Another Electrical Puzzle
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Re: Another Electrical Puzzle
In article <10mhfs84o033v00@corp.supernews.com>,
"Stephen Clark" <nospam@spamnot.not> wrote:
> I second trip's nomination. Take out the battery and have it load tested at
> an auto parts store. It could have a bad cell that can make the appearance
> of an intermittent failure.
>
> Same thing happened on my wife's Lexus with a less than two year old
> battery.
>
> Dimmed lights indicate low voltage, not a starter problem.
>
> If it's old, even if it tests good, replace it anyway.
>
> Same symptoms can be caused by corroded battery connections. Clean with
> baking soda and a wire brush when you replace the battery.
>
> Good luck!
18 months old. Shows no problems after I messed around today. Drove the
car with absolutely no issues today.
I guess we'll have to get stranded to find out what's wrong!
--
Wayne Crannell
Xxxxxxx, TX
"Stephen Clark" <nospam@spamnot.not> wrote:
> I second trip's nomination. Take out the battery and have it load tested at
> an auto parts store. It could have a bad cell that can make the appearance
> of an intermittent failure.
>
> Same thing happened on my wife's Lexus with a less than two year old
> battery.
>
> Dimmed lights indicate low voltage, not a starter problem.
>
> If it's old, even if it tests good, replace it anyway.
>
> Same symptoms can be caused by corroded battery connections. Clean with
> baking soda and a wire brush when you replace the battery.
>
> Good luck!
18 months old. Shows no problems after I messed around today. Drove the
car with absolutely no issues today.
I guess we'll have to get stranded to find out what's wrong!
--
Wayne Crannell
Xxxxxxx, TX
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Another Electrical Puzzle
On Sun, 10 Oct 2004 20:47:48 GMT, Wayne Crannell <a@b.c> wrote:
>In article <10mhfs84o033v00@corp.supernews.com>,
> "Stephen Clark" <nospam@spamnot.not> wrote:
>
>> I second trip's nomination. Take out the battery and have it load tested at
>> an auto parts store. It could have a bad cell that can make the appearance
>> of an intermittent failure.
>>
>> Same thing happened on my wife's Lexus with a less than two year old
>> battery.
>>
>> Dimmed lights indicate low voltage, not a starter problem.
>>
>> If it's old, even if it tests good, replace it anyway.
>>
>> Same symptoms can be caused by corroded battery connections. Clean with
>> baking soda and a wire brush when you replace the battery.
>>
>> Good luck!
>
>18 months old. Shows no problems after I messed around today. Drove the
>car with absolutely no issues today.
>
>I guess we'll have to get stranded to find out what's wrong!
Ah - 18 months old? In that case I'd be looking for a poor battery connection,
either the big fat cables at the battery terminals, or a grounding cable
working its way loose. Driving in the wet could aggravate a poor connection
and provide similar symptoms to what your SO experienced...
/daytripper
'00 s4 6spd
>In article <10mhfs84o033v00@corp.supernews.com>,
> "Stephen Clark" <nospam@spamnot.not> wrote:
>
>> I second trip's nomination. Take out the battery and have it load tested at
>> an auto parts store. It could have a bad cell that can make the appearance
>> of an intermittent failure.
>>
>> Same thing happened on my wife's Lexus with a less than two year old
>> battery.
>>
>> Dimmed lights indicate low voltage, not a starter problem.
>>
>> If it's old, even if it tests good, replace it anyway.
>>
>> Same symptoms can be caused by corroded battery connections. Clean with
>> baking soda and a wire brush when you replace the battery.
>>
>> Good luck!
>
>18 months old. Shows no problems after I messed around today. Drove the
>car with absolutely no issues today.
>
>I guess we'll have to get stranded to find out what's wrong!
Ah - 18 months old? In that case I'd be looking for a poor battery connection,
either the big fat cables at the battery terminals, or a grounding cable
working its way loose. Driving in the wet could aggravate a poor connection
and provide similar symptoms to what your SO experienced...
/daytripper
'00 s4 6spd
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Another Electrical Puzzle
On Sun, 10 Oct 2004 20:47:48 GMT, Wayne Crannell <a@b.c> wrote:
>In article <10mhfs84o033v00@corp.supernews.com>,
> "Stephen Clark" <nospam@spamnot.not> wrote:
>
>> I second trip's nomination. Take out the battery and have it load tested at
>> an auto parts store. It could have a bad cell that can make the appearance
>> of an intermittent failure.
>>
>> Same thing happened on my wife's Lexus with a less than two year old
>> battery.
>>
>> Dimmed lights indicate low voltage, not a starter problem.
>>
>> If it's old, even if it tests good, replace it anyway.
>>
>> Same symptoms can be caused by corroded battery connections. Clean with
>> baking soda and a wire brush when you replace the battery.
>>
>> Good luck!
>
>18 months old. Shows no problems after I messed around today. Drove the
>car with absolutely no issues today.
>
>I guess we'll have to get stranded to find out what's wrong!
Ah - 18 months old? In that case I'd be looking for a poor battery connection,
either the big fat cables at the battery terminals, or a grounding cable
working its way loose. Driving in the wet could aggravate a poor connection
and provide similar symptoms to what your SO experienced...
/daytripper
'00 s4 6spd
>In article <10mhfs84o033v00@corp.supernews.com>,
> "Stephen Clark" <nospam@spamnot.not> wrote:
>
>> I second trip's nomination. Take out the battery and have it load tested at
>> an auto parts store. It could have a bad cell that can make the appearance
>> of an intermittent failure.
>>
>> Same thing happened on my wife's Lexus with a less than two year old
>> battery.
>>
>> Dimmed lights indicate low voltage, not a starter problem.
>>
>> If it's old, even if it tests good, replace it anyway.
>>
>> Same symptoms can be caused by corroded battery connections. Clean with
>> baking soda and a wire brush when you replace the battery.
>>
>> Good luck!
>
>18 months old. Shows no problems after I messed around today. Drove the
>car with absolutely no issues today.
>
>I guess we'll have to get stranded to find out what's wrong!
Ah - 18 months old? In that case I'd be looking for a poor battery connection,
either the big fat cables at the battery terminals, or a grounding cable
working its way loose. Driving in the wet could aggravate a poor connection
and provide similar symptoms to what your SO experienced...
/daytripper
'00 s4 6spd
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Another Electrical Puzzle
Wayne,
Look for a faulty or dying Fuse. They do age and wear out with use.
Michelle
Wayne Crannell wrote:
>Here's one for the experts...
>
>2001 Audi A6, 50000 miles.
>
>This has been a fairly trouble free car except for front end woes fixed
>under warranty and one electrical gremlin that occasionally blows fuses
>to the rear power outlet (lighter).
>
>Anyway, my wife drove it all day in the rain today, starting and
>stopping at various places with no apparent troubles. Tonight, she
>stopped for 20 minutes, and when she came back to it to start it, all
>she got was clicking. She tells me the interior lights were fairly dim.
>OK...so after she panicked a bit on the phone, she called back and said
>that the interior lights got bright and the car started. The only
>remaining symptom was that the radio is in "safe mode" as though the
>battery had been disconnected.
>
>So....it sounds like a dying battery that couldn't turn over the
>starter....except why would there be low juice at first and then enough
>to start it 10 minutes later? It wouldn't be a loose connection, because
>there should have been no power at all. I'd suspect the alternator, but
>then the battery should have just died and stayed dead. Could it be the
>starter itself -- can the starter gears "jam"? (for lack of a better
>term) Moisture somewhere? Or just the usual 2001 A6 electrical gremlins?
>
>You can certainly see that figuring this out could run into serious
>money as the mechanic spends hours and hours looking for something that
>is no longer there -- until the next time, that is.
>
>Maybe time for new battery, at least?
>
>
>
--
Michelle P ATP-ASEL, CP-AMEL, and AMT-A&P
"Elisabeth" a Maule M-7-235B (no two are alike)
Volunteer Pilot, Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic
Volunteer Builder, Habitat for Humanity
Look for a faulty or dying Fuse. They do age and wear out with use.
Michelle
Wayne Crannell wrote:
>Here's one for the experts...
>
>2001 Audi A6, 50000 miles.
>
>This has been a fairly trouble free car except for front end woes fixed
>under warranty and one electrical gremlin that occasionally blows fuses
>to the rear power outlet (lighter).
>
>Anyway, my wife drove it all day in the rain today, starting and
>stopping at various places with no apparent troubles. Tonight, she
>stopped for 20 minutes, and when she came back to it to start it, all
>she got was clicking. She tells me the interior lights were fairly dim.
>OK...so after she panicked a bit on the phone, she called back and said
>that the interior lights got bright and the car started. The only
>remaining symptom was that the radio is in "safe mode" as though the
>battery had been disconnected.
>
>So....it sounds like a dying battery that couldn't turn over the
>starter....except why would there be low juice at first and then enough
>to start it 10 minutes later? It wouldn't be a loose connection, because
>there should have been no power at all. I'd suspect the alternator, but
>then the battery should have just died and stayed dead. Could it be the
>starter itself -- can the starter gears "jam"? (for lack of a better
>term) Moisture somewhere? Or just the usual 2001 A6 electrical gremlins?
>
>You can certainly see that figuring this out could run into serious
>money as the mechanic spends hours and hours looking for something that
>is no longer there -- until the next time, that is.
>
>Maybe time for new battery, at least?
>
>
>
--
Michelle P ATP-ASEL, CP-AMEL, and AMT-A&P
"Elisabeth" a Maule M-7-235B (no two are alike)
Volunteer Pilot, Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic
Volunteer Builder, Habitat for Humanity
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Another Electrical Puzzle
Wayne,
Look for a faulty or dying Fuse. They do age and wear out with use.
Michelle
Wayne Crannell wrote:
>Here's one for the experts...
>
>2001 Audi A6, 50000 miles.
>
>This has been a fairly trouble free car except for front end woes fixed
>under warranty and one electrical gremlin that occasionally blows fuses
>to the rear power outlet (lighter).
>
>Anyway, my wife drove it all day in the rain today, starting and
>stopping at various places with no apparent troubles. Tonight, she
>stopped for 20 minutes, and when she came back to it to start it, all
>she got was clicking. She tells me the interior lights were fairly dim.
>OK...so after she panicked a bit on the phone, she called back and said
>that the interior lights got bright and the car started. The only
>remaining symptom was that the radio is in "safe mode" as though the
>battery had been disconnected.
>
>So....it sounds like a dying battery that couldn't turn over the
>starter....except why would there be low juice at first and then enough
>to start it 10 minutes later? It wouldn't be a loose connection, because
>there should have been no power at all. I'd suspect the alternator, but
>then the battery should have just died and stayed dead. Could it be the
>starter itself -- can the starter gears "jam"? (for lack of a better
>term) Moisture somewhere? Or just the usual 2001 A6 electrical gremlins?
>
>You can certainly see that figuring this out could run into serious
>money as the mechanic spends hours and hours looking for something that
>is no longer there -- until the next time, that is.
>
>Maybe time for new battery, at least?
>
>
>
--
Michelle P ATP-ASEL, CP-AMEL, and AMT-A&P
"Elisabeth" a Maule M-7-235B (no two are alike)
Volunteer Pilot, Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic
Volunteer Builder, Habitat for Humanity
Look for a faulty or dying Fuse. They do age and wear out with use.
Michelle
Wayne Crannell wrote:
>Here's one for the experts...
>
>2001 Audi A6, 50000 miles.
>
>This has been a fairly trouble free car except for front end woes fixed
>under warranty and one electrical gremlin that occasionally blows fuses
>to the rear power outlet (lighter).
>
>Anyway, my wife drove it all day in the rain today, starting and
>stopping at various places with no apparent troubles. Tonight, she
>stopped for 20 minutes, and when she came back to it to start it, all
>she got was clicking. She tells me the interior lights were fairly dim.
>OK...so after she panicked a bit on the phone, she called back and said
>that the interior lights got bright and the car started. The only
>remaining symptom was that the radio is in "safe mode" as though the
>battery had been disconnected.
>
>So....it sounds like a dying battery that couldn't turn over the
>starter....except why would there be low juice at first and then enough
>to start it 10 minutes later? It wouldn't be a loose connection, because
>there should have been no power at all. I'd suspect the alternator, but
>then the battery should have just died and stayed dead. Could it be the
>starter itself -- can the starter gears "jam"? (for lack of a better
>term) Moisture somewhere? Or just the usual 2001 A6 electrical gremlins?
>
>You can certainly see that figuring this out could run into serious
>money as the mechanic spends hours and hours looking for something that
>is no longer there -- until the next time, that is.
>
>Maybe time for new battery, at least?
>
>
>
--
Michelle P ATP-ASEL, CP-AMEL, and AMT-A&P
"Elisabeth" a Maule M-7-235B (no two are alike)
Volunteer Pilot, Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic
Volunteer Builder, Habitat for Humanity
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Another Electrical Puzzle
"Michelle P" <thecatsandiSPAMMeIfYouDare@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:uZGad.805$SZ5.784@newsread2.news.atl.earthlin k.net...
> Wayne,
> Look for a faulty or dying Fuse. They do age and wear out with use.
> Michelle
>
---Snip---
Fuses do not age and wear out with use. Rubber ages, brake pads wear out,
but fuses last almost forever if not murdered. The problem is most likely a
bad (intermittant - high resistance) connection in the power circuit.
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Another Electrical Puzzle
"Michelle P" <thecatsandiSPAMMeIfYouDare@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:uZGad.805$SZ5.784@newsread2.news.atl.earthlin k.net...
> Wayne,
> Look for a faulty or dying Fuse. They do age and wear out with use.
> Michelle
>
---Snip---
Fuses do not age and wear out with use. Rubber ages, brake pads wear out,
but fuses last almost forever if not murdered. The problem is most likely a
bad (intermittant - high resistance) connection in the power circuit.
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