is it my battery?

Mike P

Mike P

c:enter
Staff member
Paid Member
Today after I drove the car, I turned it off in front of my house then went inside. A few minutes later I came out tried to start it and it just clicked, the clicking sound seemed to come from under the dash on the right side (passenger side). I connected jumper cables and was able to roll windows up but thats it, I still could not start it. Did my battery die or is something far worse wrong?
 
mikecp421 said:
Today after I drove the car, I turned it off in front of my house then went inside. A few minutes later I came out tried to start it and it just clicked, the clicking sound seemed to come from under the dash on the right side (passenger side). I connected jumper cables and was able to roll windows up but thats it, I still could not start it. Did my battery die or is something far worse wrong?
Click to expand...

I would check your battery terminals and the connection and the starter first. You can use baking soda and water in a spray bottle and a scrub brush to clean the terminals (inside and out).
Also if you can access the cells on your battery by lifting iff those teo plates on the top, check to make sure all of the plates in the batt are submerged, if not add some distilled water to it. And be careful not to get any dirt in the cells when doing this. I always use an old Palmalive bottle or a turkey baster.
 
While all of the above advice is the correct place to start, it is also likely that you have a fried alternator. You might benefit more by taking the alternator off and taking it to one of the auto parts stores for an operational check. I cant advise you what to do if it proves to be a non functioning alternator. Many, many FLM owners have had a lot of trouble with rebuilt alternators, and new are mega bucks. For me, where I live, I have a local auto electrical co with a good rep that I would take it to for a rebuild.
 
If you are going to take the alternator to be tested then take the battery, the auto stores test them for free.

Also, how old is the battery?
 
mikecp421 said:
it could be like 4 years old or so
Click to expand...

4 years it still should be ok or it just went bad unless a bad alternator wore it down. If that is the case you may need to replace both. Best to have them load tested, you can go to a NAPA, Pep Boys, Auto Zone, etc... they should do it for free.

Edit: if it is a bad battery you still may have a pro rated warranty on it.
 
i got battery out, I have a tester and it reads just over 10, I know it should be 12. How can I get alternator tested without actually taking it out or is that a given
 
Showing 10v it may have a bad cell.

Taking out the alternator is not a big job, it is best to have it load tested on a bench. When they go you should have seen the battery light on the gauge cluster, or low volt warning, etc.. but not always.
 
ok I went to Pep Boys, they suck btw, and they said its dead. So I went to my brothers shop and it was fine, was showing 12.8 or so and handled load fine, apparently the terminal was very dirty, more so than I though, lol. I cleaned the connectors too, some caked on crap there too. It started fine and runs 14.22 on the tester while running, he said thats good.
 
Yup, you have to keep them clean. It's amazing how just alittle buildup can effect the charging. I clean mine everytime I change the oil very easy and helps keep everything powered.
 
Battery terminals!

battery.jpg

:D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top