2005 SLE died and wont start!

[Benvw99]

So I got into my car this morning at 5:30 AM to go to morning basketball practice. I started it up, went back inside to do a few things before I left and gave it some time to warm up. I came back out and got inside to a nice warm cabin(what i set it to). Started to drive out of our long driveway and i notice my headlights are not on. My fog lights were on however(morimoto HID kit installed into factory housings). I flicked my car onto high beam to see if those would work and nothing. I flipped it back to dim and my fog lights did not come back on, along with the headlights. I turned the switch on the blinker stock to turn the lights on manually, and nothing. As I slowed down, I lost power steering and immediately after, the car flashed ABS and Trac off before dying (while still moving). I put it back into park and tried to start it again, and nothing. No crank, not even a click. Interior lights, gauges, radio, and HVAC all came back after it died, but the car will not start.


EDIT: when its turned on but not running, battery gauge is sitting slightly below normal.

Anybody got ideas?

[nos4blood70]

So it's not cranking at all? Or did it start to crank when the interior lights returned?

[Benvw99]

Nope no crank. I think the battery may be dead though, as my dad got it to crank while I was at school. It died after 10 seconds and wouldn't crank after that.

[96 SSEi]

try to unplug maf sensor and start

[AJT2004]

It sounds like you have a problem with your charging system which has led to a weak battery. You need to have your battery checked (load tested), check battery connections for corrosion/tightness and then your alternator for proper output.

[redfury]

yup, a bad battery will cause all of these problems. Get the Battery checked out as well as the alternator. If it isn't seeing close to 12v, all of the sensors will report incorrectly to the computer, and the battery probably doesn't have enough amperage to power anything but residuals.

[Benvw99]

Ok, thank you for all the help. I got some more info.


It was not dead. My dad hooked up the booster machine and it said my battery was nearly fully charged. I turned the key and it started right up and ran normally. When i switched the headlights from low to high, my ABS, Trac off, and Brake lights came on for 5 seconds, then turned off. The lights were brightening and dimming when this was happening. The battery gauge was jumping all over the place. I took it out for a drive and it drove normally, until i came to a stop sign. I flicked the highs on again, and the car died. It would not crank or start for about 30 seconds, then it finally cranked and fired right up again. I drove it home and put it in the garage.

I disconnected the battery, looked for corrosion on the posts, and they were very clean. I put them back in, and the car started fine again.

I took it to practice the next day (today) and it made it fine. I had to do some errands so I left my brother with the car and he went to eat. On his way back to where i was it died on him and it wouldn't start back up. He walked to where i was and got me, where i went to my car and tried to start it, and it started fine. I took it to my local shop and they suggested I replace my battery. They said i most likely have a short within the battery (didn't know that was possible, haha).

Every time right before it dies, the battery gauge glitches out and jumps all around.

Do you all agree that I should get a new battery? The current ones age is unknown. Thanks!

[AJT2004]

It sounds like a bad battery, especially if it's an older battery. The only effective way to test a battery is to have it load tested, a bad battery can be fully charged but still be weak. It would be helpful to check your voltage with a digital gauge at the battery terminals when it's off and running.

[96 SSEi]

easy to check for a short - use multimeter with continuity and see if you get tone with probes on pos and neg battery terminals

also please check for positive voltage comming from the generator/ altenator. that will kill a battery also

can you borrow a battery for testing off a buddy for a day?

[nos4blood70]

Check your grounds also, especially in the engine bay. I think if you search around, you can find where they are. It was posted recently.

[00Beast]

I agree with getting the battery tested. Might also be the alternator as well.

[Benvw99]

Mom went and took my car to get a new battery today while i was at school. quit on her twice on the way home with the new battery installed (about 5 miles).

I was trying to stay positive but I'm so terrible with electrical stuff I'm gonna give the car to my grandpa to try to fix. Dad says if the car doesnt work it needs to be out of the driveway (sold or with a family member). Thanks for all your help, but I'm really discouraged and am gonna take a break from it for a while. Thanks guys

[redfury]

Well, it's never a bad thing to have a fresh battery, but it sucks that it didn't help your problems. You've probably got corrosion or a poor connection somewhere. Usually you don't have to worry about these things, but here you are. Try the wiggle test since the car dies on you while running. Start it up and start manhandling wires. Start wiggling everything until you can get the car to die, and then try to repeat it. Years ago we had a major engine harness connector on a car that was the cause to random dying. There was a poor connection between both plugs because the clip that holds them together had broken. We zip tied it together and never had a problem with it again. Wires can break internally and you won't be able to tell unless you had an IR camera and could see the increase in heat where the poor connection was...this is where wiggling will help.

Do the wiggle!

[Benvw99]

Alright! My grandpa came up to where i live yesterday and figured out what it was. When we installed the HID fog light setup, we attached the positive to the underhood fuse panel. The nut that was supposed to hold the HID positive wire tight had come loose. We tightened it back up, and the problem has gone away. While it was loose, my grandpa manhandled the wire and the car died instantly. I sure am glad that was an easy fix! Thank you for all your help!

[MKMike]

Thanks for reporting back .
Glad you got it fixed!