Hi all,

My 2005 Vibe (base with automatic) has had a problem from day one. After
sitting at a long red light with the AC on, it hesitates when accelerating
from a stop. After the hesitation it is fine.

Today the OEM battery went dead, and the car refused to start...just a
series of clicks. This sounds like classic OEM battery replacement time
until I checked the charging system. I charged the battery, and the car
started right up. With the lights on, and the AC running at max fan speed
the battery voltage drops steadily like 12.7....12.6....12.5....and then
when I give it some gas it hesitates, and then the voltage is 13.7 volts.
Hmmmmmmmm!

Maybe my battery is fine, but my charging system is defective? What do
you fine folk think?? I realize that the OEM battery has to go, but I'm not
convinced that is the whole problem. That hesitation is a clue.

Regards,
Jim

"JC" <jcandela (AT) prodigy (DOT) net> wrote


Update,

After writing this up last evening, I went back out there to check the
battery charger. The battery was still pulling 5 amps, and the battery was
hot on the side of the (+) terminal, and only warm towards the (-) terminal.
The voltage was 13.8 volts. I figure that maybe I had one dead cell?

I replaced the battery last evening using the mid-grade Autozone battery.
Big mistake. This battery was 5/8" shorter than OEM, and came with a plastic
'T' shapped booster. Problem with the Vibe is that the battery holder is
flimsy plastic, and supported off center. The battery was unsteady, and
rocked. I ended up using a piece of plywood 5/8" thick inside the stock
battery tray, and the final fit was good after cutting it to fit.

The new battery was already charged, and with lights on, AC blowing, and
car in drive (stopped), the battery voltage was 14 volts. After driving some
last night, and again today I have had no off idle hesitation.

Maybe I had a bad battery all along.............

Jim

It is possible to have a bad battery. In my Bonneville, I bought a brand new
battery in summer of 2003. The car sat most of the winter of 2003-2004. Come
spring, the battery would not hold a charge. Got new battery and has worked
fine ever since. So it sat for about 7 months and killed itself.


"JC" <jcandela (AT) prodigy (DOT) net> wrote

A battery when it loses it's charge,will freeze in the winter and ruin
it.7 months is quite a while for a battery to sit idle like that.Make
sure your battery stays charged,by starting it up and let it run for a
while.Hope this helps! Bobby

"bobby swift" <bobbyswift (AT) webtv (DOT) net> wrote


Bobby, and Tanya,

Thanks for the comments. I bought my Vibe used June of last year, and the
carfax said it was new June 2004 as a 2005 model. The carfax also said it
sat in a Enterprise rent a car lot with no mileage increase for about 4
months prior to me buying it. I paid $14,500 for it with 14,000 miles on it.
Just sitting there may have hurt that battery as you folks kindly
mentioned. I still wonder why it sat. If it was wrecked, would carfax not
pick up on that?

What I find interesting is that the battery lasted a year after I bought
the car, and the car always had an off idle hesitation after sitting at a
long red light with AC blowing, lights on, etc. It drove really well other
than that. I figured that was normal Vibe behavior. Now that the battery has
failed (hot on one side during charge), and been replaced, that off idle
hesitation is GONE!!!!!

Regards,
Jim

The battery in my '01 GP GTP also went bad 2 years after buying the
car. The dealership replaced it with a name brand battery and it has
been going strong since even with my stereo system install.

Get that dealer to give you a free battery!

On Thu, 20 Jul 2006 02:44:19 GMT, "JC" <jcandela (AT) prodigy (DOT) net> wrote:

Paul Michaels
2000 Yamaha YZF-R6
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
My Motorcycle & Travel Pics
http://www.PaulsTravelPictures.com

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