I have a 2004 Pontiac Grand Am with about 130k miles on it. For some reason my car has been dying lately. It did this a few times so the obvious thing was to buy a new battery- oct 2011. Everything was good for a couple months but I recently went on a trip for the weekend and when I came home the ca…

I assume that by “dying,” you mean you are getting no crank when you turn the key. Or will it shut down when you are driving too? You should have your alternator and that battery checked. (New ones can have defects). Someone should also check your main power cables and their connections. But mo…

If you drive mostly short trips in inclement weather, the short trips and the extra load of lights, fan, defroster, wipers, etc. can cause your battery slowly die, due to there not being enough time to put back what you’re taking out. The situation is worse with smaller cars, which typically have s…

Sounds like there is a hidden load on the battery that is discharging it…A “Parasitic Load Test” will find out what it is. If you have a VOM, a multi-meter, you can do this yourself…

Thanks for the suggestions. I typically drive about 30-40min to work each day and live in NC so the weather isn’t bad. I do have subs hooked up which I had installed when i got the car. Could something with these have gone wrong? I will be sure to get the alternator, drive belt, and main power cabl…

Audio amplifiers can pull lots of power. See if yours is warm to the touch…

If you have an add-on amp and it’s mis-wired or failing, it may not be turning off when you turn the car off. When it isn’t being driven by the audio system, it doesn’t draw a ton of power, but could certainly run your battery down in a couple of days time. The parasitic load test should find it i…

My car keeps dying with a new battery - could it be the alternator?

Maintenance/Repairs

dagosa February 18, 2012, 11:01pm 7

I agree…a parasitic drain, charging system or…poor battery should all be checked. Even if the battery is new, there is no guarantee it isn’t at fault, though I doubt it. Just drawing down a starter battery that isn’t deep cycle could weaken it. Have it all checked.

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My car keeps dying with a new battery - could it be the alternator?

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