| battery, starter or alternator?
- Click HERE for Original Thread
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| mm1923 |
| My wife has been having some problems with '02 mdx. 1 month ago we drove the truck down to MD and the next morning it was a little colder than what it has been and the truck did not start. Got a jump and it worked fine without problems. Last week she came out of work and it would not start again. It has happened 2x this week. It starts fine in the morning for her going to work but when she is leaving it won't start. I cleaned the battery and the connections of any and all corrosion as there was some buildup. However the day after it gave the same problem. I told her to go to Sears to get a new one. The guy there tested the battery and said that it was fine. I am wondering if anyone has had this problem and if anyone has had any problem with the starter. We have 75,000 miles. I don't know what the life of battery is. The green light appears still to glow although not bright enough for me. I believe it is also the original battery. |
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| hammermdx |
| Could be the battery, some of the OEM's one suck. Take it to a private mechanic and ask him to check the alternator too....personally I'd stay away from Sears......I put them in the same category as the quick oil change places and if you ask me, they don't know squat. |
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| G. COLTON |
If it is an 2002 battery with 75,000 miles, you are ready (probably past) due for a new battery.
Sears has some of the best batteries on the market. They also have very good personnel for installing and checking. However, like any business you can run into an employee who is new or not properly trailed or experienced. I would have no qualms about buying a battery from them. In fact in over 50 years of driving I have bought many batteries from them.
At your stage of ownership I would change the battery regardless of whether or not you are having problems.
G |
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| MesaBeige |
Usually you can tell by the sound when you crank it -
Click, click, click = battery
Rrrrrr, Rrrrrr, Rrrrrr = Starter
Nothing = alternator
Btw, my original 2001 battery with 65K is still going strong. |
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| andreseng |
| The cold weather usually points to a battery that has seen it's better days..... |
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| mm1923 |
| thanx for the advice. i talked to one of my friends about it and he thinks it's the battery also. I guess I am gonna go that route. Acura I understand will prorate the battery but I think only of you buy another one from them. |
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| DaleB |
quote:
Originally posted by mm1923
thanx for the advice. i talked to one of my friends about it and he thinks it's the battery also. I guess I am gonna go that route. Acura I understand will prorate the battery but I think only of you buy another one from them.
Last time I recommended a couple of very popular choices, someone put up some CR data showing they were rated low.
So I would not recommend spending TOO much on a battery, just make sure it's got a great warranty! |
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| Fabvsix |
| You cannot beat a Sears Interstate battery ! |
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| afweeka |
| My wife's '01 is having a similar problem. It's making the click-click-click noise when I try to start which had me thinking battery (45k miles on the original + recent cold weather) BUT it wouldn't turn over even with a jump start, so now I'm thinking it might be something worse. Is it possible for the battery to be so far gone that even a jump won't get it to start? |
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| G. COLTON |
quote:
Originally posted by afweeka
My wife's '01 is having a similar problem. It's making the click-click-click noise when I try to start which had me thinking battery (45k miles on the original + recent cold weather) BUT it wouldn't turn over even with a jump start, so now I'm thinking it might be something worse. Is it possible for the battery to be so far gone that even a jump won't get it to start?
Yes! The old battery can be so bad that it will pull down whatever it attached to it.
G |
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| loa3 |
| If you have a voltmeter, measure the voltage across the battery terminals with the engine off. Should read around 12.5 volts. Then, start the car (if you can!) and measure the voltage across the battery terminals again. It should read 13.5 to 14.5 volts. If it is very far out of this range, you may have a charging problem. |
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| afweeka |
| It was the battery. A tow truck, apparently with a beefier battery than my Audi A6 I had tried previously, was able to get her started with a jump, then off to Sears for a new one. Pretty simple in retrospect, but I'm glad it was only $70 and not $$$ for a new starter or something. |
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| villy |
Right on the money, loa3!!
Was able to get my '01 going again after replacing the original(!) battery, nothing else (thankfully!). Just like you said, 12.5v off, 14.5 after it started. Much appreciated.
Also wanted to thank the forum members for great info and the details on diagnosing and fixing a faulty fuse/thermistor on the rear heater. The replacement fuses are something like $0.45 a piece, so it's worth the hassle to give it a go (if you 're comfortable with basic soldering). The only caution i would give is when disassembling the plastic parts to get to the fuse - be gentle! The Japanese engineers removed any/every gram of plastic that is not necessary to hold these pieces together, so if you're not very careful it is easy to break some of the smaller retaining tabs off. These can be fixed w/epoxy or superglue, it's just extra work.
Again, thanks, everyone!! |
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