My car is haunted!! HELP!!!

[Executionerhk]

Dear DSMer,

I am that serious my car is haunted... if people aware of my post, I have a friend replaced my alternator and fuel pump... and plus external wire and makes it work. It runs and it pulls and I was happy, but it was running on my friend's battery. I parked my car and gave him his battery back. Next day I went and got a new battery, happily put it in the car... But it only click... not even turning over, and it was only 1 day after it runs...

Bad thing is two days later, which is today, I go and see if the car will mysteriously working, and you know what, the battery is completely drain... no juice at all. I have not leave a single light on. What is wrong, why it is not working!! Can someone in my area be kind and take a look for me? I total spent $1600 to fix it and it is not working... $1000 go to a local repair shop to replace the clutch and the ECU... die 3 month after it... $400 for a brother of my friend for the fuel pump and make it work... $200 goes to a stupid friend that did nothing...

I am dying to have my car running... please tell me why my car is acting like this, what is taking my juice out of my battery?

 

[khartley]

When you took your friends battery out and put yours in, I'd say it clicked because it wasn't connecting well, you didn't tighten it enough or something to that effect. I'd get new terminals and try it again. Make sure your alternator belt is on good and tight.

As for the battery being drained...sounds like the car never ran at all after installing it, some batteries don't come to you completely charged. Or you could have accidentally left your door ajar, interior light on, etc. Do you have a sub and amp hooked up in your car? That could drain your battery as well.

 

[Executionerhk]

When you took your friends battery out and put yours in, I'd say it clicked because it wasn't connecting well, you didn't tighten it enough or something to that effect. I'd get new terminals and try it again. Make sure your alternator belt is on good and tight.

As for the battery being drained...sounds like the car never ran at all after installing it, some batteries don't come to you completely charged. Or you could have accidentally left your door ajar, interior light on, etc. Do you have a sub and amp hooked up in your car? That could drain your battery as well.

i put in the brand new battery with new terminals, and it is tighten that I can't move it. so i donno what happen, i jumped the car today and it starts kinda slow. i have not CD player at all, striped no sound system, door shut tight...

i am going to see if i can turn my car tomorrow if i can then it is reslove...
maybe just the battery come completely charged i guess...

 

[tunethis]

Suggestions:

Fully charge your battery.

Check your power/ground cables for corrosion (beyond the terminals).

Check your starter to make sure it's good and check it's cables for loose connections.

If your battery still dies, go somewhere and get your car tested for "drain." Maybe something is drawing current when the car is off.

 

[spoonman]

Call Ghost Busters!

Also check the large fuses on the positive terminal. And all the fuses just in case.

 

[Executionerhk]

Suggestions:

Fully charge your battery.

Check your power/ground cables for corrosion (beyond the terminals).

Check your starter to make sure it's good and check it's cables for loose connections.

If your battery still dies, go somewhere and get your car tested for "drain." Maybe something is drawing current when the car is off.

I just put the new ground wire with the terminal...
so it is funny...
now it starts, I hope it still does over night...

 

[Executionerhk]

Call Ghost Busters!

Also check the large fuses on the positive terminal. And all the fuses just in case.

Ghost Busters's line is busy... gosh...
what should I do now...
all the fuses are good...
I just jumped it and it starts...
hope it starts tomorrow...

keep you guys update, thanks!!

 

[Executionerhk]

Updates...

Yes before bed, I did check and the car will start...
this morning, my battery is drain again...
no light on, I made sure that...
so what is wrong? Is it really haunted?

 

[Thor06]

No, its not haunted.

Its a simple problem: you just dont have enough charge built up in the battery. I've only ever bought two batteries but neither came with a whole hell of a lot of charge... the first one we left on the charger over night before it went in and the other I remember barely got the car started so I went for a good cruise right afterward to build up some charge. If you have a charger, let that charge it up good, if not then get a jump from a friend and go for a 30-40 minute cruise and go home. When you get home turn it off, but then try to start it again and if it starts you're good. If not then theres something else wrong.

 

[tqmx1]

Time to start checking, With all your ham handed buddies rewireing your fuel pump (and god knows what else) somthing could of got hot wired to the battery.

It does not take much to draw a battery down overnight.

 

[skeeter4200]

check all the re-wire that you had done and then take the battery back to were you bought it and tell them you want a different one then have them put it on there bear tester and check it out and charge it a little if necessary after that is done put the batt. in the car and go have your alternator check at a local part house. Its free after all

 

[Executionerhk]

No, its not haunted.

Its a simple problem: you just dont have enough charge built up in the battery. I've only ever bought two batteries but neither came with a whole hell of a lot of charge... the first one we left on the charger over night before it went in and the other I remember barely got the car started so I went for a good cruise right afterward to build up some charge. If you have a charger, let that charge it up good, if not then get a jump from a friend and go for a 30-40 minute cruise and go home. When you get home turn it off, but then try to start it again and if it starts you're good. If not then theres something else wrong.

i can't... tag expire... and I don have a charger...
so that nothing I can do?

 

[Executionerhk]

Time to start checking, With all your ham handed buddies rewireing your fuel pump (and god knows what else) somthing could of got hot wired to the battery.

It does not take much to draw a battery down overnight.

what should I check, where to start?
i don even know what wire he had re-wired...

i have a wire under my car... to the fuels box under my steering...

 

[Executionerhk]

check all the re-wire that you had done and then take the battery back to were you bought it and tell them you want a different one then have them put it on there bear tester and check it out and charge it a little if necessary after that is done put the batt. in the car and go have your alternator check at a local part house. Its free after all

he supposed changed another alternator for me already...
or maybe he didn't... my car is able to push/clutch start... if you know what I am talking about... put in gear, key at start position and build up speed and let go the clutch...

so batter should be new off shelf... which could be low charged...
alternator i need to get it check out...
any wireing problem could cause this problem?
please let me know...

 

[Thor06]

i can't... tag expire... and I don have a charger...
so that nothing I can do?

Ummmm, get new tags? If you cant drive it because it doesnt have tags then why do you want it running?

 

[Ice Racer]

Sounds like a discharged battery. That's all.

I'd pull the battery, take it to a shop - or better yet back to where you bought it, have them throw it on a quick charger for an hour or so, and toss it back in your car. It's gotta be just a low battery and by starting/cranking/turning key on & accessories on it's draining more than actually charging. By idling for a few seconds/minutes the alternator can't charge the battery enough to start the car.

Or go buy a battery charger for $15.

Gotta be a low battery.

 

[skeeter4200]

check the 100amp fuse under the hood, I popped mine once while changing the alt and then I would yank the back seat and start looking for the short there first were you had the fuel pump rewired

 

[skeeter4200]

but I think you really just got a bad batt. , I was a part manager for advance and schucks and seen it multi time where a batt. tested bad right off the shelf

 

[Raph]

check out that fuel pump rewire, sounds like a wire is grounding out against the chassis.

check the alternator..is it connected at all? are the wires going to the alternator itself cracked/brittle/grounding out?

you have no stereo etc whatsoever? check to see if the wireing from the radio isnt grounding out, draining the battery

do you have an alarm system ?? is it working properly?

recharge your battery, install in car, do not connect the neg terminal,indtead put a Multimeter(set to AMP ) between the neg.batt pole and terminal wire and measure the current draw ..do this with the car locked (simulate how it sits locked up at night)

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Again:you need to unhook the negative battery cable and set your mutimeter to amps and connect it between the negetive cable and the battery and that will tell you what kind of draw you have just make sure that your multi meter is set up right

remember to leave the black multimeter wire in the COM plug, and put the red wire into the 10AMP plug(otherwise you will fry your multimeter.. read the instructions or ask someone to help you)

you can only measure a current draw up to 10 amps.. anything more will kill your multimeter.. a 10amp draw will kill a battery in 4-5 hours tops.

attach it like this:

 

[Executionerhk]

Ummmm, get new tags? If you cant drive it because it doesnt have tags then why do you want it running?

Got my tag today !!!
I can drive it...
but still if the car will drain battery again... I don't know...
I found out that my MPI relay / Fuel pump relay is just laying by the shifter...
my roomate touch it and shock himself... now we bolt it back on its orginal place...
will this be a problem the whole time?

 

[Executionerhk]

check out that fuel pump rewire, sounds like a wire is grounding out against the chassis.

check the alternator..is it connected at all? are the wires going to the alternator itself cracked/brittle/grounding out?

you have no stereo etc whatsoever? check to see if the wireing from the radio isnt grounding out, draining the battery

do you have an alarm system ?? is it working properly?

recharge your battery, install in car, do not connect the neg terminal,indtead put a Multimeter(set to AMP ) between the neg.batt pole and terminal wire and measure the current draw ..do this with the car locked (simulate how it sits locked up at night)

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

Again:you need to unhook the negative battery cable and set your mutimeter to amps and connect it between the negetive cable and the battery and that will tell you what kind of draw you have just make sure that your multi meter is set up right

remember to leave the black multimeter wire in the COM plug, and put the red wire into the 10AMP plug(otherwise you will fry your multimeter.. read the instructions or ask someone to help you)

you can only measure a current draw up to 10 amps.. anything more will kill your multimeter.. a 10amp draw will kill a battery in 4-5 hours tops.

attach it like this:

i will give it a shot!!

 

[Executionerhk]

i have another problem now...
I just put like 8gal gas...
like $20 gas in there but fuel gauge reads below empty and fuel light is no.
what happen... i think my car is really haunted...
it is stock gauge... what can I do? what should I check?

 

[tqmx1]

i have another problem now...
I just put like 8gal gas...
like $20 gas in there but fuel gauge reads below empty and fuel light is no.
what happen... i think my car is really haunted...
it is stock gauge... what can I do? what should I check?

When they were playing back at the tank odds are they disconnected the fuel sender (just to the right of the fuel pump)

 

[Executionerhk]

When they were playing back at the tank odds are they disconnected the fuel sender (just to the right of the fuel pump)

i have to go check now!!
do you have a picture?

 

[appeartobelosin]

check your wires. tape up open connections and make sure your car is grounded correctly