Car won't start.... plz help.

[dabel]

Never thought i'd post this, but the car just died.

I'm going down Collier (in ATL) and i see the battery light up and immediately shut off the radio. A second later "brake" and "ABS" light come on also. I get it back into my apartment, tap the brakes and see the interior lights dim. Windows extremely slow (down one inch, barely got back up). Pop the hood, the belt to the alternator's spinning (but the mysterious celica-whistle has been absent lately, maybe belt tensioner finally bit it?), everything looks fine. My front strut bar wasn't touching anything on the batteries (although it does occasionally rub the top of the hood and maybe a bit of the engine block when downshifting heavily).

Try to start the car, one turn... then click-click-click-click-....

The valves are ok (no misshifts, well, none that caused damage and none in the past couple months). Car was running fine, sounded just a bit off right before it happened. Again, i emphasize, no funny sounds or burning oil or anything to suggest valves.


Anyone have any ideas? I'm calling toyota tomorrow (after removing my strut bar). It has been below freezing here the past couple days. Is it just a bad battery or has the alternator blown too? Any way i can tell? Thanks in advance!

[AkUmA]

sound like the alternator to me, charge the battery, if you can and if the car run's outta power it for sure the alternator.

[Impulse]

Dead battery. But what caused it? Do you listen to the radio alot with your car off? Or do you have a large stereo that is constantly drawing more current than the alternator can supply? those are the two things off the top of my head that I can think of that would cause a battery to go dead. Aside from it just being old. It could also be the alternator not supplying a high enough voltage to keep the battery charged.

[dabel]

The car's a year and 4 months old. Stock stereo, didn't do anything power hungry while the car was off. I'm hoping it's just that the battery can't take sub-zero temps.


here she is an hour before it happened.
http://thor.prohosting.com/~dabel/dsc02240.jpg

I'm still taking off the front strut tonight, i think larry got flack from his dealership about that.

[BlackGT]

man, get those rims off that car. That is such a awful site to see those nice rims dipped in snow and ice. I have heard and seen about the freak storms in GA and I know you guys dont get them down there, but I think you should take them off and go back to stock. It's amazing what a winter can do to rims.

-Tim

[dabel]

I had no idea my rims were in danger.... are you talking about the salt and stuff? Atlanta hasn't salted sh!t over where i live. I'm tempted to put my old ones on though, give these a good thorough cleaning over the next week, and see if i can get a spot repolished somewhere.

Other news: I just went out and started her up, she started up just fine no flashing lights/etc... so it seems the battery's ok. I popped the hood and smelled the lightest smell of an electrical burn (maybe my imagination, but i'm fairly sure i smelled something), so it's prolly the alternator going out of style. or just stopping working. Either way, i'm pulling the bar and calling toyota tomorrow after class.


bless warranty.

I appreciate the help, and get back to me on the rims part blackGT, us southerners aren't used to this cold white powdery stuff.

[Tyz_Ryde]

Dude...that picture is funny! We don't have any snow here in Toronto. Only had 1 big snow fall and it melted a few days later.

[AkUmA]

cool, well i guess your alternator is just fine, otherwise it wouldnt even try to start.