my car battery died yesterday night.., what happend? Options

[yellowxboy]

yesterday night i was out with my gf .. after dinner we went back to her place to take a nap and when we decided to go out for some coffee, my car wouldn't start. all the lights were very dim, my guages didn't light up, it made a faint clicking noise when i tried turning the key but the motor didnt even move.

at first i assumed the battery died, but i just bought the battery not too long ago (5 months i think). my friends came over to jump start my car and everything is back to normal. my gf's dad thinks that the alternator is old and that i need to buy a new one because it is draining my battery..

any suggestions? i want to get a general idea before i bring it to a machanic to get it fixed.

[ i didnt leave anything on while my car was parked, i have 2 subs that are powered by a 900 watt amp, i rarely turn on my glow lights. but i do drive with my lights on in the morning.. could that be a reason why it drains? ]

[nitemare]

hehhe..i went thru the same problem for about 1 year.. I replaced the battery + alternator. Fixed it until about 3 months later. Car would just be dead..I would push the car, pop the clutch, and the car would start. My mechanic said it wasnt my 2 subs, 2 amps, alternator, or battery. It was a short in the battery terminal. It kept shorting car out..

I would go after the alternator first if its old..I got my alternator rebuilt from strauss for abour $150 -lifetime warranty...

[yellowxboy]

wait, so your mechanic said that you kept shorting out your car battery? is there any way to fix that? my dad and i are going to change the alternator tomorrow afternoon and maybe get a new battery.

[Scarrell]

when you upgrade your altenator you always replace the wiring.. the shop guy should have known that....

[slipgun]

I have a similar problem... if I leave her a week without starting it the battery dies, some short somewhere *shrugs*

[Mynzeyes]

you can have autozone check your alternator to see if it's good or bad...just take it off, and run up there when you go to get one and have them check it. .

[nitemare]

wait, so your mechanic said that you kept shorting out your car battery? is there any way to fix that? my dad and i are going to change the alternator tomorrow afternoon and maybe get a new battery.
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Yes, I had a bad terminal. When the car moved, the terminal would move slightly and cut all power from the car. He had to run a power test on the amps, subs- they all passed(even though he said they were sucking alot of juice). then he found a lead that was sucking juice as well (the terminal). he only charged $30 for the testing. past 3 months no more power probs..

[yellowxboy]

wow, thanks for the help guys. i ended up going to Autozones to get a new replacement battery cuz i still had the warrenty, the guy checked out my alternator and ran the tests.. my car put out 50 watts on idle, he said normal is 80 so my car's alernator is fine. he said that something was draining my battery, we checked my subs and it wasnt draining it. he said taht if it was the subs, then my battery would've died in 3 months not 11 months. so yeah *shurgs*

where did you get the test from?

[nitemare]

my private mechanic ran the test. i would never bring it to a "autozone" or big chain name..
i replaced the battery and within the same year, dead again. so this might be a temporary fix..check the battery leads if it dies again...