bstone

80 sounds lovely! It's 92 in my apartment WITH THE AC ON!

UPDATED NEWS FLASH: After driving 130 miles from New Haven, NH to to Boston, MA I went right to Advance Auto Parts and had them test the battery. It again came up bad, 530CCA or 720CCA. They replaced it under warranty. I hooked it up and let the car run. Then they came out and did a new battery and drain test. The new results! Battery Test: Voltage: 12.34V Measured: 1256 CCA Rated: 800CCA Temp: 116 F Drain Test: 0.02A "PASS" The new drain is WELL within spec. The old drain was 0.5A, way above spec. I am going to see how things go, but I think it highly likely that the old battery was simply bad. I hope this is the end of the saga.

Ok got it will try again once the sun begins to set and it gets below 110F. Thanks for setting me straight.

Just tried to use the ammeter on a multimeter. Nothing. Please see this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lPwNc3VjuQ

Matt, It appears you're right. I gotta find the source of this drain.

The battery is an Optima Red Top, which I have always been told is the best type to have.

NEWS FLASH: I brought the car to both AutoZone and Advance Auto Parts today and they each tested the battery. In both cases the battery came up as BAD/REPLACE. I new print out I have from Advance says: Battery Test: Replace Battery Voltage: 12.47V Measured: 536CCA Rated: 720 CCA Temperature: 89F "Battery fails to meet industry accepted standards and should be replaced." The particular Advance I was at did not have it in stock and neither do the local stores. Also this Advance is closing in 3 weeks so they aren't getting any new shipments so I have to go to another Advance a few miles away. At least I have a better idea as to the underlying problem. If the problem returns after the battery is replaced then I know there is a drain at work. P.S. I removed the radio last night when I parked the car and it didn't help starting this morning as I had to get a jump.

I completely removed the radio. Heading to Advance in a few minutes to check on the draw. I don't have an ammeter on my multimeter, which is annoying.

Yeah now we've confirmed there is certainly a drain. I wonder why the computer said it was ok. The only thing electronically that changed was me installed a new radio. That happened just about at the same time as this charging issue. I just drove 2.5 hours and so the battery is probably well charged. I pulled the radio and will see how it is in the morning. I will also go back to Advance and have them rescan with the drain computer and see what the amps are. If it's significantly less then I know the source. If it's the same then I'll begin to pull fuses.

I went back to Advance Auto Parts just now and explained my ongoing issues to the guy. He seemed to know his stuff pretty well. He brought out this large machine and proceeded to test the battery, alternator, starter and also a drain test. He had me turn the engine on, then off, on again with all the lights and AC blowing, off again, etc etc. All of them came up fine. I have the print out here. Drain Test Results: 0.56A "Pass" Charging System Test: Charging System Output Test Normal Starter Test: Cranking Normal Battery Test: Good Battery He suggested that maybe the starter is going. It is the original starter and now has 230k miles on it. I really don't know what to do next. Help.

Still got many clicks and difficult turn over when I tried to turn her on today. Also, the clock reset back to noon and all radio stations were lost. I'll bring the battery back to get it tested again.

No water in this battery. I pulled it out and had it tested at Advance Auto Parts a few weeks ago and it tested good. I'll retest it.

I replaced the + terminal to the battery as it was broken. Added some washers on the - terminal to make the connection very snug. Also took off the starter ground and starter + cable, sprayed liquid wrench and put them back on. Drove for about an hour and will check car in morning and report back.

I don't have an ammeter, just a regular multimeter. He is a video of some of my findings from this afternoon. Please let me know if you think there is a charging problem. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixwFz0BLd8o One thought I had is that the terminal for the - post is pretty loose. It's hard to get it to bolt down. Maybe it's time to replace the terminal. Thoughts?

At idle with AC on it was 14.01v

With car idling and AC blowing I checked the charge on the battery. It was at 14.01v. I think the alternator is working as it should. Now to find the drain.

Replace them with new Moog parts, they have a limited lifetime warranty. If you are going to replace the inner then you may as well do the outer at the same time. I use a pipe wrench to get the inner loose. Also get a new bellow boot for each side. When you're done get an alignment. I paid for the lifetime alignments at Firestone and have used it three times. Totally worth it.

Err, I meant that the 55 was lower than the 60s. Higher the number the taller the tire. Sorry, that was unclear. At my garage we will gladly put on a similar sized tire if we don't have the same one in stock. One thing we avoid, however, is putting a taller tire on the rim in place of the right size. 60 over 55 is not a huge different, but I'd never put on a 65 or 70 when 55 is the right one. You run the risk of the tire hitting the wheel well when they go over a large bump.

They will not damage. Having 55 instead of 60 isn't that big of a different. The tires are a little lower than they should be but this is not a huge deal. The spedo might be off a bit, but not much.

I got my OBW stolen at gunpoint last summer (guy with a gun, held it to my head and stole my car). Cops found it a little while later, all intact.

In the past month or so I've had to jump the battery nearly every morning. It'll sometimes click many times and finally turn over or I'll need to get a jump. I replaced the alt with an OE reman from the dealer and got the battery (Optima Red Top, less than a year old) tested at Advance Auto Parts (tested good, tho low on voltage). Think I got a drain somewhere. Now to test for it. Can I do the trick where I unplug the - terminal, clamp on a test light and then press the probe onto the - post and see if it lights up and then pull fuses until it turns off? Or do I have to follow ? Thanks, all. 97 OBW AT

That's when you pop the hood and pull a vacuum line and stall it out.

"symptoms of VC problems" Huh?

This happens. Need to change the cylinder. They have it at AutoZone and Advance Auto Parts.

I had a no-start condition the other day when I reassembled the EGR valve the wrong way. I put the bracket behind the valve, which caused a huge vacuum leak and no-start. It might be possible that a stuck closed EGR would cause no-start.