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Help! My car is having trouble starting. Is it the alternator or the battery?? Please read.

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I have a 2000 Honda Civic. A couple weeks ago I changed my the positive cable connector to the battery. I also added a good bit of water. My dad sealed the terminal (I think with vaseline). The car was driven maybe once that day, then sat for about a week. When I got back from vacation, I went to start it and the starting sound was really slow and then sped up to the normal speed and then the car started. This progressively went away over the course of a week. Yesterday I went to start the car and it started mostly normal. (Like I said, the slow start was completely gone). I drive a mile to the gas station, turn off the car, and when I go to start the car I get nothing. After a couple minutes of messing around, it started clicking just a little. It now is still in that state. I have jumped it a couple times and taken it for a 5 minute drive to the parts store, etc. Today the guy at Auto Zone tested the battery (engine off) and said that the battery seemed fine. Then he got a jump start box and I started the car off of it. He said I should replace probably the battery and/or the alternator. I didn't really feel too confident about much he was saying. If anyone can offer a little advice, I'd greatly appreciate it.

One last thing, is it possible to take just my battery to Wal-Mart (seems like the batteries are cheapest there) and have them test just the battery or do I need it in the car for a test to be of any use?

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  1. how was it running before you changed your positive cable?

    I'm going to guess that this is the original battery, in which case it is probably worn out and will only work in the best conditions.

    Also, most batteries are maintenance free anymore, although you can pry off the vents.  If it says maintenance free, but the electrolyte was low, this again indicates the battery.

    But, if you changed the cable and didn't get it back on tight, which is easy to do, you may not be making a good connection all the time.  This will keep you from getting a full charge off of the alternator and keep you from delivering full current to the starter.  Both of which can cause the problems you describe.

    If its a relatively low mileage car, its more likely just the battery or the connection instead of the alternator.  Alternator life is measured more in miles driven as opposed to battery life which is measured more in straight time.  The easiest thing you can do is take off the battery and go to a reputable store with experienced people, such as NAPA, and have the battery load tested.  Do this after checking all the battery connections and after charging the battery on the vehicle for an hour or so if possible, by idling the engine or driving around without shutting off the engine.  Or, take the car to NAPA and have them charge it and then load test it.  If the battery checks good, get out your wrenches and remove your alternator and take it in for testing.  


  2. It's probably your alternator. My friend wen't through the same ting and wasted money on 2 new batteries.

  3. Look at it this way; you have to get a new battery regardless. By killing it completely, it's not going to last much longer. Also, if he filled it with anything but distilled water, it's done for. So try a new battery AND have the alternator checked on the car. If you kill the new battery, it's going to have been a waste. Also check that your new connector is REALLY well connected to the wiring. I've seen tons of problems when those are replaced because they're not tight enough.

  4. some parts stores like NAPA will test your charging system for you, the car should be running to test the alternator to see if it's charging the battery, get it checked out before you throw your dollars at the car.

  5. take out and test the alternator @ autozone or any other store. it only takes about five minutes. If it is buy a new one.  

  6. You can have the auto parts store check your alternator, or do it yourself with a meter, with the car running, you should have  13.5 to 14 volts across the battery, anything less and you need a a new alternator, read the battery positive to negative. Or you can buy a new battery at Walmart, hold on to the receipt, and if it works, good, if not return it for a refund and put your old battery back in . Check the connections at the starter and check your ground.

  7. Clean all connections (get a battery cleaning brush, a must have for battery maintenance. $3 -$5) and make sure they are tight, don't over tighten!

    If auto zone said your battery is ok, why not believe him? do you think he would miss the chance to sell you a new one? auto zone can also check the alternator.Go back to the store, maybe you can get a different rep to check your car and tell you what is wrong! Buying parts just to try them is foolish and a waste of time and money!

    From their website!

    "Don't buy a part you don't need. AutoZone will test your car's parts for free. We can test your car's battery, alternator, starter and voltage regulator while they're still on your car. We can also give your car a complete starting and charging systems test."

    http://www.autozone.com/in_our_stores/fr...

    Good luck!


  8. Sounds like a bad battery. It may have 12 volts, but lose cranking amps. I would replace the battery and check the connections.

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