Battery underpowered?
08-19-2004, 10:04 PM
#1
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Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Oakland, CA
Posts: 173
Battery underpowered?
Yo a while ago I got a new Battery to prepare for a trip because my old one died really easily. I just went to some shop and had them put it in for free. Now this one doesnt die easy and has never failed to start my car, but on the way home all my speakers stopped giving sound while I was driving. Theyu came back on like 10 seconds later. Now this never happened, and I had just changed the battery, so I began to become a little suspicious, but forgot bout it.
Then on the road trip it hapepned again, and again, and again. all 4 of my speakers would just go off for 1-10 minutes, and then come back on for 1-10 minutes. Now I also noticed my car almost stalls at idle when I turn on the Fans to full blast but recovers and is fine after the initial stumble. Turning on headlights has an effect too, but not as noticeable. Now since I didn't notice any of this before the battery, I'm suspecting its the problem- is it possible they gave me a battery thats not good enough for my car? any way i can find out? Thx.
Then on the road trip it hapepned again, and again, and again. all 4 of my speakers would just go off for 1-10 minutes, and then come back on for 1-10 minutes. Now I also noticed my car almost stalls at idle when I turn on the Fans to full blast but recovers and is fine after the initial stumble. Turning on headlights has an effect too, but not as noticeable. Now since I didn't notice any of this before the battery, I'm suspecting its the problem- is it possible they gave me a battery thats not good enough for my car? any way i can find out? Thx.
08-19-2004, 11:02 PM
#2
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Posts: n/a
Originally Posted by Magnifico
Yo a while ago I got a new Battery to prepare for a trip because my old one died really easily. I just went to some shop and had them put it in for free. Now this one doesnt die easy and has never failed to start my car, but on the way home all my speakers stopped giving sound while I was driving. Theyu came back on like 10 seconds later. Now this never happened, and I had just changed the battery, so I began to become a little suspicious, but forgot bout it.
Then on the road trip it hapepned again, and again, and again. all 4 of my speakers would just go off for 1-10 minutes, and then come back on for 1-10 minutes. Now I also noticed my car almost stalls at idle when I turn on the Fans to full blast but recovers and is fine after the initial stumble. Turning on headlights has an effect too, but not as noticeable. Now since I didn't notice any of this before the battery, I'm suspecting its the problem- is it possible they gave me a battery thats not good enough for my car? any way i can find out? Thx.
Then on the road trip it hapepned again, and again, and again. all 4 of my speakers would just go off for 1-10 minutes, and then come back on for 1-10 minutes. Now I also noticed my car almost stalls at idle when I turn on the Fans to full blast but recovers and is fine after the initial stumble. Turning on headlights has an effect too, but not as noticeable. Now since I didn't notice any of this before the battery, I'm suspecting its the problem- is it possible they gave me a battery thats not good enough for my car? any way i can find out? Thx.
08-20-2004, 12:23 AM
#3
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Oakland, CA
Posts: 173
well I hope its not an alternator problem cause I replaced that not too long ago. but with my luck with my car lately i guess anythings possible haha
But these problems started happening the DAY I changed the battery. Like my speakers first turned off on the way home. It could be coincidence, thats why I'm wondering if theres a way to find out if its acutally caused by the battery.
it doesnt seem like a severe thing, I dont have problems starting the car, or have it actually stall, its just that all 4 speakers keep going out (i found nothing wrong with any connections), plus heavy electrical load seems to give the car some trouble.
I love my music too much, if it didnt affect my music i probably wouldnt even care haha
But these problems started happening the DAY I changed the battery. Like my speakers first turned off on the way home. It could be coincidence, thats why I'm wondering if theres a way to find out if its acutally caused by the battery.
it doesnt seem like a severe thing, I dont have problems starting the car, or have it actually stall, its just that all 4 speakers keep going out (i found nothing wrong with any connections), plus heavy electrical load seems to give the car some trouble.
I love my music too much, if it didnt affect my music i probably wouldnt even care haha
08-20-2004, 07:04 AM
#4
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Posts: n/a
Originally Posted by Magnifico
well I hope its not an alternator problem cause I replaced that not too long ago. but with my luck with my car lately i guess anythings possible haha
But these problems started happening the DAY I changed the battery. Like my speakers first turned off on the way home. It could be coincidence, thats why I'm wondering if theres a way to find out if its acutally caused by the battery.
it doesnt seem like a severe thing, I dont have problems starting the car, or have it actually stall, its just that all 4 speakers keep going out (i found nothing wrong with any connections), plus heavy electrical load seems to give the car some trouble.
I love my music too much, if it didnt affect my music i probably wouldnt even care haha
But these problems started happening the DAY I changed the battery. Like my speakers first turned off on the way home. It could be coincidence, thats why I'm wondering if theres a way to find out if its acutally caused by the battery.
it doesnt seem like a severe thing, I dont have problems starting the car, or have it actually stall, its just that all 4 speakers keep going out (i found nothing wrong with any connections), plus heavy electrical load seems to give the car some trouble.
I love my music too much, if it didnt affect my music i probably wouldnt even care haha
08-21-2004, 02:21 PM
#7
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Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Oakland, CA
Posts: 173
thx for replies
smoky: seems to cut off totally randomly, yeah its aftermarket, 450w. The deck doesnt actually shut off, it keeps spinning the CD and everything, its just that all 4 speakers stop playing. It also seems to flicker on high volume more than it used to now that i examined it more
matt: nope, they didnt
subs: ok thanks for info
i guess its probably just a coincidence that it happened after having battery changed. Maybe my deck is just shorting out, and the stumble while turning on the fans is caused by an unrelated problem.
smoky: seems to cut off totally randomly, yeah its aftermarket, 450w. The deck doesnt actually shut off, it keeps spinning the CD and everything, its just that all 4 speakers stop playing. It also seems to flicker on high volume more than it used to now that i examined it more
matt: nope, they didnt
subs: ok thanks for info
i guess its probably just a coincidence that it happened after having battery changed. Maybe my deck is just shorting out, and the stumble while turning on the fans is caused by an unrelated problem.
08-21-2004, 03:06 PM
#8
The battery shouldn't be a factor if your alternator is strong enough. If your old battery had more ampacity than the new one though it could have given you a cushion. You may want to add one of those big capacitors that high end audio places sell. Check your voltage at the battery with a meter and then start turning things on to see how it changes. It would be even better to put an amp meter on it to see what you are drawing exactly.
08-22-2004, 07:53 AM
#12
not in this case. I ran into it last weekend when a guy put on some enamel coated battert terminals.
the large 4 awg starter cable is connected to the battery through a crimped connector onto the terminal (which had bare metal on it for good contact), but the alternator, fusible links, and headlight harnesses he just stuck a ring terminal on them and connected to the bolt going through the bettery terminal. since the terminal was coated in enamel, that bolt wasn't connected to the battery's side of the electrical system.
so every time he started the car, it would turn the engine over off the battery.. the alternator would spin and produce enough juice to run the ECU. but every time he turned up the stereo or turned on his headlights, the high current demands on the alternator would cause the voltage to drop for a second and it would kill the engine.
I had this problem years ago as well when I had a bad fusible link. nothing inside the car would work unless the engine was running- not even the power seatbelts. very strange.. then I figured out it was a bad fusible link when I grabbed the harness and everything started working again. I noticed a sharp bend in the fusible link and saw some charring on the wire. pulled it off and the wire pulled out of the insulation in my hand- it was burned in two, but the insulation was still on it and you couldn't see it because of the split loom tubing around it all.
how'd it happen? I let some goober at autozone install a battery for me, and the first one he put in was a 24 size, not a 24R.. the battery looks identical, but the + and - posts are reversed on it compared to what Nissan uses. so it fried the fusible links. he put the proper posts on it and the car still started, so he thought he didn't do any damage.
the large 4 awg starter cable is connected to the battery through a crimped connector onto the terminal (which had bare metal on it for good contact), but the alternator, fusible links, and headlight harnesses he just stuck a ring terminal on them and connected to the bolt going through the bettery terminal. since the terminal was coated in enamel, that bolt wasn't connected to the battery's side of the electrical system.
so every time he started the car, it would turn the engine over off the battery.. the alternator would spin and produce enough juice to run the ECU. but every time he turned up the stereo or turned on his headlights, the high current demands on the alternator would cause the voltage to drop for a second and it would kill the engine.
I had this problem years ago as well when I had a bad fusible link. nothing inside the car would work unless the engine was running- not even the power seatbelts. very strange.. then I figured out it was a bad fusible link when I grabbed the harness and everything started working again. I noticed a sharp bend in the fusible link and saw some charring on the wire. pulled it off and the wire pulled out of the insulation in my hand- it was burned in two, but the insulation was still on it and you couldn't see it because of the split loom tubing around it all.
how'd it happen? I let some goober at autozone install a battery for me, and the first one he put in was a 24 size, not a 24R.. the battery looks identical, but the + and - posts are reversed on it compared to what Nissan uses. so it fried the fusible links. he put the proper posts on it and the car still started, so he thought he didn't do any damage.
08-22-2004, 02:18 PM
#15
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Oakland, CA
Posts: 173
Hmm.. thanks for the idea. I'll have to look into that..
i dont think im ever going to let anyone touch my car again. just too much incompetence out there that creates too much unsurity even when they dont mess up. my experiences have ranged from people forgetting to put oil in my car, to telling me my MAF was good when it in fact wasnt (and therefore wasting lots of additional time and money trying to find a different problem), and now i gotta wonder about this. I mean maybe your fusible link scenario isnt the case, but now i gotta worry about it until i find out for sure.
when you do everything yourself theres no unsurity, you know what you did, dont need to let your imagination worry
i dont think im ever going to let anyone touch my car again. just too much incompetence out there that creates too much unsurity even when they dont mess up. my experiences have ranged from people forgetting to put oil in my car, to telling me my MAF was good when it in fact wasnt (and therefore wasting lots of additional time and money trying to find a different problem), and now i gotta wonder about this. I mean maybe your fusible link scenario isnt the case, but now i gotta worry about it until i find out for sure.
when you do everything yourself theres no unsurity, you know what you did, dont need to let your imagination worry
08-22-2004, 02:44 PM
#16
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Posts: n/a
Originally Posted by Magnifico
thx for replies
smoky: seems to cut off totally randomly, yeah its aftermarket, 450w. The deck doesnt actually shut off, it keeps spinning the CD and everything, its just that all 4 speakers stop playing. It also seems to flicker on high volume more than it used to now that i examined it more
matt: nope, they didnt
subs: ok thanks for info
i guess its probably just a coincidence that it happened after having battery changed. Maybe my deck is just shorting out, and the stumble while turning on the fans is caused by an unrelated problem.
smoky: seems to cut off totally randomly, yeah its aftermarket, 450w. The deck doesnt actually shut off, it keeps spinning the CD and everything, its just that all 4 speakers stop playing. It also seems to flicker on high volume more than it used to now that i examined it more
matt: nope, they didnt
subs: ok thanks for info
i guess its probably just a coincidence that it happened after having battery changed. Maybe my deck is just shorting out, and the stumble while turning on the fans is caused by an unrelated problem.
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