Quote:
Originally Posted by dharma707
Hey y’all, sorry for such a lame first thread topic but after using the search tool as best I can, I’m still not any closer to an answer.
I’ve got a 2000 Limited with a 6 month old battery. Yesterday morning, all was well. Later in the day I go to run some errands and the engine turns over a bit slower than normal prior to starting (you tend to notice little stuff in a daily driver). Realizing I had forgotten something at my house I turned around and as I’m pulling into the parking lot, the power to my stereo head unit goes blank and my ABS light came on. Also noticed my Ultragauge light had gone dark. Deciding I’d better park it for a minute I turned it off, ran into my house and when I went to start it again, it half turned over once followed by the rapid clicking I’m sure most have heard at one time or another. I still have full power to the interior stuff like lights, doors, windows etc. but that’s it. Any ideas? Just my luck that the mechanic I take it to isn’t open until Tuesday so I’ve gotta arrange a ride to work with the girlfriend in the morning (should prove fun) and so I was just hoping for any guesses you knowledgeable folks might have before I bring it in Tuesday after work. There hasn’t been any other warning signs leading up to this. I’ve sunk about 10k into this thing over the past year (tranny, rear diff and the list goes on) but I love it nonetheless and it’s given me years of otherwise dependability. Appreciate any help or opinions you might have!
PS: please be easy on me. I promise I used the search tool. Scout’s honor ;-)
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
|
It sounds like a weak battery to me. You could have an alternator issue which has led to it, or you could just be unlucky. To do some initial diagnosis, hopefully you have a multimeter and either a jump box, or jumper cables and access to another vehicle. Some alligator clips or another set of hands will also be helpful.
First, open your hood and check you battery voltage and let us know what it is with the car off. It should be around 12.6V, if it's below 12V that's a sign that your battery isn't charged.
Once you've done that, have another person hold the multimeter on the battery terminals and try to start the car and make note of what the voltage drops to when the starter is trying to crank the engine.
Now try to jump start the car. Once the car is running remove the jumper cables from the battery and check the voltage again. You should see something around 14V if the alternator is working properly.
Alternatively, if you can get the car jumped and it is safe to drive it somewhere, most autoparts store offer battery and alternator testing.
