camaroboy14

iTrader: (8)

Hey guys for the past 3-4 days since it's been really cold here (28-34*) my car has been acting funny.. First I went out to start the car the other day and it was dead, so I messed with the positive and neg cables and tried to start the car again and it started and ran fine the rest of the day. No more starting problems .. Now when I drive the car the battery meter goes from mid way (13) I think to the little line before the red , going up not down . And it only goes on that line when I first start the car and when I am giving the car gas.. When I cost and roll it reads mid way between the half way line and the high white line.. So its been doing that, and now today it was doing the same stuff but also when I made a couple of sharp turns the battery needle dropped to a little below the half way line but went right back up to where it's been it.. So what can this be? What can happen if I keep driving the car for maybe just 1 more week?
My details are 02 camaro ss , 40 thousand miles on the car, optima red top battery (2-3) years old, I have a alpine system , 2 amps, 2 subs ect.., never had these problems before, only sense it's been really cold .. Like it started right when it got super cold the first night.. Thanks

camaroboy14

iTrader: (8)

Please guys I really need this help .. It will mean alot ..

OneBad98-Z-

Only thing I can think of is either a bad regulator, letting the alt overcharge the batt, or something bad in the wiring... Do you have anywhere over there to take it? If there are any parts stores close, id have them run a test on the batt and alt, just to see what its doing. Hope you figure it out.

Ironembraced

battery might be low on electrolyte?

dropping voltage while turning is sorta odd.

camaroboy14

iTrader: (8)

I'd try to see on base what they have to check it out.. Now when the car is cold it goes to the white line before the highpoint in red.. But regular driving stay a little under the line (when the car is warm)... So could this be from the cold? Or is there forsure something wrong? And what will happen if I keep driving the car just to work and back for a week more ??? Nov 1rst I am putting the car away till may for winter .. Please let me know.. I checked the wires and there all connected fine and there ok .. I mean the car has 41k miles it's crazy that something is wrong with it like this :/ and this car is not my DD

Ironembraced

I don't really follow all of the talk about "white lines" and "red lines". Just do the math on the gauge and tell us what voltages it is raising/dropping too at different times. The white lines thing is too confusing.

One thing you could do is find a buddy with a good strong battery and swap out your battery and drive around with it for a bit and see how it behaves. If it fixes all of your issues then you narrowed down your problem.

The electrolyte is the liquid the battery is filled up with. It has to stay above a certain fluid level or the battery will not work very well. You can usually get by for awhile by just adding some water, but if you want to do it right...you would need to buy some electrolyte additive to mix with the water.

If the battery needs electrolyte, you can usually tell by how lightweight it feels when you pick it up.

Just do yourself a favor and try a good battery first so you can narrow it down.

camaroboy14

iTrader: (8)

Ok I will check If the batt is low electrolytes .. I just thought optima batts where all gel or something like that.. That's why they where great for off roading?? And what I mean in volts is the low is 8, mid way is 13, high is 18 well at cold start the car gets to about 16(no red) then once it's warm and I am driving it stays at 15-16 .. And when I let the car cost at low mph it goes to 14 or when I am at idle well the car is warm it stays at 14

xxrillixx

iTrader: (118)

Sounds like battery to me, also check to make sure the connctions are good. If you have a stripped battery bolt it can cause similar symptoms.

Ironembraced

16V seems pretty high. I think 14V is what it should stay around when running. I think your gauge is going bad or you have something draining the battery really bad while it sits, or maybe the alternator or PCM.

If you have access to good volt meter...take the negative battery lead off and measure DC Voltage across the + post and the - post.
Then put the meter on "amps" and measure inbetween the negative CABLE and the negative POST. Anything over .010 amps while the ignition is off means you have a wiring issue or a faulty component somewhere.

If you need any tips on using a volt meter feel free to pm me

KILLER-LS1

iTrader: (18)

if it is reacting to movement, you either have corroded/bad connections, or a bad battercable somewhere. The fact that you said you wiggled the wires and it started proves this. Cables (the BIG red and black ones) go bad. battery acid can be pulled inside the cable and corrode the copper, while they might still look perfect on the outside.

Does your battery have a lot of acid on it?

First things to do:

- Clean the battery and cables of all acid.

- remove the battery terminals and clean them until they are shiny. You may need to take a little sandpaper to the metal to remove heavy corrosion.

- Check the battery cables for any corrosion INSIDE on the copper.

Also, do you have a voltage meter? You need to do a "voltage drop test" on the cable to be 100% sure if it is bad or not