Strange electrical issue

Stevehose

Stevehose

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My car decided not to start this aftenoon after a long morning run. Clacking starter noise. Noticed that volts in gauge were low. Jumped it no problem. Alternator is at 14v when driving. Got back and checked the battery - 13 volts. But gauge in dash reads 8 and the car won't start. All wires appear tight form battery to starter and altenrator. Any ideas on where to look? Thanks.
 
Very likely is low voltage to 6:00 position of starter
Run lead from battery direct to 6:00 spade
 
Going to test it tomorrow per Don's suggestion, I don't remember how old it is, I was just bragging how good it has been on the battery thread (Optima) o_O Apparently it can hold a full charge but will drain quickly under load, I hope that's it instead of some wiring gremlin.

adawil2002 said:
How old is the battery?
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Check your grounds as well. I have my alternator grounded to the block and block to body.
Don probably correct but bad grounds can cause this kind of problem.
Let us know what you find?
Gary
 
Dead battery. Doh. Learned something here that a dead battery can hold a 13v charge and alpear normal for a voltmeter but drops out with a load. I have more grounds to the black and battery than my local power station so I’m good there. Thanks Don et al.
 
Looking at an Optima Steve. How long did your current one ( I think Yellowtop) last? And why did you change from Redtop? Thanks.
 
Red top lasted longer than the yellow top, the latter only a couple years. I went yellow because I think it has more CCA. I replaced it with a Champion agm from the local store, it's got more CCA than the yellow top, a longer warranty (not that it matters because they all die a day after the warranty) and was 100 bucks cheaper. Plus it is all black and with the stickers off it looks kinda period. I had to trim some of the flare off the bottom in order to fit in the tray. No biggie.

Luis A. said:
Looking at an Optima Steve. How long did your current one ( I think Yellowtop) last? And why did you change from Redtop? Thanks.
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I’ve used Diehard with success but they are now impossible to find with virtually no Sears auto centers left. Advance auto parts bought the brand in December but haven’t seen them at their stores yet. Mine will be 6 years old this July so thinking about what’s next.

The Battery Store has Duracell in the correct group size in stock near me and I’ve read some good things about the company that makes it for them, East Penn, which I had never heard about. It’s got a black top and case so it would look OEMish after removing the silly stickers.

That yellow top is serious coin to only last you two years…
 
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Stevehose said:
Dead battery. Doh. Learned something here that a dead battery can hold a 13v charge and appear normal for a voltmeter but drops out with a load.
Click to expand...

I'd call that a "defective battery" rather than a "dead battery", but the result is the same: ya gotta replace it! Glad to hear it wasn't some subtle wiring issue.

I've always had good luck with the red Optimas, have never tried the yellow. But yes, they are expensive. I doubt you need select the battery with the maximum CCA rating if you live in a warm climate (e.g., New Orleans) and have a 3L car will a good starter. Now, if you had a big block Corvette with 11:1 compression and lived in Minnesota it would be different story.
 
I have only installed Diehard as long as I’ve owned my coupe. Last week my battery started showing signs of not holding a charge (it was 6 years old). The Sears Auto Center is still open near me so I just had a new one installed. They no carry the “International Battery” I used to install. Aren’t the guts of most of all the batteries made by Johnson Controls anyway?
 
Overkill tends to be my MO :rolleyes:

jmackro said:
I'd call that a "defective battery" rather than a "dead battery", but the result is the same: ya gotta replace it! Glad to hear it wasn't some subtle wiring issue.

I've always had good luck with the red Optimas, have never tried the yellow. But yes, they are expensive. I doubt you need select the battery with the maximum CCA rating if you live in a warm climate (e.g., New Orleans) and have a 3L car will a good starter. Now, if you had a big block Corvette with 11:1 compression and lived in Minnesota it would be different story.
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