Intermittent power loss, battery and alternator are fine...what could it be?
07-01-2014, 10:06 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: FL
Posts: 1
Intermittent power loss, battery and alternator are fine...what could it be?
Hey guys,
So 3 times in the last 2 days, my car has needed a jumpstart. Took it to pepboys and they told me to replace the battery, a new battery later, my car wouldn't start again after 2 days and I needed to get it jumpstarted again. The electronics come on, but on full key turn there is nothing.
Took it back to pepboys, they say everything checks out fine including the battery and the alternator and that it should work fine. This happens to be exactly what they said the last time so I'm having a hard time believing them.
I'm guessing it could be some sort of grounding issue but the extent of my knowledge ends here, so I'm looking for suggestions on what it could be, what to do or any other advise you could offer. This is my first car so not greatly experienced with cars. I'm just disconnecting the ground wire from the battery when i leave it overnight in case its a drain, but ofcourse thats not a permanent solution.
Also, I enquired about doing an electrical diagnosis and they said it would cost 100$ an hour and they cant tell me the total cost until later. How long does an electrical diagnosis usually take?
The car is a 2012 Ford Mustang V6 convertible.
Cheers
Sid
So 3 times in the last 2 days, my car has needed a jumpstart. Took it to pepboys and they told me to replace the battery, a new battery later, my car wouldn't start again after 2 days and I needed to get it jumpstarted again. The electronics come on, but on full key turn there is nothing.
Took it back to pepboys, they say everything checks out fine including the battery and the alternator and that it should work fine. This happens to be exactly what they said the last time so I'm having a hard time believing them.
I'm guessing it could be some sort of grounding issue but the extent of my knowledge ends here, so I'm looking for suggestions on what it could be, what to do or any other advise you could offer. This is my first car so not greatly experienced with cars. I'm just disconnecting the ground wire from the battery when i leave it overnight in case its a drain, but ofcourse thats not a permanent solution.
Also, I enquired about doing an electrical diagnosis and they said it would cost 100$ an hour and they cant tell me the total cost until later. How long does an electrical diagnosis usually take?
The car is a 2012 Ford Mustang V6 convertible.
Cheers
Sid
07-01-2014, 04:08 PM
#2
6th Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 5,061
If it was an older stang, I could help you out with checking for a parasitic drain. But I'm not qualified to tell you what can be done on the new stuff. I wouldn't go poking around the fuse box with a multimeter or test light like the old days. You may have to take this one in to a dealer or good qualified mechanic.
There's a price to pay when you can't / shouldn't work on your car. Good luck
Oh, and welcome to the forum, sorry I couldn't be more help.
There's a price to pay when you can't / shouldn't work on your car. Good luck
Oh, and welcome to the forum, sorry I couldn't be more help.
Last edited by 88 orangepeel notch; 07-01-2014 at 04:19 PM.
07-03-2014, 03:45 PM
#3
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location:
Posts: 1,108
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Get yourself a decent quality multimeter (Craftsman meters are pretty good, but they're not Flukes and they don't cost like they are), and run it inline on your positive battery terminal on the amperage setting and see if there is a strong draw.
To do this, disconnect the + cable, clamp the meter on the cable on one lead, clamp the meter to the battery on the other, and measure the load. It shouldn't be more than maybe 1A. If it's higher you have a deeper issue.
Start there and report back.
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