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Know something about cars?

Lil_T

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I sure don't.

What I do know is my 03 sunfire that's been camping out in the driveway has died.  I've turned it over a few times during the winter.  But today I went to turn it over and a whole lot of nothing happened.  Like absolutely nothing.  The fuel pump didn't even engage. No lights.  Nada.  (you may ask why I didn't drive it - simple - I didn't need to and it's a pain to drag the baby seat in and out of the cars).  Any idea what it could be? 

Thing is - I don't want to deal with anymore expensive repairs - so if it's going to cost a lot to fix, I'm just going to sell the bloody thing for parts.  It's not worth it to keep it anymore.

 
I don't know much about cars either but try replacing the battery and recharging it if your able to do that.
 
Hmm have you checked you headlight, blinker, and break fluid?  ;D
Yah I would have to agree with Making seams the most likely culprit unless you have those ferrets that eat car cables in your area, called marders in German dont know the english name.
 
Lil_T said:
Like absolutely nothing.  The fuel pump didn't even engage. No lights.  Nada. 

Yeah sounds like that battery.

You can either by a new battery or see if you neighbours got a set of jumper cables and try jump starting it that way.
 
I have jumper cables.. I'll give that a go when I get little man down for the night.  stupid cars.
 
if it is a standard transmission you could try and bump start it. but if the fuel pump didn't go the it is the battery
 
If you turned the key and all you got was a whole lot of nothing.... it's the battery.

Get a boost.

 
like they said above, it's most likely a dead battery, try getting a boost

now because it sat dead for who knows how long below freezing, it's possible that the battery froze and broke it's cells...

in that case you will be able to start it with a boost, but the battery won't hold a charge, ie you drive it for an hour, 10 minutes after shutdown it won't start.

if you have a bad battery it's about 75-150 bucks at crappy tire, and you'll need a socket set to remove the old and install the new, you'll want to remove the red (positive + ) terminal first and replace it last.

it's possible it could be a few other things but that's the most likely if it ran fine in the fall.
 
Iv all ways been told BBR (Black Before Red) , which I also just confirmed with a friend who is a mechanic.
 
c_canuk said:
if you have a bad battery it's about 75-150 bucks at crappy tire, and you'll need a socket set to remove the old and install the new, you'll want to remove the red (positive + ) terminal first and replace it last.

No.. you want a open end wrench... I sure do know what happens when a close end does touch metal... Stupid MLVW batteries! That Snap On didn't know what was coming for him.
 
Thanks guys.  Much appreciated.

I'm going to try charging it.  Failing that I'll wait til hubby gets home in a few weeks. I can only drive one at a time anyway. He used to be an MSEOP back in the day so he would know how to change a battery - so he says. 
 
One thing to note is that if are turning it over periodically you need to let run for about 20-30 minutes just to recharge the battery from starting the car. You may also want to have a check done to see how much current is being drawn from the battery when the car is turned off, as there may some device other than the computer using the energy.

You can also check the voltage between the positive and negative posts while the car is running to see if the alternator is putting out enough voltage to recharge the battery, typically it should range from 14-17 volts.

If you are going to store the car for any length of time it might be wise to simply disconnect the battery to save its life span, and then put it on a charger a day prior to ensure it is fully charged before starting. This will delete your radio presets but shouldn't`t have much effect on the computer unless you have something like a luxury car with cabin and suspension saved information.

When it comes to batteries you kind of get what you pay for, so I wouldn't`t necessarily purchase the cheapest that will fit in. Look for one with a high CCA (cold cranking amps) as it will be able to supply you with better power in colder climates.
 
I say socket because thats what I need to change the battery in my truck, the way the bolts on the terminal clamps are arranged in the terminal covers, you can't get at them any other way.

I guess BBR would be a better way to do it as the battery is directly wired to the chassis, and disconnecting it first would make sure that it's not energized - if you accidentally make contact with the neg terminal and the chassis at the same time there won't be a short, and once the negative terminal is off, if you contact the positive and the chassis there also shouldn't be a short... so I guess my way is completely wrong and unsafe... learn something new everyday =)
 
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