The J
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 11:01:13 GMT -5
Posts: 4,821
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Post by The J on Feb 6, 2012 11:43:29 GMT -5
Two weeks ago, my battery died. The car had been sitting in really cold weather for many days, so I wasn't too surprised -- the car started up the first day, I drove it a couple miles. The next morning the car started up, but as soon as I put it into gear it stalled and wouldn't start up again. I got a jump and took it to Sears and they said the battery was bad and replaced it.
Today, it did it again. I also noticed that, when it initially started up, it was almost kind of stuttering. I got a jump and took it back into Sears. They tested the battery and the alternator, and both came out ok. They were able to start the car several times without a problem, including no stutter.
The car is a 96 Nissan Sentra.
Any clue what could be draining the battery?
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Deleted
Joined: Dec 4, 2024 19:50:04 GMT -5
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2012 11:45:34 GMT -5
Doesn't sound like a battery problem to me. Sounds like it is time for a new ride. Maybe something German.
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tskeeter
Junior Associate
Joined: Mar 20, 2011 19:37:45 GMT -5
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Post by tskeeter on Feb 6, 2012 17:44:32 GMT -5
J, I had a similar problem with the car I drive back and forth to work. Battery was only about 15 months old and suddenly, would barely start the car. Problem seems to have gone away when I made sure that the cell phone charger was not plugged into the cigarette lighter. Who would have thought that just having the charger plugged in with no phone on it would draw so much power that it would eventually drain the battery of a car being driven about 40 miles a day.
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The J
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 11:01:13 GMT -5
Posts: 4,821
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Post by The J on Feb 6, 2012 18:52:05 GMT -5
A battery draw can be a hard one to find. I cant explain it here, and it w=ill take someone who knows what they are looking for to find it. With the new cars with all the computers, the keep alive parasite loads can make it tough to find a draw. I suggest you take it into the dealer and have them check it out. If you don't you could easily spend a thousand bucks and not get the problem fixed At this point, the car isn't worth repairing strange things -- the frame is rusting and I've already been told it won't pass inspection this summer, so I'm really just trying to squeeze a few more months out of it. I got one of the portable battery jumpers for now. I'll try to make sure I don't leave anything plugged in just in case. |
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TD2K
Senior Associate
Once you kill a cow, you gotta make a burger
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 1:19:25 GMT -5
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Post by TD2K on Feb 16, 2012 21:12:17 GMT -5
Rick, what's your experience on batteries for brands that last?
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Malarky
Junior Associate
Truth and snark are equal opportunity here.
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 21:00:51 GMT -5
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Post by Malarky on Feb 16, 2012 22:55:15 GMT -5
My battery went dead a couple of weeks ago.
I keep my GPS in the center console, plugged in. I must have hit a bump and it got switched on. Then I was home for two cold days and never touched the car.
I got a jump start, went to work and got lucky that I was going out that night and noticed the faint glow in the dark. I would have no reason to open that console for weeks.
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Malarky
Junior Associate
Truth and snark are equal opportunity here.
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 21:00:51 GMT -5
Posts: 5,313
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Post by Malarky on Feb 17, 2012 12:19:33 GMT -5
I know I need a new battery. I was thinking I had three choices. 1) Go to Sears or someplace like it and buy a battery. 2) Wait til it happens again and buy a battery from AAA. 3) Have my mechanic replace the battery when he changes the oil in a couple of weeks. Instead, I completely forgot about it until I saw this thread yesterday.  |
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