Car died this morning...

[bwhitmore]

Well I had my Viper out for the first time in months and it died at the intersection on my way to work this morning.

Now I have an optima red top battery, which lost all it's juice over the past couple of months while I have been modifying my car. It was dead enough to where I couldn't even actuate the doors. So I used a portable battery charger to jump it last night and it ran fine for about 20-30 minutes while the battery charged up some. This morning I could use the doors, but when I went to start it again it didn't have enough juice to start. Just clicking. So again I jumped it with the battery charger. My drive to work is about 25 miles so I figured it would build up enough juice to restart later this afternoon. So I get to the intersection right before my office, I'm slowing down, and all of a sudden the radio goes off. And I got nothing... Not even the clicking when I try to start the car. I have to use the emergency door realeases to get out. Talk about embarrassing. Luckily there is a guy in a construction truck behind me. I ask him if he can push me by hand a few feet so I can pop the clutch and get it started again. He does, and it starts. And I drive it the rest of the block and a half to work. I park it, and sure enough I have to use the emergency door releases again. It's dead again. I made sure I parked it where I can roll out and pop the clutch so at least I should be able to get it home.

So my question is why would the car run fine all the way to work then die for no reason practically in the middle of an intersection? Is it a battery issue or an alternator issue?

Thanks,
Brian

 

[troyrt10]

I'm thinking alternator. But the Vipers do some funny stuff when the batteries start to go bad.

 

[Ulysses]

Mine did the same thing when the battery went. Hard to diagnose over the internet, but since you say you have been doing mods, it could be something other than a bad battery. I would buy a battery perhaps at lunch time and intstall it. At least you'll be able to get it home or to a dealer and diagnose it.

 

[bwhitmore]

The only mods I have been doing are new wheels, brakes, suspension. Nothing to the motor. The optima is only about a year and half old, this is the first time it has run out of juice since I bought it...

 

[99 R/T 10]

Did you have the alarm set?

 

[bwhitmore]

No the alarm was off, the only thing that I can think of that drained the battery over that time was the radio clock...

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

I would start with the battery.

 

[2000GTS]

Take the battery to a parts store and let them check it. If it's bad then get it replaced, I belive the Optima battery should still be under warrantee.

If the battery is good, then you can start looking at other things.

Bill

 

[v10kingsnake]

look, i think everyone on this board that doesnt drive there car often, can relate to this story. I went through a battery with 4000 miles on the ticker, granted the car was 6 years old but it still *****. I look at it this way. Yeah the optima battery is nice and pretty and all that BS, but my choice was to go to the local wal-mart, grab the stock replacement brand they carry, and leave with enough change in my pocket to put in the piggy. my walmart battery was 38 buck, came with a warrenty that lasts a few years, and looks as good as that pretty optima does when its buttoned away in that wheel well you dig!it has performed flawlessly and better yet, right before the warrent is up i will make sure my battery is toasted, very easy to do, then re-visit my local walmart for a free replacement. you keep buying those pricey optima batteries, someone has got to keep our economy going.

 

[bwhitmore]

Well I got the car home, I had to bump start it again but at least it didn't die. I think maybe I just didn't put enough charge on the battery. Those deep cycles must take more time to charge so I will trickle it overnight.

And with respect to the optima, they are pricey, and right now it hasn't been that dependable but you still couldn't pay me to put a regular battery back in my car. I cleaned out more crap, corrosion, and crud off the stock battery and tray that I would NEVER put a standard battery back in my car. I even had the corrosion from the stock battery start to peel the paint on the underside of my rear fascia in less tahn 13,000 miles. It was nasty.

 

[BigCarrot]

Probably just the battery. They can get so drained that they won't hold a charge anymore. I had almost the exact same story with my car.

 

[TOPGON]

I read on the SRT site to plug in a "battery tender" trickle charger regularly regardless of what battery you have and I have done it. Surprisingly each time the battery takes a charge and I would estimate it is only about 80% charged before I attach the trickle charger. It's an insurance policy.

 

[94RT10Ohio]

Ummm, can not be the alternator.... If you can push start the car and it continues to run, yet you have NO POWER WHEN THE CAR IS NOT running the alternator is fine. Need juice for the car to run. A wise man once told me.... Plugs do not spark from solar power. It will be the battery, it is so bad it will not even take a charge by the sounds of it.

Seems to me many people here buy these high priced batteries then have issues. I say get a "typical" 72 or 84 month battery, nothing fancy.

 

[v10kingsnake]

THANK YOU

 

[charlesj]

uuughhh... i sympathize with you dude. this is my worst nightmare. not that i have not had cars die on me... actually, i am kinda used to my cars dying on me. 1st car was an old diesel truck that i drove hard and it liked to die on me (did a whole shot and also blew apart the transmission - my dad was none too happy...), then had an 84 trans-am **, that car liked to run out of gas, then had an 89 formula which i had an aftermarket alarm system installed which conflicted w/ factory system and that car would just randomly refuse to start (something with the ohms through the stupid chip in the key), still have my dodge duster and i every time i put the key in the ignition i say a little prayer to the car gods...

now that i have the superman car, my worst nightmare is that the car will become like all the others. oh the thought gives me chills. good luck w/ fixing her.

ps: for those multitaskers, terminator just started on TBS. on of the best movies of all time. right up there with godfather. sarah conner?