The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
Car problems: Battery?
Orogogus
San DiegoRegistered User regular
San DiegoRegistered User regular
I went to start my car and there was no response from the ignition. The warning lights on the dash still come on (briefly), and the back seat light still works, but the headlights don't. When I opened the hood, there was a giant blue mess on the positive terminal of the battery. The blue stuff was the consistency of loose, dry dirt, and it was maybe the size of a golf ball. I scraped it off with a stick as best I could, but still got nothing from the ignition.
I bike to work, so I'm thinking that I'll go to the local Kragen's after work tomorrow and buy a new battery, and install it. Is this likely to get my car working again, or is this blue corroded stuff a sign of a deeper, more expensive problem that means I should just get my car towed to the shop?
I bike to work, so I'm thinking that I'll go to the local Kragen's after work tomorrow and buy a new battery, and install it. Is this likely to get my car working again, or is this blue corroded stuff a sign of a deeper, more expensive problem that means I should just get my car towed to the shop?
Orogogus on
0
Posts
they sell brushes to scrape it off, you're always going to produce it but it takes a lot for it to actually disrupt the battery's connection
The fact that you could turn on the interior lights at all means that the battery was still connected. It is most likely dead, how long has it been? You can take it to Wal-Mart(or probably any place that sells car batteries)and they'll test it for you, but that's a bit heavy to bike with, you may need a ride
It occurs to me that the car has only been driven about 25 miles in the past 3 weeks. Would this have been likely to cause the battery to sputter out?
Actually, looking on the Internet, it looks like it's recommended to change the battery every 5-7 years. I think this one has been going for 10-12, so I'm guessing a replacement is probably in order. I think I did this myself last time, although I didn't clean the terminals before doing so.
The sites mention something called a memory keeper to avoid having to enter the PIN code after disconnecting the battery. This would be handy, as I think I've lost mine, but would this work for a '92 Honda Accord?
PIN for your car? What?
Edit: After googling it, I'm still not sure what exactly most cars would have a PIN for. You do usually lose your radio station presets and things of that nature, but some cars/radios seem to have a small back-up battery built-in. Sometimes when I disconnect a battery for only a few minutes I don't lose any stations on my car stereo.
On my old car, I know that it wouldn't let me use the radio/tape deck at all until the PIN was entered, as an anti-theft precaution. That would kind of suck. I'm not 100% sure that my current car does this, though, as I don't think I would have had the code the last time I replaced the battery, either.
Most of the time the PIN code is on a sticker or something hidden somewhere crazy in the car. Mine is a very small black sticker with purple numbers on the outside of the glove box housing. Like in the dash.
Obviously this relies on if the stereo is stock or not.
EDIT: It's an Acura. Which is a Honda +2, so it may or may not be the same.
I would be amazed if the battery in your car is ten-twelve years old. They pretty much keel over within a year of the battery "life", that is a five year battery will lasrt around five+ years.
First thing, remove the terminals(ground first) and clean them with sandpaper or a terminal brush. Pouring Coke on them is also a good cleaner(really, it is) Hook it back up and see if your get the motor spinning. If you don't it is time to get out a meter. If the battery does not show 12+ volts, get a new one. Once you hae the car running you can do a quick and dirty alt check by checking the battery motor off/motor running/motor revved. You should see 12-13+v/14-15v/15+v If not the alt is not putting out like it should.
Bingo! I'm surprised you went that long on the same battery. Driving it 25 miles in 3 weeks wouldn't cause battery problems unless there were extended period where you used the electronics (lights, radio, etc.) with the engine off.
Use a wire brush and some ammonia to clean the corrosion off the connectors. The corrosion is the result of acid over a long period of time, so the ammonia will neutralize it. You should also be able to get some anti-corrosion spray from any autoparts store or automotive section of a superstore. When you hook up the batter to the cleaned cables, spray some on and it will slow down or flat out prevent the corrosion from occurring. I've had good experiences with the stuff.
Also, be sure your battery cables are attached tightly. I had a problem where the battery cable was attached loosely enough that I could start the electronics, but when I tried to start the engine, the power surge would nudge the ground cable just enough that it would shut the whole car down, electronics and all.
In any case, I removed the old battery and took it to the parts store, where they confirmed it was dead. While removing the battery, I also found that the connector to the positive lead was badly corroded as well, to the point where, once all the corrosion was scraped off, the ring was actually broken at one end. So in addition to the battery, the store also sold me a new connector (and some anti-corrosion grease). Frankly, installing this thing scares me more than the battery, as apparently it involves cutting and stripping wires to remove the old connector and putting on the new one. I have a Swiss army knife, which I'm told will do the trick...
So that's something to do in the morning, as I'm parked outside and it's too dark to work tonight.
Eaasy, especially easy since you're not connected to a power source anymore.