Battery Issue

[rangersplash]

Well.

My car died tonight. 99 Boxster 2.5L

I jumped it and it almost immediately died. I am less than thrilled to say the least. I left it parked somewhere.

Before this I saw the ABS light and the occasional battery light. I mean like in the previous 2 miles. I was -><- close to being home too.

Anyways, I'm just thrilled. I was thinking about buying a new battery and at a minimum take it to the shop to check the alternator. Can O'Reileys do this? With the battery hooked up?

I guess that does it for now.

I tried to start it in gear and got nothing too. It also has been like 20 here the last 2 weeks which probabily was hell on the battery I'd guess. I live in Mobile, AL for your information.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!!!

edit: I just changed the ignition switch on Thursday. I checked and it is more than tight and such....Not sure. I already threw the old one away too.

[vath2001]

Originally Posted by rangersplash

Well.

My car died tonight. 99 Boxster 2.5L

I jumped it and it almost immediately died. I am less than thrilled to say the least. I left it parked somewhere.

Before this I saw the ABS light and the occasional battery light. I mean like in the previous 2 miles. I was -><- close to being home too.

Anyways, I'm just thrilled. I was thinking about buying a new battery and at a minimum take it to the shop to check the alternator. Can O'Reileys do this? With the battery hooked up?

I guess that does it for now.

I tried to start it in gear and got nothing too. It also has been like 20 here the last 2 weeks which probabily was hell on the battery I'd guess. I live in Mobile, AL for your information.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!!!

First thing to check is if you broke the belt. And then start thinking about an alternator.

[rangersplash]

I can check this by pulling the cover behind the seats correct? How do I get this cover off?

[gschotland]

Originally Posted by rangersplash

I can check this by pulling the cover behind the seats correct? How do I get this cover off?

Very easy, just remove the carpet behind the seats, which will expose a metal access panel. There are about 8-10 bolts holding the cover in place. You'll need a rachet and 10mm (I think) socket. A short extension will be useful as well. The belt will be right in front of you as you remove the cover. If your belt is broken, it's surprisingly easy and inexpensive to replace yourself.

If your belt's in good shape, the next think I'd check is the alternator. Your flickering battery and ABS lights make me think this is the problem. Ditto for the immediate shutdown after the jump. Replace your battery, which you said you were thinking about doing anyway. Search for the site for posts on troubleshooting your alternator. If you know your battery and belt are good, testing the alternator with a simple digital multimeter is easy.

My alternator recently died with absolutely no notice at ~71k miles, not more than a week after I installed a new battery. Repeated jumps got me a few miles each until I got home. I replaced the alternator with a remanufactured unit and it's been fine since.

BTW, you didn't mention your car's mileage.

[rangersplash]

Originally Posted by gschotland

Very easy, just remove the carpet behind the seats, which will expose a metal access panel. There are about 8-10 bolts holding the cover in place. You'll need a rachet and 10mm (I think) socket. A short extension will be useful as well. The belt will be right in front of you as you remove the cover. If your belt is broken, it's surprisingly easy and inexpensive to replace yourself.

If your belt's in good shape, the next think I'd check is the alternator. Your flickering battery and ABS lights make me think this is the problem. Ditto for the immediate shutdown after the jump. Replace your battery, which you said you were thinking about doing anyway. Search for the site for posts on troubleshooting your alternator. If you know your battery and belt are good, testing the alternator with a simple digital multimeter is easy.

My alternator recently died with absolutely no notice at ~71k miles, not more than a week after I installed a new battery. Repeated jumps got me a few miles each until I got home. I replaced the alternator with a remanufactured unit and it's been fine since.

BTW, you didn't mention your car's mileage.

Thanks for these tips. I have a DMM that I'm going to bring home from work tomorrow to use. I am thinking if I can get it running I can check what is going into the battery. I am at 86k or so. Maybe 87, not really sure

I know the battery is about 5 years old so that will be a good part to buy regardless.

I'll let everybody know how it goes. Oh, the headlights went out just before this happened along with the radio too. This is why maybe I'm thinking either the alternator or belt.

Thanks again guys.

[gschotland]

Your car's mileage and the additional symptoms you describe tell me it's almost definitely the alternator. Get the new battery on the way home from work to rule that out as an issue. You'll need to open the top engine cover to access the test location for the alternator.