hey y'all. got another problem. yesterday I tried to start my car. not much happened. i turned the key on, then off. the needles on the gauges twitched. then the key chimes came on and my speakers started randomly bumping. i had a buddy jump the battery, after a few minutes, the alarm started going off(like it does when you disconnect/reconnect the battery). then i tried to start it again. this time, the dashboard lights, radio, and a/c came on. starter tried to turn, but the engine didn't turn over. it also said "service theft system". today, i tried again, it was back to nothing(completely dead). the green indicator on the battery is still there. so while i was checking the relevant fuses, i heard some popping/hissing from the battery. i took off the leads to it. when i was taking the hot wire off, the metal terminal it screws into started to come out i held the wireboot and took the bolt/wire out, it was corroded pretty bad. seems like i need to replace this battery, what do you all think? Or is there another possible problem?

Yea it sounds like your battery'* broke.

Maybe corosion ate through the main post in the battery and doesnt connect well, or even at all. That hissing was most likely electrical arcing when the metal came close enough together for the power to jump it. Once it starts doing that, ditch that battery FAST or your chances of an electrical engine fire are REAL good.

Those batterys will arc at HUNREDS of amps which is plenty hot enough to weld/melt metal, melt plastic and lots of other things you generally dont want happening in your car without your consent.


Edit: after you get your new battery, make sure EVERYTHING is turned off in the car, doors shut etc and if it starts arc-ing really heavily or the terminal gets really hot, then unplug it... you have bigger problems. (small arcing is normal though)

But if all your current wire connections are in good shape (i.e. not melted) ill be willing to bet its just the battery.

Do you have a picture of the offending battery post hole?

Sounds like it'* battery replacement time. Although..you should remove the boots from the ends of the battery cables and look to see how much corrosion is there.

yeah, im definitely going to replace the hot wire end, its faulked. I was thinking since its a vented battery(which i have never seen) i was going to have to get one at a stealership, but auto zone and advanced auto parts both have versions of it there. i have a pic, but my usb cable and my flashcard reader for my phone are 35 miles south of where im at now.

The broke side post in the battery happened to me too, back when I first bought my car in 2003. Is there acid leaking out of the battery where the terminal was? I would remove the battery immedieately from the car incase you do have a seeping battery.

there was( a little) and i did remove it ASAP. put in a new one today. fired right(once the fuel pump got up an runnin)up. actually, the vibration i posted in a different post isnt as bad now. its running at 14.7 volts constantly now. before when i had my wipers, a/c, and radio on, it started droping when i stopped to about 12.3v. :o

Hi, I've had an electrical problem for over a week now and no garage can figure out what is worng. We replaced the battery, replaced the alternator and yet a fully charged battery will drain down to NOTHING in less than 2 days.

There must be a tremendous electrical drain somewhere...has anyone experienced anything like this?

Thanks,

MB

Knowing what year/trim level you have is a big bit of information we need. Please put that in your signature.

Put an ammeter between the positive post of the battery and the cable. Pull all the fuses one at a time until the draw drops below a reasonable level. Or you can probe each fuse socket one circuit at a time with everything in the car off (remember your entry lighting will take time to 'time out'). This is done on the DC amps scale of the meter. Ignore any circuit with virtually zero current flow, and post the fuse numbers and current they are still drawing here in this topic (we would normally split you out to a fresh topic instead of someone elses, but this topic has been resolved, so let'* just continue on).

Sorry....I'm new to all this. It'* a 2000 Bonneville SSEi.

I appreciate your help, unfortunately I'm not much of a do-it-yourselfer. The Goodyear dealer seems stumped. I'm guessing they should be able to follow the tips you just gave me???

Thanks again,

Mike

GoodYear dealer? Ummmmm.....No.

Take it to a real qualified mechanic, or a friend that knows how to use a digital multimeter in DC current mode.

Where do you live? We may have a member nearby that could lend a hand.