Joenpb

Once you get the car started, if you have a volt meter, measure across the terminals. If the alternator is working correctly the reading should be 13.5-14.5 volts. If the reading is 12.-13 vdc, the alternator is toast too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&fe...&v=-yPlx4MBNRU

wcgman

Agreed. Grab the butter and grab your ankles cuz yer buying a new battery. The butter can go on the toasted battery or as lube for the spanking your going to take on a new Energizer bunny.

Nuke

I've heard numerous times where a jumped S197 wouldn't crank but toss in a fresh battery and she starts. If a battery is toasted; not just weak; it'll try to take everything from the jump. The electronics in our cars are persnickity these days; more so than in the past.

light speed

ok so i tried to jump it 1 more time, donor car ran for 10 minutes with some revving.... didnt work...

after 10 minutes the lock button on my key fob wouldnt work sometimes and sometimes it would.... the radio now gives a "low battery" display....

i just bought the new battery. will give an update.

light speed

how is the strap around the battery removed?

wayne613

ratchet/socket, like 7mm or something to unscrew front bolt attached to strap from plastic housing.

light speed

so i put the new battery in (the old one had sulfate or whatever everywhere near the negative terminal) and was almost done but i cant put a washer back on because a "screw" or bolt is stripped. I have no idea how to get it out.

its the bolt that holds together the wiring to the negative terminal.

im thinking of going to home depot to get a new bolt, but i cant get the stripped bolt out.... its just stuck in there. whats a good way of getting this bolt out?

wcgman

Take a picture of what youre talking about. If its what I think, you should not have had to remove the nut or the bolt...you just loosen it enough to remove it from the battery for replacement. I don't think it's meant to be completely removed...just loosened.

Also, don't get that white stuff on your clothes or hands...it's caustic and WILL burn holes in your clothes, etc... If you got it on your clothes, don't throw them in the washer cuz itll spread to the other clothes, etc...

light speed

miraculously i didnt get any on my clothes...

heres the best pic i can take at night....In retrospect, i believe i shouldnt have pulled it out as you say it wasnt necessary... Now how to fix this?

this is the bolt. Its stuck in there pretty good, i dont know if its by design or if its stuck from all the sulfate and stuff... Also, that is the new battery already in there.

If i can just get the washer on there it would be nice, but the end of the bolt seems to be stripped or it just doesnt want to go in.

wayne613

It's just jammed do to the corrosion. You really need to clean that up. You can just tap it out from the other side. I'd get in there and scrape away all that with a wire brush, if you don't have that you could probably use a toothbrush for the big stuff and sandpaper since you have 0 left of the zinc plating by the look of it.

Then once you've made sure of the contacts and cleaned it, sometime tomorrow get a $2 can of contact cleaner/protector.