Weird car starting issue

M

myron02

Member
Car
2007 fx35
Yesterday my wife calls me at work and tells me the car wont start. I assume it's the batter as this one is 5 years old now. I open the battery compartment, clean up the terminals, car won't start. I go out and buy a new battery, put it in the car, car starts right away.

Now today she calls me again, says the car won't start. I go home and try, not even the starter clicking noise can be heard. I test the battery with the multimeter and the battery is at 12.6+ volts. I jump start the car and the car turns on, stutters but turns on and runs just fine. If I turn it off, I can't start again and same symptoms happen again. Anyone know what could be the issue? Is it the alternator issue or the starter?

I don't know how the batter can say 12.6+ volts which is normal but car won't start. And if I introduce new power source by jumping the car, it starts.
 
Ok so a day later and the car just started no problem. I didn't mess with it at all. I don't know what the issue is, but clearly there is something wrong with the car. Now it's always in the back of my mind that my pregnant wide can be stranded somewhere due to this issue.
 
My 2005 FX45 battery terminals looked pretty good, but when removed from battery posts there was a very thin layer of corrosion that was not easy to see. I had some abrasive cloth handy, so I cleaned both clamp terminals very thoroughly - and it has been starting fine ever since. The car was 12 years old so I figured it was overdue to clean the substandard OEM battery terminals. That was about six months ago. Checking voltage does not mean much unless you check while cranking the engine (under load). If the problem resurfaces, I'd pull the battery out and take it to a local auto supply that has a battery tester, and have them test it under load conditions - but maybe you already did that before buying a new battery. They can tell if it has a dead cell or other problems. Autozone and O'Reilly's in my area will load check batteries as a courtesy. By the way - five years is exceptional life for a battery in an FX. I'm not sure if your battery is up against the passenger side firewall like mine, but it's no fun pulling the battery out.

Certainly the previous suggestion by la_FX35 should also be done because corroded ground connections are common causes of intermittent issues like you described. Since you bought a new battery, chances are slim that the new battery is the problem, which points to the ground connection mentioned by la_fx35 or the battery clamp terminals, as was my problem. Since 2005 I have replaced 3 or 4 batteries in my wife's FX45. The FX45 draws about 100 MA DC at rest with nothing turned on, so 3 to 4 years is pretty good life on a battery. I keep my FX battery topped off with a smart charger, particularly if it sets a few days without being driven.
 
Doppler1992 said:
My 2005 FX45 battery terminals looked pretty good, but when removed from battery posts there was a very thin layer of corrosion that was not easy to see. I had some abrasive cloth handy, so I cleaned both clamp terminals very thoroughly - and it has been starting fine ever since. The car was 12 years old so I figured it was overdue to clean the substandard OEM battery terminals. That was about six months ago. Checking voltage does not mean much unless you check while cranking the engine (under load). If the problem resurfaces, I'd pull the battery out and take it to a local auto supply that has a battery tester, and have them test it under load conditions - but maybe you already did that before buying a new battery. They can tell if it has a dead cell or other problems. Autozone and O'Reilly's in my area will load check batteries as a courtesy. By the way - five years is exceptional life for a battery in an FX. I'm not sure if your battery is up against the passenger side firewall like mine, but it's no fun pulling the battery out.

Certainly the previous suggestion by la_FX35 should also be done because corroded ground connections are common causes of intermittent issues like you described. Since you bought a new battery, chances are slim that the new battery is the problem, which points to the ground connection mentioned by la_fx35 or the battery clamp terminals, as was my problem. Since 2005 I have replaced 3 or 4 batteries in my wife's FX45. The FX45 draws about 100 MA DC at rest with nothing turned on, so 3 to 4 years is pretty good life on a battery. I keep my FX battery topped off with a smart charger, particularly if it sets a few days without being driven.
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Thanks for the reply. I guess it could have been the battery clamps, I did clean positive one rather well as there was a lot of build up on it, that could have solved the issue. And I have read about the battery replacement and how it was a pain, but I didn't think so at all, remove 6-7 plastic clips and pull the battery out.
 
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