So, I pull my radio out to look at it, but it's still hooked up. Break the electrical door lock button in the process...and car still runs but electrical door lock button is sunk down in the console a bit. Radio lite works except I dont' have the radio code to get it running so I've ordered a new radio rather than fool with it. In the meantime, the car had been starting and driving fine.

But today...I go out and it acts like it's got a dead battery. Won't start. No lights, no starter click, no nothing...however, the dash lights work, radio lite works, and the electrical door locks work. What could be wrong?

I checked the battery and connections...tight, clean, and battery is at full charge.

What might have I done? Activated some sort of car immobilizer?

Harvey
All because PO lost the code to the radio.

 

Harvey,

How do you know that the battery is at full charge? The reason that I ask is because last month I had a similar problem. I started the car and as soon as it started to turn over, everything went dead. The battery showed 12.5 volts. Holding the meter leads on the battery while having someone try to crank showed voltage dropping to 0.3 volts (I think). Something inside of the battery either broke or shorted. The battery was shot. Give this test a try.

If your battery really is in good condition, then either the power cable to the starter or the ground cables to the screw in the battery compartment and to the back of the block are corroded enough inside to cause excessive resistance. Or your starter solenoid is bad. Get under the car and short between the two large studs on the starter to see if the starter starts to turn. Remember to have the car in neutral if you want to crawl out on your own.

 

Claus,

You nailed it on the head! Bad battery that showed a full charge but was defective anyway.

I don't much believe in coincidences, particularly where I've been working on the car, but I took the battery to a shop "just to be sure" and even though it shows full charge on my charger...under load it shows 12volts… but only 60 amps (out of 600). This probably accounts for dash lights coming on but not cranking. It takes amps. So...I bought a new battery and it was about half charge when I got it so it's charging right now. BTW, first try the car popped into life and ran great.

After unhooking the battery and fully charging, I'll let it sit over night and test it again in the morning to see if it's still holding the charge....then hook it back to the car and test to see if I have any kind of slow leak.

Thanks, guys...I hope this fixes it. New radio and door switch are ordered. Always something...but it's worth it I hope. I eventually worked most of the gremlins out of the 928 and it’s been running great…looks like the 968 has a few things to work out also. One by one…

Harvey

 

You probably had one or more plates either break or come very close to touching if your battery died out of the blue like that.
That is, if the battery is bad. What I always do with a battery before I declare it dead, is put it in a 2A charger for a couple days. Sometimes a very long slow charge will bring back some very dead batteries. Just make sure that something isn't remaining on, or rather didn't remain on, causing your battery to drain.
Remember, if you run a battery down to almost flat, it's possible for the voltage to recover enough for it to appear fully charged under no load, but as soon as you load it up you find out it's really dead.

 

HI Gang:
Over the two past weeks, I've noticed that my car was experiencing very slow and labored cranking at start-up... then yesterday, it died in a parking lot while I was out shopping. Although the interior lights and radio worked, the car wouldn't crank--thankfully, I got it started again with a battery jump from AAA.

I don't drive the car much (about 1x per week) and it's kept in a parking garage and not exposed to the elements. I'm going to bet the battery is on its last legs, though it is only 16 months old (Interstate brand). I'm just not sure why it's decided to die now, considering it survived a harsh winter last year in Boston (parked outside and driven only once a week as well). The voltage meter typically registers above 12 (around 13), but never higher than 13.

Because I park in a public parking garage, I can't get a battery tender or charger... but I'm open to any other suggestions you guys might have. Have not started the car today, but will keep you posted if I get a chance to tonight or tomorrow...

I'm not looking for super high performance due to shortage of funds (ie no Optima gel batteries). There's an NTB 1 block away--has anyone had experience with their batteries?

Thanks!