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  #1  
Old 12-22-2005, 01:53 PM
TheDon's Avatar
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how to know if battery is dead

i just drove my car around the block.. maybe a mile.. it started strong like always but i came in to park it and parked to close to the house so i wanted to back it up.. i turned the key and went hey my glow light works now neat then continued to crank... errrr uhhhh she went and nothing.. i let it sit again nothing but the glow light works and so does my heat!

i can hear the starter click but not enough juice in guessing.. also i went to close my window and it was slugglishly slower than usual and now the cd player that is missing a face plat tries to eject a non existant cd

can someone diagnose this is it a dead battery or a dead charging system or both

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  #2  
Old 12-22-2005, 02:07 PM
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do you have a voltmeter? whats the battery read with the car off? Above or below 12 volts? and exactly what.
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  #3  
Old 12-22-2005, 02:09 PM
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lemme go find one BHD

my neighbor that would have one doest nor do my friends with their "street racer" cars

also how do i take the alternator off to get that tested too.. i looked at it and it looks new and it says BOSCH on it

Last edited by TheDon; 12-22-2005 at 02:29 PM.
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  #4  
Old 12-22-2005, 03:28 PM
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Don't touch the alt yet you are getting ahead of yourself. If you don't have a meter now would be a good time to buy one, they are cheap and handy. Take the battery out and head to your local Autozone. They will test it, if it fails buy one of theirs they are cheap and come with a good warranty. Pick up a meter while you are their.
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  #5  
Old 12-22-2005, 03:46 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hatterasguy
Don't touch the alt yet you are getting ahead of yourself. If you don't have a meter now would be a good time to buy one, they are cheap and handy. Take the battery out and head to your local Autozone. They will test it, if it fails buy one of theirs they are cheap and come with a good warranty. Pick up a meter while you are their.
Unless it's the voltage regulator which you can easily replace by yourself.
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  #6  
Old 12-22-2005, 04:45 PM
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No starts
Slow windows
wierd electrical mishaps...

Get a new battery, because yours has problems. Might want to do a new voltage regulater for POM, and thats just $20...

It took me half an hour or so, most of it spent wandering how I can fit my hand between the alternator and the exhaust...
Thank god I have small hands, because it woulda been a PITA to do with any bigger of hands.

~Nate
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  #7  
Old 12-22-2005, 05:07 PM
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Organized MB DIY links

Engine Electrical:

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http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/general-information/135055-organized-mb-diy-links-post1049542.html#post1049542
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Last edited by whunter; 12-23-2005 at 01:00 AM.
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  #8  
Old 12-22-2005, 08:54 PM
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TheDon,

Don't buy a new battery until yu know your charging system is working. Even a new battery will go dead if it is not being charged.

Best way to find out if the charging system is working is to measure the voltage at the battery. The voltage should increase from about 12v without the engine running to about 14v with the engine at 2000RPM.

The usual problem with the alternator is the brushes wear out. They can be replaced for less that $5 without taking the alternator off the car. The alternator light will not to come on when the brushes are worn out, a design deficiency.

Another possibility is there is a bad connection in the battery circuit. This could be a bad connection at the battery terminals, ground connection or the connection to the solonoid terminals.

P E H
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  #9  
Old 12-22-2005, 09:58 PM
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Before you do anything disconnect your battery terminals and clean them. I have been shut down many times because of corroded terminals. Remove the terminal. Scrap the oxidation off both the post and the cable fitting. Replace the terminal and tighten it- not too tight so that you strip the bolt but very snuggly. Make sure that you can't wiggle the terminal side to side. Try to start the car.

If this doesn't help go to Wally-World and for $1. you can buy a battery hydrometer that will measure the acid density, i.e., the amt. of charge. They are sold in little blister packs that are usually on the corner of the one of the aisles in the car dept.

If you can open the 6 cells test them by sucking up enough acid to float the colored balls. If the cells are low, i.e., there is only one or two calls floating, charge the battery over night. If in the morning there are not at least 4 balls floating then the battery is shot. If there are 4 to 5 balls floating then you are good to go. If one cell has a bad reading then a new battery will soon be in order, esp. in the winter when the current demand is esp. hard. In the summer you can get buy for a month or so but that won't work in the winter.
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  #10  
Old 12-22-2005, 10:03 PM
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im just going to check the battery i got an email back from the p/o and she said she never rembers getting a new battery .. she said after she bought it she rembers charging it over night then a year later when she scuffed the bottom of the oil pan on a parking thing she had to charge it and it was sitting for 6 months before i bought it .. .soooooo ill just get a battery ill get a volt meter and do all the test you guys suggested..
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  #11  
Old 12-22-2005, 10:27 PM
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Get the battery checked out and then clean your main ground connections with a wire brush.
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  #12  
Old 12-22-2005, 10:31 PM
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uhhh wheres that.. ill clean the clamps that connect to the terminals and stuff but i have no idea where that one is at.. ill have to wait til my neighbor is up and has the ability to converese with neighbors.. like 12 pm so i can borrow some things to do that
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  #13  
Old 12-22-2005, 11:39 PM
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TheDon,

Is it too late for you to sign up for Autoshop? Cause you need to if possible...

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  #14  
Old 12-23-2005, 12:12 AM
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man my school doesnt offer that.. im in engineering though and i have access to all the stuff id need to check the battery and change the volt reg on my car.. if i wanted auto shop id go to the votech school.. but id take diesel tech instead of auto.. diesels are the way to go..
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  #15  
Old 12-23-2005, 03:16 PM
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i put a volt meter to it and it was reading 11.8 volts.. i tried it on all the settings for volts DC and AC i put on one volts it was a sign like ~ that and it was reading 25 .. ook so it changed it to the other one which was like ... over a -... which read 11.8 my neghbor was like try my jump box.. it said 300 AMPS on it... yea right like thats going to start a high compression motor.. so ill take the damn battery to autozone and have them test it.. i dont trust that volt meter wasnt craftsman .. i hate my benz its pissing me off

it cant be the starter i think because after i let the 300 amp charger attempt to charge i would try and with the longer wait it would sound like a stronger cranking action was going on instead of a weak one.. i cant jump with my moms equinox.. neat feature.. it can be jumped but not jump another car.. same with me step dads rice paddy floater aveo.. stupid gm

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