Battery grounding.

[spasm3]

Due to the snow, my wife drove the 93 olds. While driving to work she notice the engine stumble and all the gauges flashed, the speedometer flipped to 100mph and back down to her 30mph speed. As she turned into her work parking lot the car shut off. she restarted it with out issue and parked. I came later and it started fine. I checked the battery cables of course, and they were tight and in good condition. I did find however that the battery is loose. The hold down is not in place, not sure why yet. In looking at possible battery movement, i see no possible way for the positive terminal to touch anything . the ground post however could and looks like it has touched the frame ( a few rub marks there). I will remove the battery tomorrow and see why the hold downs are loose. Could the already ground post touching the frame, cause this electrical hiccup? I'm thinking that there may be an internal intermittent short developing in the battery due to it being loose while driving. The battery is about 3 years old, Autozone brand.If the frame is already grounded, the ground post making contact again should have no effect , right? Intermittent internal short sound like a reasonable answer? no ses light and the car started/ran flawless for me. Would you repair, replace the hold down and replace the battery in this situation? I do plan to check the other end of the battery cables at the ground and starter when i get under it tomorrow.

 

[JHZR2]

Loose battery shakes around a lot. I'll bet that you have an intermittent internal short in the battery.

 

[Propflux01]

I would look at the cable itself, especially where it connects to body frame and engine. Cables are 21 years old, corrosion may very well be inside the connector itself where it bonds to the cable.

 

[michaelluscher]

You heard the man, Check and clean your grounds and connections!

 

[spackard]

If the car flips, the battery starts a fire when it shorts on the underside of the hood.

If the battery tests good, then don't replace.

 

[john_pifer]

LOL ^

First thing I'd do since you said it's about 3 yrs old is take it back to AZ and have them check it. If it's
It's a side terminal batt, right? 75 or 78 series?

 

[spasm3]

Originally Posted By: john_pifer
LOL ^



It's a side terminal batt, right? 75 or 78 series?


Yes side terminal, I don't remember the series.

 

[spasm3]

Originally Posted By: Propflux01
I would look at the cable itself, especially where it connects to body frame and engine. Cables are 21 years old, corrosion may very well be inside the connector itself where it bonds to the cable.


That's a good point, I'll look at them closely.

 

[john_pifer]

Yeah, I hate side-terminal batteries. They're infamous for bad connections.

The bolt that connects the cable to the terminal is not actually what conducts the current. It's designed to hold the cable end to the batt. terminal, and if the hole is stripped or X-threaded, it won't hold the cable end tightly against the terminal.

Take the bolt out and take the boot off the cable end and inspect the ring for corrosion. If it's corroded, clean with a wire brush and a solution of baking soda and water.

If the hole in the batt. terminal is stripped or X-threaded, but the batt. is good otherwise, you may be able to tap the hole to fix the threads. Careful, though, it's just soft lead.

As I say, first thing I'd do is have it tested. Even if it's >3 yrs old, I'd probably still replace it.

 

[tgw323]

Here's the real world scenario. You take your <3 year old battery in, hoping to collect on the promised warranty. They look in their beloved computer, only to tell you there is no record of your purchase. Wanna buy a new one? Uh, no , not here, not EVER.

 

[hsd]

Not real familiar with 93 Olds battery setup, but Im guessing the side terminals are probably difficult to access for cleaning or proper tightening. Spent a couple of days chasing a similar Pontiac "no start" problem only to finally find the positive terminal was slightly loose and corroded.

 

[The_Eric]

Originally Posted By: hsd
Not real familiar with 93 Olds battery setup, but Im guessing the side terminals are probably difficult to access for cleaning or proper tightening. Spent a couple of days chasing a similar Pontiac "no start" problem only to finally find the positive terminal was slightly loose and corroded.


You bring a good point- I've found that many times people under tighten side post batteries causing problems down the line. Which is odd because most top post batteries are over tightened...

 

[john_pifer]

Originally Posted By: tgw323
Here's the real world scenario. You take your div>


I worked at Auto Zone for 2 years...the scenario you described was actually rare.

 

[spasm3]

Well the battery box lip was rusted out. The cables look clean and free of corrosion. Cleaned them any way. Installed a new battery tray. I'm going to run with the battery a while and see if it does it again. Its possible the + post made contact with the frame, even though i could not see it. If it does it again = new battery.