Need Chevy debugging help

[Rich Stern]

A friend of ours came over this evening, and when she went to leave, her 2001 Chevy Malibu (V6) did something very strange:



- She got in, turned the key, we heard an audible "pop" under the hood. Car wouldn't crank at all, interior lights are pretty dim.



- I opened the hood. One of the battery covers on her Exide (regular maintenance flooded type) had popped off with considerable force.



- Car acts like the battery is very low. Won't crank at all, but dim interior lights. I put my 12v charger on it, the interior lights go back to bright, I try to start, I get a solenoid clicking trying to start. If I put the key in the accessory position, everything flickers wildly like it's shorting out.



- I checked the battery connections and cleaned them. They are the crappy side post connections that GM uses, but they are in good shape. She's had problems with those before with this car, but this isn't the case this time.



- Charger indicates the battery is charged.



- Car won't start when the battery charger is in 70A boost mode. Same solenoid clicking.



- Connections at the starter motor look good.



- Battery cables appear to be in decent shape.



- She recently had problems with the ignition security module and had to have it replaced. Possible short there?



Thoughts?

 

[Tom Schindler]

Bad starter, or the starter is shorted out.





Tom

 

[Todd Z]

There was an external or internal spark near or in the battery and it exploded...



BE thankfully the whole thing did not completely explode, that is a disaster...



I think the battery internally shorted or something broke...



I would try starting the car with another battery, even if you have to use jumper cables and disconnect her battery....



IF still no luck, maybe the starter has a huge short in it...



I think it is the battery or the starter..



Todd Z

 

[George T]

I think could be the alternator, or just get a new battery.:unsure:

 

[bRAD Baltzer]

Had the same thing happen to me.........battery exploded upon start-up and the force dented the hood. After completely checking out the electrical system..........it was determined it was just the battery that shorted. New battery and all was good. If any battery acid leaked, make sure you wash out the battery tray area real good.......

 

[Rich Stern]

Thanks, fellas.



I'm going to try it with another battery in the AM, and if that doesn't work, we'll let AAA take it down to her mechanic to look at the starter.



Tell you what: My mom has a 2004 Chevy Malibu; these cars have awful electrical systems. Blinker module problems. Security module problems. Battery terminal problems. Often multiple trips to the dealership for them.



A fews weeks ago, I helped a neighbor who had battery problems on a fairly recent model Caddy. Same crappy side-post terminals on an AC/Delco battery. They were completely corroded away, and the cables were in awful shape. And this was a luxury car with the battery under the rear seat, entirely out of the elements.

 

[bRAD Baltzer]

In my experience with Chevy's, I couldn't agree more! ............



[Broken External Image]:

 

[user 64972]

Rich:



Up until my 2007 ST purchase, the only new vehicles I've owned have all been GM cars and I have never had any major problems and I keep them till they're pretty worn out. I usually get 160,000 miles plus with minimal maintenance except oil changes every 3000 miles.



I have had problems with Original Equipment AC/Delco battery's. On my Grand Prix GT, one post actually fell off the side of the battery while my wife was out. That was a real pain! I recommend anyone with a new GM-AC/Delco battery to get rid of it after say 3 years and get a Die Hard or anything else. My brother did get 7 years out of his with no problem but I don't like to run them till they fail.



I also follow my brother in laws advice about not using my cars to jump other cars since he said that could cause computer/electrical problems and maybe that is why I havn't had electrical problems....or maybe I just got lucky.



Take care,

Gary

 

[Dingo]

Rich, if she needs a new battery, I'll get her one at my cost if you'd like. I'm not far.

 

[Travis Munday]

My guess would be the battery was gassing, and there was a spark that popped off a cell.



Chances are, everything else will be fine, unless the battery had a chance to send a voltage spike through the cables. Possible, but not likely.



When I used to work on forklift batteries, I'd purposely light the cells off with a remote lighter before doing certain maintenance on them, when a loaded cell goes off, it'll sound like a shotgun and spew a good amount of electrolyte out.



Check to see if there is any fluid spill, you can dilute it with water, but should neutralize it with a strong base if possible.

 

[Ray McIntireJr]

My sister-in-law's 95 Buick Skylark w/about 210,000 miles on it just did something like that only I'm not sure if it popped. It turned out to be the ignition switch. It had int lights but when I turned the ignition - nothing. I thought it was the starter but in your instance I think I'd have to go with Todd Z.

 

[Kevin Palmer]

I also feel that the battery is internally-shorted. Once the plates warp and touch each other, you will not even be able to jump start the vehicle with another battery or charger.



Like Todd, I feel something exploded the battery. It is not uncommon and there is not a normal cause to this. It is simply one of the potential failures of batteries due to how they work.

 

[Gavin Allan]

GM cars are the best at running the longest. However, they also run very crappy, but for a very long time.

 

[Rich Stern]

It was the battery. I got it started on a spare battery this morning. The blown Exide had a 36/84 warranty, and was only in it's second year. We ran down to the local NTB, got a new battery under warranty, and she was up and running shortly thereafter. The only bummer was I had to change the battery in a big downpour.



Thanks for all of the helpful responses!

 

[Travis Munday]

This little incident reminds me that its always important to follow proper battery jumping procedures. You don't want to be standing next to a battery, or leant over one, jumping it off and have one explode.

 

[Todd Z]

Cool ,

Glad it was something simple and nothing major!!!!



Todd Z

 

[Dreman]

My GMC was getting repaired at the Chevy dealership after someone ran into it, and the service manager called to tell me the battery had a leak and needed to be replaced. He asked me how long I had the battery to see if there was any warranty left. He was amazed when I said it was the factory battery on my then 5 year old truck. He said they usually only lasted about 2 years! Then he asked if I wanted him to put another factory battery in it for $135. I asked him why I wanted him to do that when they only lasted 2 years. I took an Autozone battery down to him for 39.95.

 

[Robert Poole]

I still have the factory motorcraft in my 2001 Sport trac. when the battery finally goes, I will replace it with either another motorcraft or an Optima.



Have a good one



Bob