perhaps that is being a bit generic, but it seems to be batteresque issues. i dont know shit about cars so you'll have to just entertain my ignorance.

basics are this...

my friend has/had a 99 cougar which started to not start. she decided to take it in in March 08 and it turned out to be an alternator problem. we had it replaced.

the car had a few other minor issues so she got a new car in May 08. the cougar sat in the parking lot for about 6 months being driven every now and again (read: extremely rarely). not surprisingly when we went to move it, the battery was dead. wouldnt even jump correctly. shitty sears mechanics basically said it was the battery and also tried to get us to change the brakes which were a bit rusty (imagine that after sitting for so long). i told them to fuck off and changed the battery myself. car worked fine.

been driven every 3-4 weeks now, but is dead again...

so the point? jumping it with the negative on ground yields nothing. jumping it with negative on the negative terminal gets it to start, but as soon as you take it off (negative cable), the car dies (even after letting it sit for a while).

i read online and it says this could mean the alternate could be fucked. could it be something else? should i call and bitch since the alternator was replaced just a year ago? should i cry in the fetal position?

i dont know this jawns so help a crayon out.

[Edited on March 11, 2009 at 7:58 PM. Reason : eh]

3/11/2009 7:57:19 PM

battery is screwed and you're probably ruining alternators because of it.

keep a damn battery tender on it if you want to only drive it once a month. otherwise shit like this happens.

3/11/2009 8:41:07 PM

Well, if you don't drive it enough (I'd say a good 20 minutes without turning off the car, but thats ballpark) the few times you take it out for a spin it won't give the alternator enough time to recharge the battery. Negative to ground doing nothing and negative to terminal gets you started sounds like a loose connection. The car can die without any electrical power (read: the loose and now-useless battery and a fubar alternator) running the ECU/PCM/electrical thingamabobber, so the alternator may have gone out as well. A car can operate without one or the other for a short time, but not both, as the battery will eventually die without the recharge. I'd try the alternator first since you have a relatively fresh battery. Hopefully that long without a full charge hasn't damaged it too much. Just my two cents.

3/11/2009 9:16:06 PM

back in november, when i switched to the new battery, i ran it for a good 5-10 min in the parking lot and then drove it 3-5 miles home. turned it on for a smidge a few weeks later for a few (not 20 though). then in early december i drove it 5-10 minutes to my new house. when i got back from xmas break i ran it for 10-15 minutes backing it out into the driveway (realizing it was a bit too icy) then driving it back into the garage. and so on...

the thing is, what is happening now is exactly what happened in november. dont see why it didnt have issues over the 2-3 months i had it up until now, but am now back to square 1.

do you think trying to run it for 20 minutes or so in the driveway and seeing if itll stick might be a good first shot and then changing the battery? Id agree that it might be loose except that ive seen it do the same thing a few months prior.

[Edited on March 11, 2009 at 11:05 PM. Reason : when i took it in in november they said it was just hte battery. no alternator probs.]

3/11/2009 11:04:11 PM

you have to actually DRIVE the car for more than 20 mins to charge the battery in any appreciable way. it will do no good to drive around on a almost discharged battery. you will just overwork the alternator.

starting the car a few times for a few mins in cold weather just drains the battery, which explains your predicament. you never gave the car a chance to charge the battery each time it was used.

take the battery to an autoparts store, have them test the battery, which usually requires charging and either take the battery back and actually DRIVE the car for more than 20 mins at a time or replace the battery and hook it up to a trickle charger when you aren't using it.

your car uses battery power when it's not on. cold weather also lowers the amount of energy available in most batteries.

3/12/2009 1:15:46 AM

word. i didnt know it had to be so long. i told her to not let it sit so long every time, but since it isnt my car i just kinda drive it when i remember to (since it has been at my place for the last 2-3 months).

ur not such a bad gang after all. like oompa loompas.

3/12/2009 9:13:29 AM

sounds like a bad ground cable. Can start from a bolt, but not from the battery post = battery post is not connected to car.

[Edited on March 12, 2009 at 9:28 AM. Reason : oops backwards n/m]

3/12/2009 9:27:29 AM

just charge the battery good, and disconnect it if it is gonna sit for a while

3/12/2009 8:42:03 PM