Stoplightbandit

so I put a new red top battery in and all is well. Couple days later I'm sitting at a stop light and my car dies with smoke coming from under the hood. Wtf right? The negative battery terminal is melted off. Now there is zero electrical power in the car. Fuses are good under the hood and in the cabin. Looks like it's a trip to the dr for Betty.

67Lark

Well, I hate to say it but I know quality control has gone down SIGNIFICANTLY in the last few years when JCI moved all of the production plants to Mexico. Interstate, Optima, and all other rebranded JCI batteries have gone the same direction, down hill.


That being said it could be a problem with the car but I've been seeing more and more JCI battery failures as time goes on.


Hopefully it didn't wreck anything on the car. Best of luck.

Stoplightbandit

Yea I agree with you there. I'm going with odyssey for the next battery. Unfortunately I'm pretty sure it fried something on the car since with another battery I can't get any power.

Anyone in Indy have any recommendations? I Literally moved here a week ago.

JohnnyBs98WS6Rag

iTrader: (1)

If your negative battery terminal melted, its a good bet that there was a poor electrical connection at that point (loose terminal) that created a lot of heat and caused damage to the terminal. You'll probably need to replace the negative battery cable / terminal.

67Lark

Did this ever get figured out? Or still trying to get it to a shop?

Stoplightbandit

Sorry, I'm on a shitty work schedule that im having a hard time getting used to. No I haven't gotten her to the shop since im saving for a new car to drive in the winter in indy so im storing it for the winter. I replaced the battery cable and batter but still no electrical power. It must have fried something. I'm a great wrench turner but too stupid to troubleshoot wires lol.

If I had to guess, it sent too much current through the voltage regulator but I'd rather have a qualified tech go through it correctly the first time. I would say I'll let you know what they say but realistically, I probably won't get it to the shop until the end of winter since I will be doing my seasonal upgrades anyway.

Stoplightbandit

Found the problem. And its embarrassingly simple lol. The positive wire running from the battery to the fuse block under the hood was hitting the accessory pulley and wore through causing a dead short.

michaelhawk

At least it was an easy fix - once found!
Conrats.