I have an older car, a '93 Geo Prizm, which I need to replace sometime soon, but I'm still using till I'm better prepared for a new car purchase. In the meantime, I've been having various problems with it over the past year or so. One issue was the emergence of a growing loudness in the engine.
Took the car to a new mechanic a few months back, and he found a loose cable harness or something, which was rattling around. He jury-rigged something to keep the loose part in place, and that addressed the noise problem somewhat.
But then, yesterday, the battery dies. Take the car to the same mechanic, he puts in a new battery (tells me the old one was only rated for four years, and I'd been using it for six). Anyway -- getting to the point -- I could swear the car engine seems somewhat quieter now that the battery is replaced.
Is that just my imagination, or could a bad battery affect engine performance, maybe cause timing or misfiring issues? I don't know that much about cars, but I would think that once the car is started, it's running off the generator, not the battery, so a weak battery should not cause problems. But maybe there is something I don't know here. So please clue me in -- could a dying battery result in decreased engine function/greater noise?
Thanks in advance for all replies!
Steve O.
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