kgorman

I have a strange issue that just came up after I used the Diag software. I have a studder/backfire on W.O.T. above 5k rpms, and my battery keeps dying. I jump the battery, and the car is fine, I let it idle for a while and it's fine, and restarts. Then I go for a drive, and I get the studder, and when I get back, the battery is dead again. I could not see anything by searching for this particular problem. There are no codes reported via tha Diag interface. I am not 100% sure these two items are related, only that they started at the same time right after I ran the diag software and 'adapted'. Anyone know what this could be?

jimq

have you tried to unhook the battery and do a reset the old fashion way? I did the adaptation on mine awhile ago with no problems or for that matter no noticable difference.

kgorman

Jim,
I tried the old fashioned DME reset, and it fixed the WOT problem. In terms of the battery issue, I looked into it a bit further, and it might not be dead, it might be that there is some issue with the ignition switch such that it's not sending the signal to start the car. It seems random when it decides not to turn on the electrical, I thought it was a dead battery, but it may not be. One thing is for sure, if I hook up the jumper cables, the 100% of the time the key works. The surround for the key hole was a little loose, so I screwed it down tight.

One other thing came up as I drove (sigh..). I will get the christmas tree effect in the dash lights, and the buzzer, and the car will surge (like it's out of gas or something). It's like a bucking bronco for a minute, then all seems fine. This has happened to me a number of times, 1 time I thought I fixed it by putting more oil in. It made it go away that time, but now, it's got plenty of oil in it.

Any ideas? Can a DME relay cause this kind of erratic behavior?

kgorman

I think I am going to put the battery on the trickle charger overnight and see how it goes, perhaps I am just seeing a bad battery problem.

Rocket Rob

If you are suspecting battery problems, I would confirm that your alternator output is correct. You should see 13.2-14.2 volts across the battery terminals while the engine is idling. I would also check your battery cables. Is there any corrosion?

kgorman

Looks like the battery won't hold a charge, so I have to fix that before anything else. Guess it's time to order that Odyssey battery I have been wanting.

Rob- No corrosion. I will check the alternator as well thx!

JasonAndreas

kgorman,
If all the warning lamps on the gauges are illuminating (Christmas Tree) then you almost certainly have high voltage from an ignition wire discharging somewhere other than a spark plug.

jeffnudd

Sounds like a dead sell in the battery for a dead short if its starting ok when its jumped off then goes dead when the car is left.

Funny because i almost replied straight away last night with this comment but the W.O.T thingy through me off a little.

If the alternator isnt popping out the correct voltage suggested earlier then you can do a simple volt drop test if you unsure of connections being ok?, below is a link.

http://www.aa1car.com/library/voltage_drop_testing.htm

kgorman

Jason, so that means new plug wires? That simple?

Jeff, Thanks for the link, that is my next step.

kgorman

I just got a Fluke multimeter, and commenced the testing. I tested across the battery and it's 12.46vdc so it appears the battery is toast. I get 14.31v when the car is idling so the alternator/regulator is ok (Adrians book says it should be > 13.2 < 14.4), and ~10ma of drain (< 30ma = ok). So I ordered an Odyssey battery from http://www.batterymart.com. Does my analysis sound correct?

While I wait for the battery to arrive, is there any way I can test my plug wires to see if they are ok?

Indycam

The battery sounds suspect . When you put the new one in , that will tell if .
I would not do anything with or about the wires untill the new battery is in the car .
One test at a time is a good way to go .
Two tests at a time gets mixed up results .
Was it this , that or the other thing ?

Mike Murphy

12.46V across the battery is normal. But that doesn't mean your battery is not shot. Even a bad battery can put out 12.5V, but it just cannot always produce a healthy amount of current. The real test is to pull a 200 amp drain and see if the voltage drops below 9.6V. To do this, you have to take it to a battery or automotive shop to have it load tested.

Yes, 14.31V is OK for the alternator.

kgorman

My new Odyssey battery arrived, and I promptly tested it with the multimeter; it was a-ok. So I mounted it up. I also completed some of my winter work (new spacers, lugs, clips for lower valence, oil change, etc). Then I went for a test drive. Seems like everything is fine now, it must have just been the battery believe it or not! The WOT issue was resolved by a simple DME reset a week ago. Wow, I had no idea a simple bad battery would cause such a fuss.

I have a Rennline battery mount on it's way with cutoff switch, I will post pics when I get it installed.

Thanks everyone for you help.

Indycam

To cool .