Got a call from my brother this morning because his car (2000 SLE) would not start this morning. he said that all the lights came on nice and bright but when he went to start it he only got a slight turn over than just clicks afterward. he said it started to almost start then just died suddenly and now the engine will not turn over. Instantly I thought "hydralock" but I had him check the coolant and he said it was only about 1/2"" lower in the overflow than usual. He drove the car yesterday and it was fine so I'm kind of stumped. Just how much coolant would it take to lock up the engine? He said he thought it was always as low as it is now. When the battery died in the Aurora the lights were bright but I only got a click like he is getting now. Possibly a bad cell in the battery? I'm pretty clueless without actually being there to look at the car.

Just a quick question... How cold is it there? if he had a weak battery, this could happen. Just happened a few weeks ago to my sisters car and she had a brand new battery, but it just didn't have enough Cold Cranking Amps to turn over her little 4 banger. It was in the negatives outside (somewhere around -4*F). The battery was a Walmart el-cheapo with like 300CCA. IMO, batteries for cars in cold climates (or any car that may jump start another car) should have atleast 700CCA.

yesterday was -8* today is 24*. (F)

bad battery. A battery could be bad and still show a normal charge (ie bright lights etc etc). But when you put a load on it, it doesn't have the power anymore. I'd say change it. It'* the cheapest alternative and it sounds like the problem. Get something with good cranking amps as mentioned above. I run across this problem all the time at the boat yard after the battery'* have been sitting all winter.

An easy way to tell if it'* the battery or the charging system is to find someone with a battery load tester. Hook it up to the battery and hold the switch. If it reads ok or low charge, then charge it up, but if it reads bad, replace it. Don't know how much my dad paid for his load tester, but it'* nothing but a box with dead short coils and an amp meter. It can also check the charging system. I'd start the car and take it over to Autozone or Advanced Auto. They do free battery/charging system tests and they should be able to tell you exactly whats wrong.

Someone has to be the first one to replace it. I agree that, due to the battery'* location, it shouldn't fail too quickly. On the other hand, it'* a 2000. The battery is already over 4 years old.

On my dad'* farm we have had some good batteries that have lasted in our tractor trailers for over 6 years and we have had some bad ones that only lasted 2 years. It'* just like any other part in a car, they all can go bad at anytime for no apparent reason.