what could it be?

ihave a 300m chrylser and i've changed the battery in it 3 times in

6months. some say its my alarm system that is draining the battery but some people say its my alternator. my battery is not even 6 months yet and my car wont start. when i try to get a "jump off" it still wont crank. please help what could it be.
Reply to
bookie29
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Since you say it stilll won't crank when jumped, it would seem that it would have to be: (1) Bad starter, (2) A loose connection - the positive jump post connection (on top of the passenger side of the engine visible when you open the hood) would be a prime candidate, or (3) a bad ignition switch.

Regarding (2), above, with the exception of the direct conection between battery and alternator, *all* electrical power goes thru the positive jump node. One cable from your battery, one cable to the starter, and a third cable to everything else. It could be that one or both nuts on the pos. jump post stud are loose and the terminal for the cable to the starter is making poor contact - which can be intermittent and wouild also grow steadily worse from heat (due to high resistance connection). Item (2) does happen on LH cars - it happened on mine, and I have correctrly pointed many Lh car owners on Chrysler forums to that as a cause of a problem similar to yours (though that is not the only possible cause as pointed out).

If you don't know how to use a multimeter/voltmeter to properly diagnose such problems, then take it to a competent mechanic who can. It is clear to me that you haven't found that person yet with the guesswork that has gone on with this to date. For example, a bad alternator or an alarm system draining the system would not make a car fail to crank with a jump!

I get the impression that the problem is fairly constant (not too intermittent). That being the case, it should not take an honest, competent mechanic long to find the root cause of the problem and correct it. For example - a bad alternator could be ruled in or out in seconds with a voltmeter in the hands of someone minimally competent.

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my adddress with the letter 'x')

Reply to
Bill Putney

If it clicks, but won't crank, it is likely the starter solenoid contacts that are shot.

Bob

Reply to
Bob Shuman

After the battery is removed from the car, have you checked to see if it is discharged? If it is not discharged then it has nothing to do with the battery or charging system.

Reply to
Art

I would blame the tech who didn't catch the real problem after changing the battery the first time.

-------------- Alex

Reply to
Alex Rodriguez

thanks for all the replys ive gotten back i will take all advice in consideration. keep them coming.

Reply to
bookie29

Question: ihave a 300m chrylser and i've changed the battery in it 3 times in

6months. some say its my alarm system that is draining the battery but some people say its my alternator. my battery is not even 6 months yet and my car wont start. when i try to get a "jump off" it still wont crank. please help what could it be.

Answer: I would blame the tech who didn't catch the real problem after changing the battery the first time.

-------------- Alex

Yep, I guess I was out of line. That is a real good answer Alex. NAH I wasn't out of line.

Reply to
Father of the Year

One thing's for sure. You won't get it fixed by listening to what people say. Talk is cheap.

First step is to buy a volt ohm meter. You might want to buy a battery charger too, unless you have an easy way to get these batteries replaced free. Whatever's most convenient for you. Then let's talk about it.

Reply to
Joe

It might help if you tell us a few things about your situation:

How long did you have the car prior to this episode of changing batteries?

When you first had the problem, why did you change the battery? Were you told by someone that it was either "dead" or it "wouldn't hold a charge". If so, can you describe what type of testing resulted in this diagnosis?

When the battery was changed as a result of the first question; was it replaced with a brand new battery? I will refer to this replacement battery as the "first" battery.

When the battery was changed the "second" time, did you have the person who sold you the "first" battery confirm it had failed? What did they tell you about the battery?

Same questions regarding the "third" battery.

How old is the Chrysler; how many miles does it have on it?

Maybe with a little more information, someone will be able to help you.

Regards,

Ken

Reply to
KWS

"Father of the Year" wrote in message news:Cd-dnVjAVq snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com...

Maybe, maybe not. But I have mine!

Reply to
David

my car was used when i bought it a year ago. the first time it happened it started about 4 days after i bought it. "they" said that the battery was dead so i bought another battery. then it happend again they said it was the starter so i bought a new starter. now its happening again. when it happened the second time i took it auto zone to check my battery and it was good. my car has about 110,000 miles on it right now bc of traveling back and forth from MS to NC. but i have a technician come to my house and he said its probably the battery or the alternator but not for sure till he get his "tools" to see the problem. so till he comes back with his tools he will let me know for sure. he works with electrical stuff on cars. i hope he can give me a definite answer.

Reply to
bookie29

Sounds like a good plan since all of our crystal balls are in the shop right now. 8^) (you didn't quite explain the *three* batteries, but that's OK)

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my adddress with the letter 'x')

Reply to
Bill Putney

Do you have another late model car with an embedded chip in they key? According to my Toyota Avalon owner's manual, those keys can interfere with each other and need to be kept away from the ignition when the car is started or the car won't start.

Reply to
Art

So you replaced the battery that was originally in the car when you bought it with another battery. That "first" battery apparently is good; at least AutoZone seems to think so.

When you brought the battery to AutoZone, was it dead (requiring a re-charge)?

When the car refuses to start, do other things electrical continue to work. For instance, do the interior lights work, does the radio play, do the headlights work?

If the battery is indeed alive (as evidenced by the folks at AutoZone and stuff working as I described above), I would vote for something in the primary starter circuit being bad. It's probably not the starter, since you replaced it. First place I would look would be the ignition switch or appropriate fuse. Next choices would be the neutral/park switch if it's an automatic and I would work my way from there. Your technician buddy with his trusty multimeter likely understands how to do this.

All the best,

Ken

Reply to
KWS

First of all, you'll need a volt meter. Hook it up to positive & negative on Battery, without engine running, if the battery is fully charged it should read 12 to 13 volts. now start the engine and you should now have around 14 volts. If not alternator is N/G. If alternator checks out ok, then my guess is there is a short in your starter, draining your battery,replace the starter, and your problems should be over. I've seen this happen many times.From your discription I believe the starter is the problem,but the alternator test is quick and simple, so check that first. Good Luck

Reply to
BobbyG

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