friend's 96 has to be jumped to start

[matt rupke]

my friend has a 96 with a 2.4 and anytime he wants to go somewhere he has to get a jump. its all stock and the battery is about 2-3 years old? do you think the battery has gone bad, or maybe the alternator is shot. or maybe just some bad wiring? the car has about 175k on it.

also, while driving it seems that he doesnt have enough power to make the tranny shift, sometimes its takes forever to shift into the next gear. and after about 10-15 minutes of driving the ABS light comes on.

please help, im tired of jumping him everyday for work.

[messiveian]

The ABS is one of the first things to fail if the battery is weak or the alternator isnt working. So the ABS light would pop on first if you have these problems. You can always get the alternator and battery checked at autozone for free. Also rick will be here in a little while to tell you about how important the battery connections are so just warning you.

[coupe]

New battery

[jonnythan]

If the car is running fine after you jump it, then it is definitely the battery.

Drive it over to the local parts store and get a new one installed.

Done.

[coupe]

He isnt doing his alternator any favors either.....

[rixGAphx]

You live in OH, so it's not terribly hot.

The searing heat of the deserts will KILL batteries , even more quickly than many starts on cold winter mornings.
2 years is all we ever EXPECT to get out of even the best batteries here.

Still, 2-3 years is young for a battery to die; he should at least get partial warranty replacement.

Every time a conventional (not 'deep-cycle', like marine or Blue Top) lead-acid battery is fully-drained, it forms a kinda chemical 'skin' between the acid and the lead plates. After that it can NEVER be recharged as fully as previously.
A battery loses 5%-10% of its expected life with EACH complete drawdown :eek:

Additionally, bad battery cables will cause both the battery and alternator to die.
The alternator could be brand new, and the battery too; but if the cables/connections are poor, then the alternator will burn itself out trying to push power to the battery, while the battery wears itself out running the fuel pump, computer, ignition, and lighting.

On our GA's, and nearly every modern non-hybrid car, the battery is intended as a Starting Battery, and it also serves as a 'ballast' to provide additional power when the engine is at idle.

The GA's POS/red cable is notorious for corroding, invisibly and silently, inside the molded red rubber boot.
Cut it off, inspect/clean/repair or replace as required.

See the rest of my write-up in FAQ's.

Ian is correct about the ABS icon being an advance indicator of charging system failure.
The first and second gears of these autos are controlled by electronic solenoids.
If he's flooring it in first gear, and it feels like it's slipping like a mofo, then he's running on battery power (and a weak battery, at that) and it isn't fully-actuating the shift solenoid.
He's running on the battery 'cuz not enough power is coming from the alternator.
Mebbe the alternator isn't producing it, or mebbe loose/dirty/corroded connections are restricting the flow, just like a kink in a garden hose.

With a little service and a few $$, his car will be in good shape.
Just be sure to service the ENTIRE charging system, or he'll be doing it all, again, in about 3 months.

Hope this helps,
-Rick

[matt rupke]

thanks for the help, im running him to walmart to go get a battery in about 15 minutes. ill make sure to check all his connections when i install it. o well gives me an excuse to drive my new car around even more. still need those new tranny break in miles.