Bizarre Car Battery Issue - Input Wanted

khardbored

Well-Known Member
Oct 20, 2012
10,238
7,581
113
Middle of the Midwest
I have changed that battery at least once in the car's like, I think about 4-5 years ago.

I will look into getting a new one, too, after I try the baking soda / clean / check / tighten cables thing. Thanks all!
 

NickTheGreat

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Jan 17, 2012
10,806
4,775
113
Central Iowa
Had the same thing. Randomly would click once and everything went dead. Open the hood, jiggle the wires and it would start. Turned out the negative terminal was corroded. Replaced that and all is fine now.

My last truck was like that. It got worse and worse and even the dealer "couldn't duplicate" the problem. It even happened on the service bay floor.

They took the battery and cables and everything out and nothing was wrong. But I never had that problem again. I think that there was a bad connection deeper in than the battery.
 

Boxerdaddy

Well-Known Member
Oct 19, 2009
4,270
1,329
113
47
Beaverdale, IA
I had a new battery "installed" for free from Sam's club 2 winters ago when it was bitter cold. Went out to start my car the next day at work and it was dead...no clicking, no nothing, lights off entirely. Got a jump and let it charge on the jumpers for about 30 minutes....still nothing and wouldn't start.

Idiots forgot the tighten the wires when they put the new battery in. The cables were attached in a separate area under another panel from where the terminals are to jump the battery so I never saw them until the next day. Froze my ass off that night trying to get that thing started. Stopped by to tell the manager at Sam's, not as an FU to the guy that did it, just as a heads up. His response was..."well i talked to him and he said he tightened them, so.... "

So they must have magically become less than hand tight all by themselves?...in one day?... I think i was more upset at the manager than the idiot in the shop.

TL;DR version - Check your cables.
 

BCClone

Well Seen Member.
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Sep 4, 2011
67,775
63,845
113
Not exactly sure.
My last truck was like that. It got worse and worse and even the dealer "couldn't duplicate" the problem. It even happened on the service bay floor.

They took the battery and cables and everything out and nothing was wrong. But I never had that problem again. I think that there was a bad connection deeper in than the battery.


I had a cable come just slightly loose at the frame. Also have had a fuse go goofy that did that.
 
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VeloClone

Well-Known Member
Jan 19, 2010
48,504
39,324
113
Brooklyn Park, MN
I had a new battery "installed" for free from Sam's club 2 winters ago when it was bitter cold. Went out to start my car the next day at work and it was dead...no clicking, no nothing, lights off entirely. Got a jump and let it charge on the jumpers for about 30 minutes....still nothing and wouldn't start.

Idiots forgot the tighten the wires when they put the new battery in. The cables were attached in a separate area under another panel from where the terminals are to jump the battery so I never saw them until the next day. Froze my ass off that night trying to get that thing started. Stopped by to tell the manager at Sam's, not as an FU to the guy that did it, just as a heads up. His response was..."well i talked to him and he said he tightened them, so.... "

So they must have magically become less than hand tight all by themselves?...in one day?... I think i was more upset at the manager than the idiot in the shop.

TL;DR version - Check your cables.
Gremlins
vlcsnap-00139.jpg
 
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