Question93 300zx coupe non-turbo...new starter 1/06, new battery 8/06...
current events:
no power at all yesterday, no lights, radio, etc. AAA got it started with diffent battery, but when he took off red cable, car died and no power at all. he got it started again and it ran without cables, but when i pushed gas, it died. then AAA could not get it started even with new battery. battery and alternator checking OK.
towed to mechanic. they checked battery/alternator which were both fine, and recharged battery. mechanic put new connectors for battery cables, and found broken wire in the clump of wires that attaches to battery connectors which he repaired. it started fine yesterday 2 different times.
this morning, no power at all just like yesterday (deja vu). AAA came...nothing until i jiggled key in ignition a few times. he suggested i take it to have starter checked. AAA left, and i let it run for 30 minutes or so to recharge battery.
when i went out 30 min later, it was not running, and i tried to restart and same thing...no power at all.
can a bad starter drain battery overnight? can a battery with bad cell still test positive? do you have any idea what is going on?
thank you.
AnswerMarta,
I would check the wires at the alternator to make sure you have 14.2 volts at the wire that feeds the battery. If the alternator is going out it will not put out sufficient voltage to keep the battery charged. Second, the battery should check about 12.5 volts to be good. If you are under 12 replace it. Also, check to make sure that the connections at the battery are in good order. There are fuses close to the end that can blow and fuse links too. Check these. Yes, if you have something that is draining the battery overnight it can kill the battery. Remember that a car battery is not a deep cycle so if it is gettting run all the way down several times it will go bad. Now, if the battery is recharged and the car starts then you know it is either the alternator or battery. I would go to Autozone or Checker and have them do a check on the system to see if the is charging properly.
