Hey guys, I recently posted a thread about having battery issues, and i got a new battery. Now my car almost killed me today. I was driving on the e-way and all of a sudden the car just shut off (doing about 75)... everything was dead. No power steering, turned the key and nothing happened. Radio was off, dome light wouldn't even turn on. I was able to pull over and try to start it but nothing happened. I thought i could have a bad alternator and the car was running off of the battery and it just died, but about 2 minutes of fiddling with the key in the ignition it started. I WAS PISSED. So, being only about 3 minutes from work, i went to work. On the way home, i took the car to a mechanic shop, but when i tried to start it...nothing happened. Car acted like battery was dead until about 1 minute or so and then it started fine. RPM and Speedo gauges turn on and off while driving and my dash lights randomly come on and off. I love my car but am frustrated because it's not safe to drive currently. PLEASE HELP

 

Sounds like your battery connections could be a bit loose. Try loosening the clamps, pushing the terminals down onto the posts firmly, and re tightening the clamps.

 

Could a loose terminal really cause that big of a problem?

 

To me it sounds like a alternator problem or maybe the ignition

 

a bad alternator or loose battery connection wont cause that. my vote would be on ignition switch.

 

I looked it up online and it said that my VIN had the ignition recall done. Should I go to a dealer?

 

Ive had the starting hesitation and wacky lights happen because of this, but youre right, it wouldnt cause the car to die.

I really just suggested it because OP said it started after he changed the battery. Worth a quick check.

 

Check the terminals and make sure the smaller gauge wire is connected right. That smaller wire controls the ECM, BCM, and accessories.

 

ok thanks. I'll check that in the morning.

 

Check connections to the computer. Unplug and replug them, make sure they are clean. Could be a bad computer possibly. I know when my computer went bad my car wouldn't do anything, and when I did get it started it ran for a little bit then everything would shut off without warning.

 

ok thanks a lot. I will try this right away.

 

Well this morning I checked battery terminals, plugged and unplugged wires to the computer, and my car wouldn't start. All dash lights lit up, dome light and everything worked, just no crank. I was able to get some jumper cables on it, started right up. Had to run to store, and my rpm gauge and speedometer kept cutting in and out. I guess I'm calling the dealer.

 

I think this problem could be my run/crank relay. Has anyone else had a problem similar to mine and solved it with this relay? Thanks

 

Try swapping it for a fan relay or something and see if it fixes it. All relays are the same.

 

If it happened after the battery swap the connections, the cables or the battery would be my first guess. A bad ground can cause all kinds of wacky issues. I know of you said you've checked the terminals. How is the condition of the wiring? What does the negative chassis ground connection look like?

 

I cleaned all the battery connection, and the terminals look pretty good. I made sure they were as tight as i could get them. I also checked all my grounds about a week ago and I ended up having to clean several of them.

 

ok, I just did this and took the car for a drive. I also tried starting it and it started every time. Thanks for the advice, this may have solved it, I guess I will find out in a few days lol. If it was a bad relay, is it ok that I gave the fan a bad relay?

 

No. Just replace it. They're cheap.

 

Also, I just tightened my positive post on my fuse box, it was very loose. Being that it was so loose, I decided to take off my fuse box and re tighten everything. Could a loose positive post contribute to this problem?

 

yes

 

Hey I am not sure if this was mentioned already but it will kill the car exactly like you described. The ground cable to the car/chassis can kill power instantly and has done that to me before. The battery cable to the terminal is one but there is also a grounding strip that you can check, if loose that bad boy will make for rainy days.




Of course that is if the relay didn't fix it. I didn't get to read through all the post but maybe this will help.

 

thanks a ton for your advice. Really appreciate the help man.

 

I would also suspect a corroded ground wire.