Hey guys I need some help with my 01 mustang gt which I have never had any problems with, well one day while coming home from school out of nowhere it didn’t want to start at all ,all it did was a “clank” noise and I tought it was the battery so I got a friend to pass me cables but it still didnt start , but its a stick shift and I know that most of the time they start with a little push so some friends helped me out and it turned on and I was able to make it home but when I tried turning it on again it would just make a “clank” noise so I assumed it was the starter so I replaced it but it still didnt start so I went ahead and bought a new battery and now it started ,so I tought the problem was fixed but the next day around 7pm after using it for a while throughout the day all my electrical power shut down even my dashboard didnt mark anything but the car kept running until I made it home so I turned it off and tried turning it back on but it wouldnt start like the battery didnt have any power to make it start because the engine was trying so I left my battery charging for a couple of hours and it turned back on so I tried going to the corner store today but now my car shut down completely it left me on the middle of the street i got a friend to pull me and when I got home I charged my battery again and it runs again so I tought ok this has to be the alternator so I removed It and took it to O’Reilly auto parts and got it tested but it passed the test they told me it was good so now I have no idea what it might be ?? HELP!
Take a breath. All that in one sentence.
Battery connections are the first place to begin when you have a “No Crank” situation. Even
if you have a new battery, if the connections are loose, dirty or corroded, you will not be
allowing the full flow of current to pass thru the connections. The connection may be
enough to turn on the lights, but not enough for the huge flow that is needed to operate the
starter. This is where many people say that they know the battery is good….”because the
lights come on”. This is no more a battery test than licking a 9volt battery. It only tells you that there is electricity…not how many volts or the amperage that flows from the battery.
Jump starting may have wiggled the terminal just enough to allow the current to pass and start the engine, but tomorrow you have the same problem.
First remove the cables from the battery and use a wire brush to remove any corrosion and dirt from the battery posts and the cable terminals. There is a tool with a round wire brush for this purpose, found at any auto parts store for less than $10 http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/kd-tools-terminal-battery-brush-kdt201/25980576-P?searchTerm=terminal+brush.
Before connecting the cables, apply a coating of di-electric grease to the battery posts this will keep oxygen away from the connection so that it will not corrode as fast.
It is just as important that the other end of the cables also have a clean connection. Remove the positive cable from the battery again so that you do not short anything out. Follow both cables to their far ends, remove this connection and wire brush the connection and the cable terminal clean and retighten these connections.
If there was work done recently, there may have been an “engine to body” ground that was not installed following the work. These grounds normally run from the rear of the engine to the firewall and are uninsulated and most are a braided wire. If any of these are found unattached…reattach them.
Remember….this is not a “Sherman Tank” don’t over tighten the connections.
Tight…tight………………too tight…broke!!!
Yosemite
I forgot to mention that I also replaced the battery terminals and the battery is new so there is no corrosion, and it hasnt had any work done recently
You can replace the terminals, but the wire itself could still be too corroded and rotted away under the insulation. It is 13 years old. Peal back the insulation about an inch and check. If you find a lot of corrosion replace the entire cable.
Also check the ground from the battery…where it grounds to the engine. Loosen and re-tighten the bolt on the engine block to get a fresh connection.
Yosemite
Thanks ill check it tomorrow morning, but still I don’t understand why my battery dies
Bryan, I do not mean to be rude but you say you are in school. Even a casual setting such as this forum you should pay attention to how you write and construct sentences. Practice now and it will serve you well later in life.
Usually a “clank” sound when trying to start the car is coming from the bendix assembly attempting unsuccessfully to engage the gear on the starter motor with the flywheel ring gear. Typical causes of this, once the battery has been verified as healthy and the connections good, include a bad bendix assembly or damage to the starter motor’s gear or the flywheel’s ring gear.
IMHO you need to have a competent shop diagnose the true cause. It can’t be done with certainty over the internet.
Regarding the writing, the next time you write anything of any length, go back over the work and everywhere you wrote “so”, replace it with a period and capitalization of the next word. That simple act will be a huge improvement. I’m sure it’ll help you in school as well.
I’m not sure the battery is dying and based on the multiple complaints and which was hard to read this could go several different ways.
Since others have mentioned various things related to starter motor and battery operation I then wonder about the shutting down in the middle of the street; which I assume to mean the engine died while running at speed or at idle.
At idle could point to an Idle Air Valve problem and at speed could be any number of things such as a flaky fuel pump or crank position sensor.
Has there been any Check Engine Light illuminated or has the car been scanned for any codes that may exist?
I haven’t pulled a wiring schematic but I assume the car has a security system and those usually involve a starter motor interrupter relay. Those relays seldom fail but could be part of a diagnosis.
There; I’ve accomplished almost nothing… 
Borrow or buy a voltmeter (“multimeter”, $20 or less). Charge up the battery again. Measure the battery volts (1) before cranking, (2) during cranking, and (3) after the car starts. Report the results.
You should change the entire negative battery cable. There may be a lug part way down the cable that attaches to the body. You may be able to remove the self tapping bolt and clean the rust off it and the lug. Don’t laugh much; it could help with the current problem and future problems.
First of all please excuse my grammar I was not paying much attention when I wrote this. Second, sorry for trying to get some advice “over the internet” and attempt to fix it myself, but you see this is my last option. I did mention I am in high school I work a part-time job and do not get payed weekly but every 15 days. Well long story short, I spent already $500 in attempting to fix it and I ran out of money, and I hate to depend on my parents to fix my problems so this is all I’ve got.
And no there has been no “check engine light” while all this happened. The car turned off at 10 mph, and the fuel pump is good I’ve already had it checked.
Should I go ahead and replace the alternator? Could it be that the machine made a mistake?
Are you sure that the bulb for the CEL isn’t burned out?
No, I’m not trying to be funny.
With a 13 year old car, there is always a possibility of a burned-out bulb.
Another possibility is that the person from whom you bought the car removed the CEL bulb in order to conceal some problems.
Just checking to see which dashboard lights come on when you turn the ignition key should tell you whether or not that light is working.
All the dashboard lights work because they all turn on when I switch the ignition key to the front, and of course they turn off when the engine starts. The only light that came on before my car shut down in the middle of the street was the battery light.
I wouldn’t replace the Alternator, but you could take it off and have another place test it.
With cars this old rusted and corroded connections can cause all the symptoms that you listed.
We understand that you are strapped for money and that you don’t want to be a burden to your parents.
Had you come here before spending the money, we may have been able to steer you in the right direction. We could have explained how to bench test the starter instead of buying a new one.
If you are sure that the CEL light does come on momentarily when you turn the key to the run position, we can eliminate a bad bulb in the CEl light.
If the Bat Light came on when the car stalled, it would still indicate a charging problem.
There is a large wire that runs from the back of the alternator to the positive battery terminal.
This wire allows the current to flow from the alternator to charge the battery.
This wire is a fusible link that will act as a fuse. If that is burned out a new wire is required.
You can test that wire with your test light. Put the clip from the test light on that end of the wire on the alternator, and place the probe on the negative bat terminal.
Yosemite
@Yosemite i just tried what you told me, and yes the light came on.
B
We know that the alternator is working, according to the testing at the parts store.
We know the fusible link is good from this last test.
New battery and new cable ends.
I still think it’s the cables themselves.
As I stated
The connection may be
enough to turn on the lights, but not enough for the huge flow that is needed to operate the
starter. This is where many people say that they know the battery is good….”because the
lights come on”. This is no more a battery test than licking a 9volt battery. It only tells you that there is electricity…not how many volts or the amperage that flows from the battery.
Jump starting may have wiggled the terminal just enough to allow the current to pass and start the engine, but tomorrow you have the same problem.
It is just as important that the other end of the cables also have a clean connection. Remove the positive cable from the battery again so that you do not short anything out. Follow both cables to their far ends, remove this connection and wire brush the connection and the cable terminal clean and re-tighten these connections.
Yosemite
For around $25 you can replace both battery cables and eliminate them as a source of the problem.
Yosemite