Sometimes, you just can't buy a break...

[SCCutler]

Last week, sis & bro in law come to town for The Big Game (Texas beats Oklahoma, hoowah), and on the way home to Houston, the transmission in their minivan craters. Case busted wide-open.

So they got it towed to be fixed at the dealer ($1,000 discount, only $2,200...), and I went down there today to pick up the minivan so nephew who lives in Dallas (but is in ABQ this week on business) can drive it to Austin to meet his mom/dad who drove his car home to Houston. Got it?

So minivan is snug in my office parking garage, and I went out to jump into my trusty steed, turn key and "brrp" is all she said. Dead battery? Jump start did not help.

Pulled back seat bottom out (battery's under there), found... positive terminal (side-post battery) broken off of the battery!

Weird 'nuff?

 

[Michael]

was that a caravan? 90s model? I heard many bad things about the trannies in them.

 

[gkainz]

Battery under the back seat - sounds like a VW product...

 

[wsuffa]

I learned the hard way a few weeks ago that modern cars simply will not run if the battery is near death and the alternator isn't producing much of a charge. Oh, and the idiot 'battery' light doesn't come on until it's too late.

If the car weren't as old as it is, I'd think about some instrumentation. Used JPI, anyone?

 

[ScottM]

Battery under the back seat - sounds like a VW product...

Or a Piper

 

[bbchien]

Last week, sis & bro in law come to town for The Big Game (Texas beats Oklahoma, hoowah), and on the way home to Houston, the transmission in their minivan craters. Case busted wide-open.

Pulled back seat bottom out (battery's under there), found... positive terminal (side-post battery) broken off of the battery!

Weird 'nuff?

I hear you. I don't know how old that ?Audi? is but I've gone to straight 5 year battery replacement. In the Winter the cars live on a desulfator-but the BATTERY TERMINAL? Have you tried putting NOCO washers under the wires?

 

[SCCutler]

I was confounded, I'll tell you. This is the first time in 30 years of being the "designated car guy" for family and friends (including 5 years of working parts counters) that I have ever seen a side-post terminal just broken off.

Bought a battery last night, put in in this morning (took all of 10 minutes). The car is, remarkably enough, not an Audi, but rather, a Caddy that I bought to replace the Audi which got totalled (and yes, its battery was under the back seat as well). It was apparent that the battery had been leaking acid around the damaged terminal for a while, as the side of the battery was wet with acid and the paint under the battery was crinkled up from the acidic action. No other apparent damage, and the install itself was both clean and easy.

This car starts so quickly and easily that I suspect the battery, had it not physically failed, would have lasted a couple of years longer in our relatively benign environment (rarely very cold at all, and battery is never in the sort of heat it would experience if it were underhood).

There was no apparent corrosion on the battery itself; the break was a clean one. I do agree that I replace batteries if they get to 5 years old, just on general principle. This one made it to 4 years, 10 months.

 

[Len Lanetti]

Terminal breaking at battery case....typical of over tightening the connector without applying pressure to the case...no warranty protection.

Recent car woes at the Lanetti household...Karen (wife) goes to start car on Wednesday...no go, nothing, not even a peep out of any of the idiot warning buzzers.

I have a little bit of time before I have to be at work but not enough time to try and charge battery and check it and charging system properly. Battery is 3+ years old so I figure what the hey...I quick zip over to Sears and buy a new battery. Pop it in her car and everybody is headed to where they need to go pretty much on time...life is great.

I get to work this morning...frantic call from Karen...car is dead, won't start...she needs to be at the school in 30 minutes...meanwhile some sales guy calls and says he needs stats on stuff going back to the beginning of time by lunch....aaaghhh...jump in car, zip home, jump wife's car, exchange keys,.... who knows what the problem is with wife's car...probably a short 'cause the charging system checked out fine with the new battery. This shi... ahhh... stuff is only supposed to happen to English cars. Anyway, drop car off at dealer...figure it out call me....what no ride back to the office...call a buddy...get to the office find stats on mutual funds since the beginning of time make it look nice for sales guy and email by 11:58...is it Miller time yet?

Len

 

[Len Lanetti]

Ahhh, GM side terminal..over torqued.

In a pinch you can glop on silicon sealant or what have you to band-aid a busted terminal 'till you get somewhere to buy a new battery. At least the 'cause of the problem was apparent.

Use something to neutralize where the batter acid spilled...I used to use Arm & Hammer baking soda mixed with water to flush area real well...sand and repaint.

Jeez, I hated electrical problems when it was easy to trace a wire, I hope the dealer can find the problem with the wife's car.

Under the rear seat...wow...what year and model Caddy?

Len

 

[SCCutler]

Ahhh, GM side terminal..over torqued.

That's what I figured, as well. Still, it could have had the decency to fail while the vehicle warranty was still in effect (the dealer was very very good at handling service issues, always picked car up and dropped off loaners, etc.).

In a pinch you can glop on silicon sealant or what have you to band-aid a busted terminal 'till you get somewhere to buy a new battery. At least the 'cause of the problem was apparent.

Did not think of that, imagine that, if this had happened in the boonies, I would have figured something out like that.

Use something to neutralize where the batter acid spilled...I used to use Arm & Hammer baking soda mixed with water to flush area real well...sand and repaint.

Precisely the plan. Will repaint with epoxy appliance paint (already have a can of that ready to go).

Jeez, I hated electrical problems when it was easy to trace a wire, I hope the dealer can find the problem with the wife's car.

Only meaningful problem I've had since warranty expired: fuse is blowing on the interior light circuit; want to troubl-shoot it myself, but w/o a wiring diagram, it's a long shot... maybe I'll but a service manual and wiring diagram?

Under the rear seat...wow...what year and model Caddy?
Len

2001 Deville. It has been a real champ so far ('cept for the fuse thing); gets better mileage than I have any right to expect, well over 25mpg highway.

 

[PoAdeleted5]

deleted.

 

[Len Lanetti]

Never liked side post batteries.

Like anything engineered there are pros and cons. From a manufacturing cost perspective (which was probably GMs original reason for developing them) there is less metal required for the side posts vs the top posts. I liked the side posts based on there being less chance of some conductor accidently touching both of them as compared to top posts. I also thought they provided a better, more secure connection. Side posts are a royal pain when you have to jump a car.

Len