Car died and has a new battery

[Longhorn425]

Hey all,

So yesterday after the superbowl I got in my 4runner and had the key in the ACC position. I also had one of the dome lights on. As soon as I put in my aftermarket radio face back in (sketchy neighborhood) the whole car went dead. No lights on, car wouldn't start, nothing electronic would work.

I got my buddy to jump start the car and everything came on with no problem and drove it home. This morning when I woke up to get to work. Same issue. The keyless entry worked, radio started up in ACC position, all dome lights worked. Then as soon as I turned the key to start the car everything died. No power, all electronics stopped worked. Nothing.

Got a girl to help me jump start it, got power to all the accessories, but the car wouldn't start. Just got a bunch of clicks. Couldn't determine if it was the starter or battery.

I bought a new Die Hard battery from Autozone 2 weeks ago. So maybe a bad battery? Not sure. They checked out the alternator when they did a battery check and said it was good and it was charging... The car was running fine until last night when I placed the radio back in and now i'm having these issues. I'm not sure if there's a fuse that could have blown also.

Help me 4Runner fourms, you're my only hope.

 

[Hepar]

Hey all,

So yesterday after the superbowl I got in my 4runner and had the key in the ACC position. I also had one of the dome lights on. As soon as I put in my aftermarket radio face back in (sketchy neighborhood) the whole car went dead. No lights on, car wouldn't start, nothing electronic would work.

I got my buddy to jump start the car and everything came on with no problem and drove it home. This morning when I woke up to get to work. Same issue. The keyless entry worked, radio started up in ACC position, all dome lights worked. Then as soon as I turned the key to start the car everything died. No power, all electronics stopped worked. Nothing.

Got a girl to help me jump start it, got power to all the accessories, but the car wouldn't start. Just got a bunch of clicks. Couldn't determine if it was the starter or battery.

I bought a new Die Hard battery from Autozone 2 weeks ago. So maybe a bad battery? Not sure. They checked out the alternator when they did a battery check and said it was good and it was charging... The car was running fine until last night when I placed the radio back in and now i'm having these issues. I'm not sure if there's a fuse that could have blown also.

Help me 4Runner fourms, you're my only hope.

Start with the basics. Get the battery checked to make sure it can hold a charge. If it can, then go to the next logical step. Make sure the alternator is charging the battery. If both are fine, I'd start by making sure your ground is solid and clean. As well as both battery terminal connections.

Also, don't hesitate to check the battery a couple of times. My friend had his car die. We took the battery to get it checked and they said it was fine. He was ready to swap out his alternator and we checked the battery again at the next visit just to make sure. Tested bad. Replaced the battery. That was over two years ago and still starting and running great.

 

[sockeyesalmon]

i would bet ,thats its the starter

 

[Scramble]

Make sure everything is turned off when you start it. headlights, radio, A/C etc.
Sounds like the Alt isn't charging the battery but them the battery light in the dash should be on.

 

[Longhorn425]

Start with the basics. Get the battery checked to make sure it can hold a charge. If it can, then go to the next logical step. Make sure the alternator is charging the battery. If both are fine, I'd start by making sure your ground is solid and clean. As well as both battery terminal connections.

Also, don't hesitate to check the battery a couple of times. My friend had his car die. We took the battery to get it checked and they said it was fine. He was ready to swap out his alternator and we checked the battery again at the next visit just to make sure. Tested bad. Replaced the battery. That was over two years ago and still starting and running great.

Going to Autozone after work. Had to get my friend to drive me today, so hopefully he can jump the car this afternoon.

i would bet ,thats its the starter

I really hope not, but it might be a strong possibility since I bought the new battery 2 weeks ago.

Make sure everything is turned off when you start it. headlights, radio, A/C etc.
Sounds like the Alt isn't charging the battery but them the battery light in the dash should be on.

Good advice, I have a couple of things plugged into the fuse box (subwoofer and ambient lighting). I'll have to unplug those and hopefully it will get started with a jump. On a positive note the girl that tried to give me a jump this morning was pretty cute.

 

[nchacon1984]

Im having the same issues too. just replaced the alternator and battery. im going to have to get them tested this weekend and make sure one of them isn't bad.

 

[SpidermanGeek]

Make sure everything is turned off when you start it. headlights, radio, A/C etc.

I wonder if I'm the only one that is super anal about this.
When I park/turn my 4runner off, I actually manually turn off the HVAC & Radio.

When I get back into my 4Runner, I will turn the key, but before cranking it over, I let the "Priming sound" happen and then turn it over before making sure it's idling fine and proceed to turn the HVAC & radio back on.

It's not relevant to the thread, but I absolutely hate getting into a vehicle, turning the key and being blasted by loud fans and speakers. Plus, while the engine turns over, it essentially momentarily kills the power to those accessories anyhow. I started doing it just to avoid some wear& tear on my power antenna, but it became a habit for all my vehicles now, lol.

Living somewhere with winter weather, I didn't wanna put my power antenna in a situation where it would try to rise through a ice and snow that may have accumulated on the hood overnight.

Anywho.. carry on with the thread. t'was Just a random thought as I read this.

 

[Longhorn425]

Im having the same issues too. just replaced the alternator and battery. im going to have to get them tested this weekend and make sure one of them isn't bad.

How has yours been running since you swapped out both?

 

[amalik]

Hello sir.

Sorry to burst your troubleshooting bubble (and the others in the thread here), but the battery voltage can test good, and the internal cells can still be bad.

I found this out the 'hard' way. What am I talking about?

You have to 'load' test the battery to determine its real health. I had a battery where the voltage was 12V according to multi-meter (And 14.X volts after it would intermittently start), and I still had starting issues until [MENTION=10169]TheDurk[/MENTION] advised I load test the battery (That's when I determined it was time to buy a new one after the load test failed miserably).

Is it likely the internal cells are bad on a 2 week old battery? It's not *probable*, but it's *possible* you have a lemon and won't know it until you test it properly.

This is the one I bought and used, recommended by our resident electrical guru [MENTION=10169]TheDurk[/MENTION]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AMBOI0/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you have good luck, your local Autozone or XYZ box retailer will have a load tester, not just a multimeter (Oh yeah, the load tester has voltage on it too, so no need for a multimeter ) -- or you can wait the 2 days if possible and get it from Amazon prime for $20 yourself. It's money well spent IMO, I used it on my brothers and parents cars since the time I bought it to diagnose possible battery issues.

Also, if you still don't succeed with a new battery and a good alternator test, keep the terminals/ground wires/starter internals/etc in the back of your mind as others stated. Unfortunately, a lot of 'players' are involved in the starting game.

 

[thegipper]

Quick story. My 01 grand prix did the exact same thing, everything lit up fine but it wouldn't turn over. That was with a 2 month old Optima red top battery in it.

The problem was with corrosion on the negative battery cables and the actual location where they ground to the body, engine and transmission. The corrosion actually seeped into the strands of wire several inches. Don't just look at the connectors but pull the insulation back and see if the corrosion has seeped into the wire strands themselves. I replaced the cables and cleaned up all of the ground locations and voila!

Moral of the story, one of the most overlooked causes of electrical problems is poor grounds.


Check them out!

 

[SpidermanGeek]

Surprised no one suggested checking your terminals and grounds for good contact.

Quick story. My 01 grand prix did the exact same thing, everything lit up fine but it wouldn't turn over. That was with a 2 month old Optima red top battery in it.

The problem was with corrosion on the negative battery cables and the actual location where they ground to the body, engine and transmission. The corrosion actually seeped into the strands of wire several inches. I replaced the cables and cleaned up all of the ground locations and voila!

Moral of the story, one of the most overlooked causes of electrical problems is poor grounds.


Check them out!

I second this.

 

[gamefreakgc]

Quick story. My 01 grand prix did the exact same thing, everything lit up fine but it wouldn't turn over. That was with a 2 month old Optima red top battery in it.

The problem was with corrosion on the negative battery cables and the actual location where they ground to the body, engine and transmission. The corrosion actually seeped into the strands of wire several inches. Don't just look at the connectors but pull the insulation back and see if the corrosion has seeped into the wire strands themselves. I replaced the cables and cleaned up all of the ground locations and voila!

Moral of the story, one of the most overlooked causes of electrical problems is poor grounds.


Check them out!

I third this. I had the same issue, an old truck kept on dying on me every time I turned it off. Guess what the issue was? I installed the battery late at night and left the stupid plastic cap still on the negative terminal. Not my best moment.

Check that ground. No ground = no continuity = no charge from alternator.

On a positive note the girl that tried to give me a jump this morning was pretty cute.

Ahh to be young again! That always helps the morning go better.

 

[Hepar]

On a positive note the girl that tried to give me a jump this morning was pretty cute.

Cute or not, it would be good form to give them something small as a thank you. Maybe a simple gift card or something. Just a way to pass on the good vibes. And hey, if it starts a convo...bonus.

 

[Longhorn425]

Cute or not, it would be good form to give them something small as a thank you. Maybe a simple gift card or something. Just a way to pass on the good vibes. And hey, if it starts a convo...bonus.

Haha, yeah. I was gonna buy her a starbucks giftcard and write a thank you note on it. leave it on her windshield. but in order to go to starbucks i need to fix the car first, so hopefully i can do that all tonight.

 

[Hepar]

Haha, yeah. I was gonna buy her a starbucks giftcard and write a thank you note on it. leave it on her windshield. but in order to go to starbucks i need to fix the car first, so hopefully i can do that all tonight.

Throw in a jump rope with the note, "Just in case you're ever in need of a quick jump start yourself."

 

[catrains]

Haha, yeah. I was gonna buy her a starbucks giftcard and write a thank you note on it. leave it on her windshield. but in order to go to starbucks i need to fix the car first, so hopefully i can do that all tonight.

auto zone sells duralast battery not die hard .. die hard sears dies quickly IMO ..

I do have a 2015 duralast battery in one of my trucks .. still working good. could be loose connection .

on jump start failures this is most times the cheapo jumpers.
I have solid copper jumper clamps with the 6GA soldered wire to the clamps never had it fail.

 

[nchacon1984]

How has yours been running since you swapped out both?

still having the parasitic drain. Im going to take it to a shop and have it looked at. Im not a fan of electrical wiring. good luck with yours and keep up posted on the outcome.

 

[Longhorn425]

Throw in a jump rope with the note, "Just in case you're ever in need of a quick jump start yourself."

Haha, probably would have to move after that bad of a pick-up line.

auto zone sells duralast battery not die hard .. die hard sears dies quickly IMO ..

I do have a 2015 duralast battery in one of my trucks .. still working good. could be loose connection .

on jump start failures this is most times the cheapo jumpers.
I have solid copper jumper clamps with the 6GA soldered wire to the clamps never had it fail.

Yes! You're absolutely right. It looks like when I get home from work I have to double check my grounding!

still having the parasitic drain. Im going to take it to a shop and have it looked at. Im not a fan of electrical wiring. good luck with yours and keep up posted on the outcome.

Will do man! Good luck!

 

[amalik]

auto zone sells duralast battery not die hard .. die hard sears dies quickly IMO ..

I do have a 2015 duralast battery in one of my trucks .. still working good. could be loose connection .

on jump start failures this is most times the cheapo jumpers.
I have solid copper jumper clamps with the 6GA soldered wire to the clamps never had it fail.

this is a great point. I think my last Duralast/Autozone battery lasted 5-6 years or so. I did replace it with Interstate from Costco though.

 

[Hepar]

Haha, probably would have to move after that bad of a pick-up line.

From my experience, it's not the line but who's giving it. If the person is at all interested, cheesy/corny lines work great. If not, you're going to crash and burn.

On an interesting note, I woke up today with a dead battery myself. Tested it and it indeed is not holding a charge. Bought it at Costco 5+ years ago and they swapped it out for a new one with a $40 discount. Looks like they've changed from Kirkland Signature batteries to Interstate.