Car won't start

[black roadster]

Today I went to start the Miata after having not driven it in several days and it seems the battery is dead.

I noticed a for the last few weeks the car would hesitate before starting. Like one or two extra cranks on start up.

I tried to jump it off but it acts the same. One crank and then clicks or nothing. It still has enough juice to set the alarm off and unlock the doors.

Here are my thoughts.

Dead battery? It's one of those crappy Mazda wet cell batteries. It had corrosion on the + terminal that I cleaned off first. Came with the car so I have no idea on the age of it. Certainly over 3 years old.

Bad alternator or voltage regulator? How can I tell unless I get a new battery?

Alarm system's ignition kill? Alarm came with the car.

[Treibenschnell]

I'm no expert, but I'd say start with the battery...

[tailchaser]

You're welcome to borrow my charger since you work close enough to where I live that I have a chance of seeing it again when I (inevitably) need it.

The answer to your question lies in getting all the corrosion off the terminals, getting a full charge, and putting a load tester on the battery. Most Autozone's can do that. The full charge, you'll want to do yourself at 2 Amps, even on a wet cell, unless you really want to buy a new battery soon.

[POS Racing]

Ya got a meter what voltage are you seeing? Clean the terminals and put a trickle charger on the battery for a few hours and see what you get.

I'm betting dead battery. How old is the battery??

[POS Racing]

Good information about a dead battery on this post!

Charging curred our issue! Amount spent $0.00!

[black roadster]

TC,

PM sent about charger

POS,

No idea on the age of the battery other than its over 3 years old. I have a voltage meter for electrical stuff but I barely know how to use it. What is the dial setting I use to test the battery?

I'll hopefully borrow TC's charger and avoid buying a battery but the question remains, why did it go dead? I think the battery or alternator may be bad. I'm swaying towards battery as it didn't just up and die but slowly died. (There were symptoms last week.)

[POS Racing]

POS,

No idea on the age of the battery other than its over 3 years old. I have a voltage meter for electrical stuff but I barely know how to use it. What is the dial setting I use to test the battery?

Ah maybe it would be best if you leave the meter in it's box.

Nothing lasts forever maybe your battery has given up the ghost. If the alternator was not charging you would get a dash light. You can check the output of the alternator, but that would also require the use of a meter.

[Titus]

Dead battery? It's one of those crappy Mazda wet cell batteries. It had corrosion on the + terminal that I cleaned off first. Came with the car so I have no idea on the age of it. Certainly over 3 years old.

Bad alternator or voltage regulator? How can I tell unless I get a new battery?

Alarm system's ignition kill? Alarm came with the car.

I have had all three happen over the years. If it is the Alarm, it shouldn't turn over at all. I would say this isn't your problem.

If your battery is that old, I would go ahead and replace it regardless. If the problem doesn't go away, then it is off to troubleshooting the alternator!

[POS Racing]

This may help guide ya with the meter!

[black roadster]

This may help guide ya with the meter!

Grassyass

BTW, recommendations on a replacement battery?

Westco? Ultima Red or Ultima Yellow? Another Brand?

Also, where can I get one. I'm in no hurry. Just want to find the best deal.

[tailchaser]

TC,

PM sent about charger

POS,

No idea on the age of the battery other than its over 3 years old. I have a voltage meter for electrical stuff but I barely know how to use it. What is the dial setting I use to test the battery?

I'll hopefully borrow TC's charger and avoid buying a battery but the question remains, why did it go dead? I think the battery or alternator may be bad. I'm swaying towards battery as it didn't just up and die but slowly died. (There were symptoms last week.)

Usually dead batteries just up and die. There's a good chance your alarm system is drawing some current when the car is at rest. Corroded terminals are the #1 cause of charging issues and should be consider suspect if they've ever been corroded no matter how clean they look now.

[altiain]

Grassyass

BTW, recommendations on a replacement battery?

Westco? Ultima Red or Ultima Yellow? Another Brand?

Also, where can I get one. I'm in no hurry. Just want to find the best deal.

Autozone?

When my OEM battery went south last summer, my local Autozone had a replacement in stock. I wouldn't waste the extra money on an Ultima, unless you're looking for trunk bling.

I'm guessing the battery is toast as well. With a bad alternator but good battery, you cna usually get the car started (starter works off of the battery), but the dash light will come on and running accessories will kill it in short order (engine runs off of alternator after starting).

Strange that you can't get it fired from a jump, though. Have you checked the starter fuse? Perhaps low voltage from a bad battery triggered something in the alarm?

[Sharpie]

Why worry about borrowing TC's charger. Just take it to Autozone, let them test/charge it and if they say it's dead, you're already there and can buy a new one.

Good luck Amigo. Thanks again on the Titus tip

[riverracer]

Sounds like a good Idea to me Sharpie but he said there was no hurry.

[Sharpie]

But, but, but yesterday, today and tomorrow are perfect miata driving days. He needs to hurry and save the ground from a few days oil leaks from his truck

[POS Racing]

Why worry about borrowing TC's charger. Just take it to Autozone, let them test/charge it and if they say it's dead, you're already there and can buy a new one.

Just make sure they know it's an AGM battery, since it is a different beast than the one you bolt into mom LeSabre.

One of the differences with the AGM battery compared to the wet-cell battery is the recharge rate. That is, how fast you can put energy back into the battery. With a wet-cell battery you can "quick charge" it at about 20 amps or more. Usually this is when you would boil the electrolyte right out of the battery. The AGM batteries require a lower charge rate, for a longer time period. If your battery will not crank the engine, you should charge the battery at a rate of 1 amp or less for 18-24 hours. If you try and charge it like a wet-cell battery, you will destroy the battery.

Linky!

[black roadster]

Usually dead batteries just up and die. There's a good chance your alarm system is drawing some current when the car is at rest. Corroded terminals are the #1 cause of charging issues and should be consider suspect if they've ever been corroded no matter how clean they look now.

Not sure what you mean by this. The alarm has not been a problem as the car has sat for days at a time without running and no problems until now.

If you mean the corroded terminal was a sign of the battery just ending it's life, I'd agree.

Strange thing is I tested my battery with the voltmeter. Per the instruction POS posted, I set the voltmeter to 20 VDC and placed the neg on the neg and the pos on the pos and got a reading of 12.22. A bit on the low side.

I'll do what Sharpie said and run it by VatoZone and let them give me a determination. Wonder if O'Reillys or NAPA can do it too? I hate the local VatoZones.

I'll make some calls.

[altiain]

Strange thing is I tested my battery with the voltmeter. Per the instruction POS posted, I set the voltmeter to 20 VDC and placed the neg on the neg and the pos on the pos and got a reading of 12.22. A bit on the low side.

Voltage only tells part of the story. Your battery can have decent voltage, but no amperage. In other words, it doesn't have enough juice to crank the starter over, even if the voltage is within specs.

[tailchaser]

Regarding what I said earlier...

If the terminals are corroded, the battery a. can't charge (your case, since voltage is low) or b. can't crank (probably got that too, but less severe) because not enough current can/will flow between battery and alternator/starter.

When batteries die, they usually will NOT take a charge. If the battery is weak, it may be dead soon, or may not, but it's probably not dead today. If you're not dead set on spending $93.72, stick it on a low-amperage charger for 24 hours and cross your fingers.

If it runs for a few days and dies again, you have a charging issue - probably fouled terminals. If it starts once, you drive it, and it fails to restart, you have a dead battery.

[tailchaser]

Voltage only tells part of the story. Your battery can have decent voltage, but no amperage. In other words, it doesn't have enough juice to crank the starter over, even if the voltage is within specs.

Yup. No-load voltage is pretty much meaningless. Voltage while charging is somewhat meaningful if you know historical values at a given battery temperature, but a load tester is your best bet. When a battery "dies," it's usually just 1 or 2 cells that die. Under no-load, the other cells keep those 1 or 2 alive, and you'll read within shooting distance of 12V. Put it under load, and the others tell those 1 or 2 to fend for themselves and you'll read 6V the same as your starter that doesn't feel motivated to turn over.