Help please. maybe battery bad but shuts off while driving

[Nefarious]

My car was at the dealership all day yesterday 3 reasons.

1. Replacing the cam plate
2. Checking to see if they could duplicate and verify to replace the HPFS which they finally are when looking at TSB.
3. Every now and then it would take a few times to turn over.

From 8-3 they had my car I picked it up drove it back to my house about a mile away. We try to go out around 10 last night i got about 3 miles up the road lights go on and off the power steering and abs light comes on I pull into a parking lot it dies. Lights flickering on and off dash everywhere in car. Then key lockout comes on. Jumped it off ran for about a minute died again. Left connected longer car stayed on a few more minutes and died.

Made sure there was water in the cells. Etc. Put battery back in after leaving it on a jump kit until green we started it up fine then it ran for about 5 minutes the dash lights go out everything dark then dies.

I have to get it home so did the same thing unplugged battery and jumped to the post. Made it home ~2 minutes still running fine this time so i leave it on to see what hapoens. Battery light comes on still running but barerly sounds like it's about to die so turned it off.

I'm thinking alternator but dying thst quickly on yhe battery and just the way it was dying has me stumped... 4.8 miles after leaving the dealership with .6 on the trip. Could they have messed something up diagnosing my car.

Just a really bad battery at this point is what it seems but I've read similar posts not exactly the same but some replaced a fuse. Any advice here would help dealerships closed of course today. It could be coincidence but at dealership all day now I'm having this issue as soon as I try and drive it again.

Run time = ~7 minutes which is the same as from the dealership to my house and how far we got vs me charging battery to green then back to my house plus the 5 minutes it ran in garage.

I'm just stumped i would normally think alternator but the battery dying so quickly and the light show it was putting on i just don't get it.

[Tcoat]

Start cleaning the battery connections and make sure they are tight. Follow up with a new battery if the problem is still there. The timing may be coincidental that they just worked on it before it went but you did say you were having prior starting issues. Not sure what they could have done to it with the work you stated.

[Nefarious]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Start cleaning the battery connections and make sure they are tight. Follow up with a new battery if the problem is still there. The timing may be coincidental that they just worked on it before it went but you did say you were having prior starting issues. Not sure what they could have done to it with the work you stated.

Thanks that's where I'm starting the terminals are clean so battery is next step for me. I was wondering the same thing as to what they could have done. It wasn't that i really had a problem started just "some times" it wasnt instant it would turn over 2-3 times like waiting for combustion or fuel? All they wrote in the sheet was replaced cam plate tsb and fuel pump confirmed ordered parts.

This isn't anything close to what I was experiencing. The stsrted clicked a few times then everything black. Except the key/immobilzer was on used bith keys made no difference.

[BRZnut]

Usually with a bad battery once you get it started it will run until you turn it off and then not start again without a jump. The fact that yours dies while it is running sounds like a bad alternator. Any competent service center can check your charging system (battery and the alternator) and let you know what's wrong. But, since the problem started right after being at the dealer I would be inclined to take it back and say WTF!

[N1rve]

Is your car dying when you're at a stop? Your car actually runs off battery at low rpms. If you're moving and it dies, it's the alternator.

[Nefarious]

Originally Posted by BRZnut

Usually with a bad battery once you get it started it will run until you turn it off and then not start again without a jump. The fact that yours dies while it is running sounds like a bad alternator. Any competent service center can check your charging system (battery and the alternator) and let you know what's wrong. But, since the problem started right after being at the dealer I would be inclined to take it back and say WTF!

I agree trying to get to advance auto parts now. I just checked the alternator cable came right off. I'm praying that's all it was and just a loose connection haven't been having the vest of luck with our cars we just bought ha

Also i agree with the alternator but the car did continue to run while i was driving just the abs and power steering came on that's when the dying over and over again was happening no movement. Obviously i made it home and ~7 minutes of run time sitting in the garage. I just checked it again battery conpletly dead last night it was not comoletely dead "fingers crossed for battery only". Will keep updated. Also going to check the fuses mentioned in the other threads.

[humfrz]

Yep, like said above, since your dealer is close, I would take the car in and ask them to "load test" the battery and check to see if the alternator is charging.

Meanwhile, you could do a little test yourself with a voltmeter.

http://www.aa1car.com/library/battery_runs_down.htm


humfrz

[guybo]

You can run all day with a bad battery and most likely you do have a bad battery [now], because your alternator is toast. When the alternator goes it often takes the battery out with it.

When your alternator is bad, it'll make it so the car dies while driving- a bad battery will not. The little check battery dummy light means the car is running off battery power because the charging system (alternator) has a problem. Check the connections on your alternator of course, but I think you're buying a battery and an alternator today.

Don't change the alternator and not the battery because a bad battery can also mess up an alternator. Think of them as one part.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by BRZnut

Usually with a bad battery once you get it started it will run until you turn it off and then not start again without a jump. The fact that yours dies while it is running sounds like a bad alternator. Any competent service center can check your charging system (battery and the alternator) and let you know what's wrong. But, since the problem started right after being at the dealer I would be inclined to take it back and say WTF!

Originally Posted by guybo

You can run all day with a bad battery and most likely you do have a bad battery [now], because your alternator is toast. When the alternator goes it often takes the battery out with it.

When your alternator is bad, it'll make it so the car dies while driving- a bad battery will not. The little check battery dummy light means the car is running off battery power because the charging system (alternator) has a problem. Check the connections on your alternator of course, but I think you're buying a battery and an alternator today.

Don't change the alternator and not the battery because a bad battery can also mess up an alternator. Think of them as one part.

All depend upon what went wrong with the battery. The alternator may be fine. As per his description the battery didn't even last 7 minutes after being fully charged. That is a batter issue not an alternator one.
Now, the battery may have taken the alternator out already but he needs to try a battery before jumping into replacing the whole system.

[guybo]

A bad battery WILL NOT cause the car to stall out. That's an alternator issue all day.

I see it at work sometimes. Someone gets an alternator but keeps the bad battery. they kill the new alternator, get a battery thinking "It can't be the new battery!" and end killing both it's a bad cycle. Just replace both and save yourself money and time.

[Nefarious]

Update: the alternator seems to not have been fully plugged in O.o not surprising from my dealership techs. It fealt and appeared to be fine but i decided to say why not disconnect it.. Well didn't take much... Blue connocter the only thing I didn't pull out because it seemed fine just pulled right up seemed odd so of course i "securely fastened" the wiring. The battery is now bad 301 cca instead of 390. Sord of my fault but at the same time I did my trouvleahooting the best i could in the middle of the night from 10-3am. So I will be having words with my service advisor and possible my service manager due to the fact that I guess they disconnected the alternator and battery to put the cam plate on?

I don't know but if you take something apart i suggest making sure to put it back togethet properly as I just did for my entire day also our anniversary I'm less than pleased and so is my wife.

I will be making them test out the alternator under load for testing and strongly requesting a new battery. Yes i have road side assistance but i wasn't going to risk not being ay work if it could be helped.

[guybo]

much better than buying a new alternator! The CCA is 301, but at how many volts? If the battery is low in charge, it'll be low in CCA too.

[BRZnut]

So the alternator was not connected correctly after the dealer service thus killing the battery? Sounds like someone owes you a new battery!

[Nefarious]

Battery was at 13.17A running. I took it in today explained that i have the videos of everything showed them the times.

The kid that denied my cricket TSB and saud my valve cover wasn't covered under warranty when he was looking in the wrong spot I just eanted them to fix the cam plate lol which he didn't kbow what a cam plate was and pretty much called me a liar ubtil i pulled up our threads and a single seaevh showing the aftermarkets.

He was the one that worked on it again... I didn't know that but had a feeling when finding the issue. I went in there raised a little hell but stayed conposed. I will have a new battery, they are repairing the keys, checking the alternator, rplacing the valve gasket, supposed to be putting in the new 2017 HPFP and of course put me in a complementary car.

The tech lied and said he never touched the alternator. I just looked the service manager in the eye and said then he's lying or someone else must have. Obviously you don't go a month running on just battery which I've had the car a little over a month. Also the fact that it was in there hands all day for a 30 minute fix. Then that happens. Also ruining the 1st anniversary for my wife and I. I said that tech who's a little know it all kid but i know more about the car just from 30 minutes in these forums, is to no longer go anywhere near my car. They put there master tech on it. That's when all of a sudden head gasket is under wwarranty and being replaced funny thing is i wouldn't have known it was leaking it was slow and no drip the know it all tech was looking at that instead of the cam plate i said uh your on the wrong side of the engine and it is dripping onto the exhaust. That was 5 hours of me waiting for him to tell me he will order the parts for the cam plate? I was like you just need to remake seal. Argued with me and guess what new plate comes in and sure enough has to make seal didn't let it set I'm sure it'll be leaking soon.

We also have a rust warranty which I asked if they can do something about the surface rust before it gets out of hand. We'll see how that goes. Thanks for all the help guys.