95max GXE - no crank

95maxstepdad · Jul 2nd, 2009, 11:54 PM

bat is about 8 months old.
Headlights are on with but slightly dim.
Hook a jumper start to it and the alarm goes off.
Headlights at normal intensity with jumpstarter on.

Pull the fuse for the alarm and all the correct inst panel lights are lit but no crank.

***Jeff*** · Jul 3rd, 2009, 01:12 PM

Check all electricals to ensure they are connected?
When was the last time the car was started?...did it not crank over all of a sudden?
Last tuneup?
Starter has been checked?
Fuses have all been checked?

95maxstepdad · Jul 3rd, 2009, 06:47 PM

Car had started fine the previous day. Owner tried to start it early afternoon and it only had lights. Later yesterday evening it had no power at all. This morning same deal.

Short answer - it was the bat - 7.2 volts and zero amps.
The place that put it in in Dec08 gave me a replacement in about 15 mins after confirming it was bad. Never seen one crater like that before.

For those of you who have enough time to read someone else's 'tweets' here you go.

When it happened initally it was like at 9:30 last night and I had just planned on getting a better look today.
I ended up taking a charger and a bat tester over there this morning. The car had zero inst panel lights this morning. No voltage . I put a 6 amp charger on it and it pegged it. After a few mins on it it dropped to about 50 percent charge but it was not staying consistent. I put the batt tester on it and it came back bad/weak.
I called the place that replaced the bat in dec and they said I could either bring in the bat or jump it. Well, i really don't like jumping old cars with current (post 2000-2005) cars because you never know what can happen to an electrical system on a new car. It could hurt the ECM. So I pulled the bat and took it to the repair shop (probably only about 2 miles down the road) and they gave me a replacement - started right up.
Needless to say the ECM light has not relit - yet. At 203K miles, I think it needs an O2 sensor but everybody wants 35-70 bucks to read the codes.