2000 Olds Intrigue 3.5L V6 Battery replaced 3/19/07 with AAA battery Runs two 15 mile trips 3 times one week followed by two 35 mile trips the following week. Maybe a couple of short trips over the weekends. Over the last 6 months or so the clock would randomly reset to the default 1:00am but the radio does not lose the preset stations. Sometimes when turning the radio on there would be a pop, the time changes to 1:00, and the radio plays at a low volume. I reset the time and volume and everything would be fine for days or weeks. I start suspecting the radio until the car takes several tries to start Monday after the storm. After three cranking tries it starts but seems to run rough. I let it sit and take the Prius. Monday night I hook up a charger. The needle on the charger jumps between "fully charged" and "needing a charge" for maybe 5 minutes before reporting "fully charged". The next day it starts right up & runs fine. The ScanGauge reports: 14.4-14.9 volts while the car is running 13.5-13.0 volts when the car is shut off until the gauge turns off (left set to hybrid) 12.5-11.9 volts when the car is "on" but not running and climate control off. When it dropped to 11.9 I turned the car off. Should the battery be replaced (it is still under full warranty) & if so, what should I tell AAA? Thanks for the advice.
Hi Jim, You might want to measure quiescent current draw when the car is IG-OFF to make sure that is not a problem. If not, then I'd agree that your car needs a new 12V battery. You could tell AAA that the alternator/regulator work fine since the voltage is 14.4-14.9. You drive the car sufficiently so that battery discharge due to lack of use is not the problem. The battery can't keep the radio volume setting and clock memory alive, more evidence that it has low capacity.
ound: Stop, I can't breathe! Wheeze! Anyhoo, I'd suggest first the battery, then the cable at the starter itself When AAA sold you the battery, was it fully charged? I've had neighbors pick up supposedly brand new batteries from Crappy Tire, and they were only 30-50% charged. Probably enough to start the vehicle, but not enough to ensure long life Let's not forget all the extra load the alternator will be under trying to charge the battery on a conventional car I always suggest that whenever you get a new battery for a convetional vehicle - even the auxilary battery for a Prius - to *always* fully charge it with a good automatic battery charger. Once fully charged, then put it in. Of course, if the old battery is kaput and the car is sitting on the side of the road, that really isn't much of an option. Is it? I had some trouble with my 2000 GMC Sierra - surprise! - as sometimes it would crank very slowly. Took the battery off, put it on a charger, load tested it, passed fine, charged it back up, put it in, and ... Ruurrrrrrrh ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrr ruuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrr .... I had the shop manuals for that thing. There is a dedicated jump start terminal under the hood near the alternator. It looked like a battery cable connector point, the bolt actually held the cable together. Cleaned that off, put everything back together, and the truck only behaved slightly better The starter on that year Sierra is on the passenger side, and is a bit of a PITA to get to. Well, f*** a duck if the battery cable wasn't heavily corroded at the starter! Decided I might as well wrestle the starter off and clean everything properly I smeared electrical contact grease on the connector for the solenoid and battery cable, finally put everything back together, and it instantly started. I can only hope the next owner appreciated all that work Jim, if I were you, I would do this, in order: 1. Remove the battery and fully charge it. 2. Take the battery to an auto parts store - eg Pep Boys - and ask they load test it 3. If it fails, s*** can it and get a new battery. If you have to get a new battery, properly charge it before putting it in 4. If the battery passes the load test, charge it back up again 5. Not sure how easy the starter is to get at on your Olds. With the battery out, take off the positive cable at the starter and make sure the cable and the starter mount are squeaky clean, no hint of corrosion 6. Also, on the starter, make sure the solenoid connection is clean
Thanks, everyone, for the help. I'm taking your advice to my brother tomorrow as he has custody of the car. Pat, that was priceless. I bought the battery from the American Automobile Association truck. (I suppose you'd have the RAAC.) I don't know if it was fully charged when the guy installed it.
If the car cranks, your battery is probably good. You've got loose connections or bad grounds somewhere that's kicking the radio and giving your engine ECU poor power supply. . _H*
I have a Honda Car and I am facing so many technical problems wit my car. Some one told me that you need to change the battery of your car. I just want a battery if someone have please let me know. Stella
Thanks for clearing that up Jim. (I knew really but I couldn't resist) In South Australia we have the Royal Automobile Association, RAA Victoria have Royal Automobile Club of Victoria, RACV New South Wales have Royal Automobile Club, RAC Queensland have RACQ and I don't know the others. Oh they all sell batteries.
the clock and radio presets are usually the last things to go when a conventional 12v goes dead. was the clock reset before you tried cranking it?
The time was accurate before the hard start. Sometimes I would find the clock at 1:00 getting into the car in the a.m. Other times I would find it reset in the afternoon when leaving the office. Lately when the radio is turned on there would be a pop, the volume would be low and the time would reset. It appears to be a random event unrelated to how long the car sits or how far it is driven. The one hard start in the snow was unexpected as the car starts easily.
