no electrical - i mean nothing

i have a 1995 Geo Prizm that i haven't driven in several
weeks, about a month or so. I went to start it & got
nothing -- no lights, nothing electrical works.

i've even tried a jumper on the battery & get nothing.
Any idea what the problem might be? someone suggested the
battery cable since the boost should be bypassing the
battery. The battery has water in it. I've looked thru
the manual & cannot see that any blown fuse would cause a
complete lack of response for the entire electrical
system. The alternator is fairly new (~2 yrs.).

i'm thinking about carrying the battery to a store to have
it checked, but given the jumping failure, is that even
worthwhile?

thanks!

In article <jNY9h.24312$m9.11378@bignews2.bellsouth.net>,
"anon" <nobody@nowhere.really.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
> i have a 1995 Geo Prizm that i haven't driven in several
> weeks, about a month or so. I went to start it & got
> nothing -- no lights, nothing electrical works.
>
> i've even tried a jumper on the battery & get nothing.
> Any idea what the problem might be? someone suggested the
> battery cable since the boost should be bypassing the
> battery. The battery has water in it. I've looked thru
> the manual & cannot see that any blown fuse would cause a
> complete lack of response for the entire electrical
> system. The alternator is fairly new (~2 yrs.).
>
> i'm thinking about carrying the battery to a store to have
> it checked, but given the jumping failure, is that even
> worthwhile?
>
> thanks![/color]

did you clean the battery connections?
--

> did you clean the battery connections?


i've been doing that & put some wd40 on it also. They
were pretty nasty, but so far it hasn't helped.

"anon" <nobody@nowhere.really.com> wrote in message
news:jNY9h.24312$m9.11378@bignews2.bellsouth.net...[color=blue]
>i have a 1995 Geo Prizm that i haven't driven in several weeks, about a
>month or so. I went to start it & got nothing -- no lights, nothing
>electrical works.
>
> i've even tried a jumper on the battery & get nothing. Any idea what the
> problem might be? someone suggested the battery cable since the boost
> should be bypassing the battery. The battery has water in it. I've
> looked thru the manual & cannot see that any blown fuse would cause a
> complete lack of response for the entire electrical system. The
> alternator is fairly new (~2 yrs.).
>
> i'm thinking about carrying the battery to a store to have it checked, but
> given the jumping failure, is that even worthwhile?
>
> thanks!
>[/color]
Guesses will be just that - guesses.

To diagnose the problem properly, you will need at least a volt meter to
check battery charge. If the battery cable connections are corroded, get a
battery terminal brush and wearing protective goggles and old clothes, clean
the battery terminal and cable clamps and then clean up the mess with a
poultice made from baking soda and a little water, then hose everything down
thoroughly. After the connections are good and clean and tight, try
charging the battery for an hour or so at a trickle or hooking up the jumper
vehicle for a good 5 ~ 10 minutes before attempting to start. With the volt
meter, check battery voltage before and after charging.

If the battery terminals were badly corroded, then it may have been parked
without a full charge, and the battery will discharge over time. If the
battery is left in a discharged state, it will become sulfated and lose its
ability to hold a charge. If the battery is over 4 years old, then the most
likely cause of the problem is a bad battery.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

If I were you I would take that old battery to the battery store and get buy
a NEW battery ;)

mike


"anon" <nobody@nowhere.really.com> wrote in message
news:jNY9h.24312$m9.11378@bignews2.bellsouth.net...[color=blue]
>i have a 1995 Geo Prizm that i haven't driven in several weeks, about a
>month or so. I went to start it & got nothing -- no lights, nothing
>electrical works.
>
> i've even tried a jumper on the battery & get nothing. Any idea what the
> problem might be? someone suggested the battery cable since the boost
> should be bypassing the battery. The battery has water in it. I've
> looked thru the manual & cannot see that any blown fuse would cause a
> complete lack of response for the entire electrical system. The
> alternator is fairly new (~2 yrs.).
>
> i'm thinking about carrying the battery to a store to have it checked, but
> given the jumping failure, is that even worthwhile?
>
> thanks!
>
>[/color]

"Mike Hunter" <mikehunt2@mailcity.com> wrote in message
news:37qdnWJ4Hdg8JPXYUSdV9g@ptd.net...[color=blue]
> If I were you I would take that old battery to the battery store and get
> buy a NEW battery ;)
>
> mike
>
>
> "anon" <nobody@nowhere.really.com> wrote in message
> news:jNY9h.24312$m9.11378@bignews2.bellsouth.net...[color=green]
>>i have a 1995 Geo Prizm that i haven't driven in several weeks, about a
>>month or so. I went to start it & got nothing -- no lights, nothing
>>electrical works.
>>
>> i've even tried a jumper on the battery & get nothing. Any idea what the
>> problem might be? someone suggested the battery cable since the boost
>> should be bypassing the battery. The battery has water in it. I've
>> looked thru the manual & cannot see that any blown fuse would cause a
>> complete lack of response for the entire electrical system. The
>> alternator is fairly new (~2 yrs.).
>>
>> i'm thinking about carrying the battery to a store to have it checked,
>> but given the jumping failure, is that even worthwhile?
>>
>> thanks!
>>[/color][/color]
Since jump starting didn't work and nothing worked while the jump battery
was connected, I'd check the cables. Hold on to the cable and twist the
cable clamp. A lot of times, corrosion will eat up the wires where they go
into the clamp. If it turns real easy, or falls off in your hands, that is
the problem. Check both clamps and the ground clamp and the main battery
line clamp.