Battery or Alternator?

[pbinder]

I have a 2005 Camry LE V4. I recently got into my car and went to start it but it wouldn't turn over, no power.

After taking whatever power from the battery to try and crank it, some of my dash lights came back on.

Tried to crank it again and nothing.

I had a friend come out and he gave me a jump. We kept the cars hooked up for a minute or two while my car was running and then disconnected.

On my way home, when I hit the breaks, I could see my headlights dim a tad bit. When I put on my brights my whole dash went off for a quick second.

When I got home, after a 7-10 minute drive, the car was still basically dead. It would not start again.


SO. Does this sound like a battery that is completely caput (I'm getting a new battery no matter what) or does it also sound like an alternator problem as well as the now dead battery?

I have never replaced the battery since buying the car new in February 2005.

Thanks for any help.

[bullisbm]

It sounds like a battery issue to me, but why don't you just go to a auto parts place and have them both tested? That way your not guessing.

[Mike Gerber]

First of all you have an I4 engine, not a V4. It is also advisable to list the mileage on the car when asking for advice.

Your problem could be either the battery, the alternator itself, a loose alternator belt or simply loose or corroded battery posts/cable connections. If you don't feel comfortable checking thses things yourself, I suggest calling around to auto parts stores in your area and asking if they do free battery and alternator checks with these items still on the car. When you find one that offers this free service (many do) have the car jump started again and drive it over to that parts store. Do not shut off the car. Go in and ask them to test these items for you. Incidently, you can usually just do a visual inspection of the battery posts/cable connections looking for built up corrosion. Also, it's a bit early (4 years old), but not impossible for your battery to be going, in my opinion.

Mike

[07camryxle13501]

Alternator..... jump the the car and soon as it truns on unhook the jumpers and take out the Battery if the car stays on its your Battery if it truns off its you Alternator

[Mike Gerber]

"and take out the Battery"

Do not do this with the car running. This is no longer a safe thing to do. It did this myself many years ago, but it should not be attempted on today's modern cars. The voltage spikes created by disconnecting the battery on a running car could ruin some of the sophiscated electronics on today's cars.

Mike

[icqboy51]

the OEM battery only lasted 4 years?

cause my 2003 OEM battery is still going strong.

[titoisme]

sounds like alternater to me, i had the same problem, even changed batteries and same problem kept coming up...after i changed the alt., it's run fine -- also, if the battery light comes on, it's an alt problem, not actually battery