Battery problem

[khrystsina]

2004 Toyota Corolla 4 cyl Front Wheel Drive Automatic 75000 miles

I replaced the battery in my car about a year ago. Lately I have noticed that my clock in the car is not lit up as well sometimes. Today I tried to start the car and it made many clicking noise similar to when you press the button on your remote to open/close the car. Also, the speedometer was going crazy showing that I was going 10-20 miles/hour even though the car was parked. The lights flickered and turning the car off (taking the key out of the ignition) was the only thing that stopped this craziness. When I jumped the car, it started perfectly. What could that be?

[Zembonez]

Dead battery?

[khrystsina]

Originally Posted by Zembonez

Dead battery?

I changed the battery only a year ago!

[Zembonez]

Means exactly nothing. A 2 day old battery can be discharged. You need to start with the basics and have the battery checked. What you describe sounds EXACTLY like a dead battery. Maybe the charging system is not doing its job.

[khrystsina]

Originally Posted by Zembonez

Means exactly nothing. A 2 day old battery can be discharged. You need to start with the basics and have the battery checked. What you describe sounds EXACTLY like a dead battery. Maybe the charging system is not doing its job.

Even flickering lights when the car isn't on? I will get the battery checked I guess, and if it's fine, I'll have to check the charging system. Thanks for the response!

[Zembonez]

Yeah. I really am trying to help. A low battery can cause all sorts of odd electrical behavior. You might want to check the cables and make sure they are good and tight too.

Good luck!

[PhatRoyale]

If you have access to a multimeter, test if the alternator is working by running a load test on your battery.

If it checks out then all you may need is a recharge.