1995 hyundai sonata problem

Sure sounds to me like your battery is run down. This could be due to two reasons:

- Your battery is too old and should be replaced.

- Your charging system isn't putting out enough juice.

Batteries deliver far less power when they're cold. It's possible that your car sat in the sun all day and the battery became warm enough to start the car, but is still low. You also may have an intermittant short circuit or a switch that fails to turn off in an always-on system (such as an electric antenna motor). Loads like these drain the battery slowly or quickly.

Once the motor has started, the car's electrical requirements are extremely low. You can almost run the car on a few flashlight batteries once the engine is running. Of course, that's without the headlights, blower motor, and that 200 watt stereo that's got enough power to blow your mother-in-law clear to Alpha Centuri.

A voltmeter is a a cheap and handy investment. For $15 or less, you can get a simple multi-tester that will show you your voltage with the engine running. You can read across the battery, or between almost any circuit that's "on" in the car and ground (exposed chassis or body metal). Normal battery voltage at rest is 12.6 volts. The battery can only be charged by a voltage that's higher than that, so when the engine is running, you should typically see a voltage of around 13.4-14.4 (numbers very approximate -- I've forgetten the precise regulated range).

I use a handy little digital voltmeter that was marketed by Whistler (the radar detector company). It plugs into the cigarette lighter socket and gives a continuous readout of system voltage while you're driving down the street or across the continent. These may be imported by other companies, too. Cheap, too. This little gizmo is very, very cool. Get one!

Richard

so my alternater then? just replaced the battery a month ago. Thank god it was under warranty still. Thanks for the fast reply!

Anthony

No. The alternator is _one_ possibility. It's the most likely one, but not the only one. It's also possible that your battery is being charged just fine and is being drained by one of the car's components or a "minor" short circuit.

There are some devices in the car that are _not_ turned off by the ignition switch. In the "old days," such a drain could be due to a faulty mechanical clock. These were wind-up clocks, wound by a strong electric motor. A switch on the spring told the motor when to go and when to stop. If the switch were faulty, it could stick in the "go" position and deplete the battery. This circuit was always live so that the clock would be kept continually wound up and accurate, even if the car wasn't driven for a few days.

So, be open to the possibility that the cause is something else. And consider buying one of those great little voltmeters. If you see less than optimum charging voltage while driving, the finger will point toward the alternator with more certainty.

Richard

hmmm still thinking alternator seems charge on battery is gone at 9-10 hours. Gonna take it to autozone before the charge is gone this time and see what they can pull up but alternater so far the main culprut thanks man! Gonna get one of those volmeters while I am out to

Anthony

Or it may be something as simple as Anthony having replaced the original battery terminals with those $.98 temporary bolt on terminals I see installed on so many cars. Those are a guaranteed point of failure.

True true I took it by MIDAS and see if they could trace the problem down figure let them have the head ache haha so wish me luck everyone! Also my care lately has been hesitating and I here a click inside the car and the check engine light pops on but goes away any idea whats wrong their?

Anth>

Is this 9-10 hours of driving or 9-10 hours of sitting, turned off?

First, I'd scan it to get the codes. You may have difficulty finding a shop with equipment to scan your car if you go anywhere but a dealer.