Simple Dead Car Issue? (DSM)

[oc_civic]

My girl has a mitsubishi.. the car has run without issue (it is like a 2003) here is the following scenario.. help please..

* car is just about stone dead the second you turn it off..
* car will NOT start one or two solid clicks then nothing
* if jump started car starts in literally a few seconds
* if I leave interior lights on.. or try to start it on its own the car seems VERY weak (lights and other electric dies pretty quickly)

 

[oc_civic]

ok well a little update.. since I mess with cars and kind of understand them I went out and got some more info.. see if this confirms anything..

also may be worth noting... I went to clean up the negative terminal since the corrosion was caked up so much that I could likely fill half a shot glass with the powdery residue... and when I did so I noticed the inside of the terminal was totally oxidized.. when I went to clean that up it all fell apart in my hand.. so the terminal is definitely bad and needs to be replaced..

took a test light...

clip on negative battery terminal ~ probe on positive side = nice bright light

clip on positive probe on chassis ~ probe on body while holding remnants of ground to negative = questionable dim light but then again I was trying to hold a lot of things at once..

thanks a lot for all the help.. you guys are definitely helpful..

 

[Mugenn_civic]

battery may be junk... since it won't hold charge, get the alternator tested too

best way would be a load test, check battery voltage (should read 12-12.4v), start car - see if it jumps to 24v or w.e if not then the alt. is toast..post up if you figure it out

 

[oc_civic]

battery may be junk... since it won't hold charge, get the alternator tested too

best way would be a load test, check battery voltage (should read 12-12.4v), start car - see if it jumps to 24v or w.e if not then the alt. is toast..post up if you figure it out

thanks man will probably be replacing it anyway.. since it is YEARS old.. also going to replace the terminal..

 

[lethal6]

Definitely replace that cable. A bad ground is just as bad for starting issues than a bad battery is. A bad ground can also be mis-diagnosed as a bad battery as the symptoms are almost the same.

Thumbs up for finding the problem fast.

 

[oc_civic]

it took longer to drive to get the battery than it did to fix it..

replaced terminal and battery..

 

[EJ8Metal]

That's a dead battery bro haha. The corrosion could have been it's death, causing it to not charge well and eventually get to the point in a battery's life where it no longer holds a charge. But yeah, dead battery haha.

They stop holding a charge when they get old, so no matter how long you charge it or run it, it won't hold a charge. Switch it, you'll be good to go!

Not paying attention... GOOD JOB FIXING IT! XDD