Dead Battery??? - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

dj14901 · 05-13-2003, 11:11 AM

OK, I just went out to start my car and it seems like the battery is dead. When I turn the key, the lights on the dash go on, but as soon as it reaches the "Start" position, all the dash lights just die. No clicking sound (or any other sound, for that matter). I haven't seen any indication that the battery is going, it seems to have been cranking fine, and the window still shows green. I replaced the alternator in November because I noticed a noisy bearing and figured it was better to replace it then while it was still functioning fine rather than waiting until it left me stranded one day (like today!). Haven't had any charging problems, either with the old or new alternator. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

DJ

K111er · 05-13-2003, 12:43 PM

At the risk of pointing out the obvious - check your connections to the battery itself. My 99 Solara kept not starting on me, and it turned out that there is a 'spacer' inside the clamp that attaches to the battery post. This spacer had been moving around after 'someone' didn't properly tighten the connection when reconnecting. Metric wrench or socket set may solve your problem. Or, maybe not.

dj14901 · 05-13-2003, 12:52 PM

Sorry, I forgot to mention that I checked the connections and both *seemed* to be OK. I'm going to play around with them a little more before I call AAA for a jump...

Thanks,

Dan

jimcat · 05-13-2003, 02:17 PM

you can check the voltage of your battery.

if it is no less than 12.3 volt, the battery should be good.

***Phi*** · 05-13-2003, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jimcat
you can check the voltage of your battery.

if it is no less than 12.3 volt, the battery should be good.

It's a good check, but it's not always accurate. The volatage may be satisfactory, but the amperage of an old battery might not be high enough to turn over the engine.

dj14901 · 05-13-2003, 05:32 PM

Well, I tried rapping on the terminals before my last ditch effort to start the car, and that worked. When I got home I pulled out my tester, and sure enough, the battery was putting out a very healthy 12.87V. As a side note I spoke to my father and he said that the visible condition of the terminals may be misleading - sometimes they look clean and there can still be a very thin film of corrosion that can mess everything up...

Thanks for all of your help!

DJ

rayray · 05-14-2003, 03:40 AM

i had the same problem last winter when my car wouldn't start. i'd get a boost and it'd start no prob. but by the time i got home... i tired to restart it... it was dead. i thought it was my charging system that was fucked up. turned out to be just a bit of corrosion on my battery posts. cleaned them up and it started no prob again!

-rayray