[kris]

Hi,

Sorry to make this very lengthy.

Hi ,

I am posting this message here after having had a horrible experience with my car.
I drive a 95 model esteem with Autocop power windows for all 4 doors(with Fixed tank LPG kit).The car has done
around 80K Km.Oflate I have been having this strange problem with this car and the car
mechanics havent been able to solve it.The battery in in the car is exide ( just 4 months old)

Here is the problem :
Occurence 1: My car wouldnt start in the morning(battery dead: no headlights and other lights on etc)
. I come back home call the mechanic.. he arrives after an hour .. Car starts immediately in one crank
in front of him.
He takes it to the workshop to inspect...says everthing is okay.

Occurence 2 :Nothing happens for 2 months almost.THen one day,after driving the car for about 10 kms
straight from work(raining) in the evening, I switch off the car at an intermediate place just for a
moment to open the boot and it wouldnt start again .It is as if the battery drained all of a sudden
and I had to call the mechanic who gives a jumpstart with an external battery and it starts and the problem
does not occur again.
Next day I drive 350 kms to a distant place and come back with no issues ( switch off
and switch on many times inbetween) .Thought the problem is solved. Again I give the car to
Mechanic ,he says he fixed something (changed the battery cables ) and everything will be allright.
This time I also have Exide carry the battery for checking.They also certify it okay.

Occurence 3: Nothing happens for a month.Then again one day, I drive the car continously for 20 km
while it is raining ,have a half hour break for dinner,drive another 10 kms
and then when I switch off the car at a friend's place just to for a few seconds.I wouldnt start again ..
as if suddenly the
battery drained.I leave it for 30 minutes and start again ..it does start in the 2nd crack
and then drives like a charm.
After this I leave the battery again with Exide for through checking.In the meanwhile, I drive the car with the service
battery for 350 kms out of station and there are no issues ( swithed on and off many times during this trip).
Exide says the battery is okay and as per their request , I take the car to their main facility ... they couldnt
find a problem and they give a note to my mechanic inorder to inspect a few things.. he couldnt find a problem either.
I dont have the courage and confidence to take this car again in this crowded Bangalore traffic knowing that the
problem is sporadic.
Only common thread in all these occurences is perhaps this happens while it is raining (dont know how sensible
it is to conclude) or
is the autcop power windows (which btw functions even when the car is switched off is leaking the battery ?)
I would really appreciate if someone can tell if they have ever faced this problem or any suggestions to fix this ?
The car drives really nicely expect for this issue which is a dampner.

Regards,
Krishnan

[Rudra Sen]

How old is your battery? Do you think this problem started after putting Exide?
All your electrical fittings are working fine? Did your mechanic check alternator? Is there any way you can (temporary) fit an amp meter to check if the battery is getting charged properly?

Did you have this problem before this battery? I'm assuming that you've changed your battery since it's a 95 model.

[Jaggu]

Doesnt sound like a battery issue, get your starter solenoid and electrical circuit thoroughly checked. Cables, Fuses, Connectors, Ignition switch and many more parts, so a thorough check up since the car is more than 10 years old, usual wear might have taken toll someplace. Maybe you want to check with a competent electrical workshop apart from your regular person.

How old is your battery?

[kris]

Hi,

Thanks .The battery is just 4 months old .Also I have changed the entire Ignition kit (
got a new car key as well ) just 7-8 months back.The mechanic has checked the alternator as well and it seems to be allright as per his assessment.I will have it
rechecked by another person.Any one knows how much a jumper cable (for battery - battery jump start will cost ? )

Thanks.

[Ford Rocam]

Originally Posted by kris

Hi,

is the autcop power windows (which btw functions even when the car is switched off is leaking the battery ?)

Regards,
Krishnan

Do you got an aftermarket power windows installed? in any case power windows should not operate with ignition "off" so pls check that out first.

[kris]

yes indeed.It is an aftermarket PW installation by autocop and it integrates well with the autocop central locking.For eg, when after switching off ignition and pressing the
lock button in the remote,any unclosed windows will close automatically.I wanted this feature.So this is working as per design.I have had this PW installation for over 3 years without any issues.

To answer Rudra's question,Yes the same problem happened once just before installing this new battery.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by kris

Also I have changed the entire Ignition kit (got a new car key as well ) just 7-8 months back.

Start the checks from here, this can be the culprit.

[Gregory]

When you say dead and no headlights tell me do you hear the engine cranking when this happens?

sometime back I had a similar issue, it turned out to the Key system . (when you insert the key into the car, there was some problem with that mechanizm) There was some lose connection there I guess.

[kris]

Well I could hear the cracking sound initially.. but then gradually as the battery was dying, understandly i couldnt hear the sound.

[iceman91]

check the grounding in the engine bay. This can also lead to this.. Especially since its so irregular.. And happens in sporadic bursts