What are some things that can go bad with the charging system? Battery and alternator? How do you tell one from the other?

My car wont start in the morning, i have to get a jump start. It turns on during the day but then it goes dead overnight.

During the day if i leave off for a while it doesnt start right away but it eventually starts and i noticed my trip mileage gets reset.

Any ideas what can be wrong?

 

Either your battery is not holding a charge or the alternator isn't charging it properly (or both). You can have the battery load tested to see if that's all it is. If the battery checks out then it's likely the alternator. I'm betting, from your description, that it's just the battery. And if it's the OE MotorCrap battery, 2 years in high heat is about all you can expect from it.

 

We have plenty of that heat here in Arizona so im going to take it autozone so they can test the battery.

Thanks.

 

Good plan. Keep us posted.

Although it's more common on the '05-'07 models, the Shaker audio systems are known for causing power drains if the system is left on when you turn the ignition off. Even without the Shaker, the S197's have a slightly higher parasitic current draw than other cars that I've had. That plus the sub-par OE batteries and you find a LOT of threads about battery issues on the forum.

 

I haven't heard this problem with the 08 models, but def the 05-07. I had the same issue with my battery. Anytime it set for a period of time I would have to jump it. I just up graded to an Optium (sp) and I haven't had any problems since.

 

It turns out it was the battery. Autozone charged it for an hour and it came back with 350 amps instead of the 590 it supposed to have, they said 1 cell was bad. So, i got a new one, batteries dont last long here in Tucson i remember i had to replace the battery on my focus after 3 years.

 

Thanks for the update.