cwmateiuc

So, I left my key in the ignition and had the heat on while I was talking to people outside of my car... Completely forgot about it.. Three hours later I get in my car and it's DEAD lol..

So I figured, no big deal.. I'll just get someone to jump it.

Got someone.. Jumped it..

Then the car started idling VERY WEIRD!! Not the mention the lights coming on telling me that I pretty much have no brakes lol.

So I drove it around the block a few times to see if that would get the battery some charge to get the "batter/alternator - Pull over immediately" message to go away.

It didn't... I came back to my friends and the car was idling rough again.. So I was about to leave and take the car home, until I smelled a weird smell.. So I popped my hood and noticed my expansion tank cracked and started pissing out coolant.. I get in the car and look at my temp gauge and it's almost all the way at the top!!!


So I left the car there.. Got a new tank and a new battery.

Changed them.

Car started up but still idled ROUGH.

So i started making my way home... everytime I would be stopped in traffic for a few minutes, the battery/alternator light would come on and the car would idle rough and I would watch the temp gauge start to move up....

But when that light doesn't come on, the car doesn't overheat?

Also, the first couple of stops... something would make a humming/grinding sound..



I'm thinking the alternator is dead, but I don't understand what that has to do with making the car over-heat??

Do these cars have electric water pumps? Electric thermostats?... SOO confused.

P.S. The expansion tank cracking is not what caused it to over-heat originally.... It cracked BECAUSE it over-heated.

cwmateiuc

Not sure if this is related.. But a few weeks before, the car would have a tough time starting.. Everyone said it was the CPS.

Also my seats were acting funky and working when they wanted to? (dynamic)
I figured my pump was just dying.

cij911

It sounds like you :
(1) Killed your battery by leaving the fans on for three hours while the engine was not running - try charging the battery and AUX battery

(2) The overheating issue sounds like your fan was not working...maybe because your electrical system was on the fritz ???....your fan should always be on and if not and just standing still in hot weather, you'll likely overheat....

With your battery low, most of the electrical stuff will not work. On my car, I usually get a message, something like AUX battery low, convenience package off....never had the main battery go low though so I don't know what that message would be...I'd start with the batteries and then see if the car runs ok...

cwmateiuc

I put another working battery in it ... and it was barely enough to get me home.

It KILLED that battery too lol won't start the car it was previously in.. and won't hold a charge.

cij911

Well did you test, with a voltmeter, your alternator ?

Did you replace both batteries ? If your AUX battery is bad (under the cabin filter) in the engine bay on the passenger side near the firewall, then you won't go anywhere...Sounds like you replaced the main battery, when the problem is your AUX battery.

cahiil55k

Check all your belts. Never had an issue with that in this car but have had enough belt failures take out water pumps and alternators in a few previous cars I owned.

skratch77

Sounds like a belt issue

BBBSS

You killed your battery. You then likely killed your alternator trying to use it as a battery charger. It's meant to maintain a charge, not run a car plus charge a dead battery. You're probably looking at a new main battery, new aux battery and you may get away with a voltage regulator instead of a whole alternator. Hopefully the lil computer that controls the charging circuit is ok as well.

Guessing overheating is due to weak/dead fan from weak/dead battery and no airflow when you stopped.

cwmateiuc

Oh so what you're saying is.. If your battery dies. Don't jump the car, go buy a new battery because the alternator is not a "charger".

As the person above said.. It cold be a belt issue. My tensioner has been acting funny and I could see how it could not be getting good traction on the pulleys for the alternator and water pump.

novae500

Get a voltmeter and test the volts of both batteries on and of and under load. Search under my name for what I had gone through to diagnosis what was wrong w my car And end of the day had to replace front battery isolator relay volt regulator and finally fully charge the main battery

cwmateiuc

I'll check it out.. Was it also causing your car to over-heat?

novae500

car never overheated. Just had the low battery, some convenience functions disabled, and the red light battery code.

BBBSS

Price a whole new alternator then you can decide if you wanna risk one trying to charge a big battery in a very heavy electrically loaded car after running the battery way down. It's one thing if the battery is a lil low, if you really ran it low and especially if it hurt the battery you can kill your alternator trying to charge it. If you run it down a lot the best course of action is to put a real charger on it for a few hours. You were asking opinions on what can be going on and that is a very real possibility unfortunately. Good luck and hopefully its something simple for you.

If I was you I'd take the big battery to be load tested and if it shows good charge it on a charger, as well as letting the aux battery under the hood charge on a light load and when both are charged start the car and check voltage at main battery. If you're not seeing high 13.X or low-mid 14.X while running your alternator is not charging for whatever reason.

mb1

have you figured out what you problem was.. I'm having same issue in addition to my top not going down.. it does seem that my rear battery is junk and i will be replacing it here shortly.. however, i did have my car start overheating.. it almost seems that the fans can't kick in due to bad battery.

thanks.

jacques112

Isnt it just amazing that if your battery dies, either front or back the car goed completely haywired. my one's seats started moving by itself, suspension went soft, it overheated, steering went, abs died. Why do they built a 100k car like this? Terrible, I just don't like them at all. Most unreliable car I ever had. and only 60000km on the clock. $4000 for alternator and batteries wow, man rediculous

Yacht Master

Low voltage is the kiss of death, you guys that jump start your cars and think the alternator will recharge the battery in a few minutes are creating a condition that can damage your cars electrical system.
The car has a system to warn of impending problems, but I see time after time people come here to complain about a dead battery and a host of problems, and then say "but the warrning in the dash went away" no, when you get the warrning, you 100% have a problem and if you don't want larger problems you need to get at least 2 new batteries and or voltage regulator / alternator.
Low voltage kills. When your car tells you it has a problem believe it.