turn on her headlights no problem. I cranked it, and it fired right up. Problem solved, dead battery I was thinking.
Then the engine and car randomly died. While the cables were still connected to the battery in my running car. Since her battery terminals were connected to my battery while this happened, cant her battery being dead basically be ruled out? Wouldnt that also rule out her alternator, since she was connected to my battery which is connected to MY alternator?
A few hours later, got it started up again after just trying over and over...doesnt it require far more juice to crank the engine than it does to move a power seat or headlights? So if its just a dead battery, how is it unable to turn on the lights without dying, but can eventually start the car after some coaxing?
Once the car is started and the engine is running, I can generally use the electrical accessories no problem, but the way the engine and everything randomly shut off every now and then worries me that I wont be able to make it to the closest service station. I left it running for a good 20 minutes in hope that the alternator will charge it up enough to start up tomorrow without a jump.
Throughout this time, the "battery volt" dummy light has never come on. If not the battery, then what else?
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