While driving down the interstate car randomly turns off and on
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 13,832
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From: Chesterfield VA
(This is mainly for lurkers.)
A depleted 12v car battery really needs a 12-24 hour charge but will show 12.4 - 12.6 volts after a 5 minute charge. Recall batteries are chemical devices and the surfaces of the plates gain voltage faster than deeper in the plates. This surface charge can lead us to believe the battery is good. Last summer my car would not start. Friends got me push started and the battery measured 12.6v after a 30 minute drive. Would not start the next morning, of course, and was still in the mid 12v range. $20 battery load tester, the same type they use at the auto parts store, clearly showed the deep voltage drop. New battery fixed everything.
-- Chuck
A depleted 12v car battery really needs a 12-24 hour charge but will show 12.4 - 12.6 volts after a 5 minute charge. Recall batteries are chemical devices and the surfaces of the plates gain voltage faster than deeper in the plates. This surface charge can lead us to believe the battery is good. Last summer my car would not start. Friends got me push started and the battery measured 12.6v after a 30 minute drive. Would not start the next morning, of course, and was still in the mid 12v range. $20 battery load tester, the same type they use at the auto parts store, clearly showed the deep voltage drop. New battery fixed everything.
-- Chuck
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Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 166
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From: Tuscaloosa, Al
Your battery is dead.
Read that again, because I'm not the first person in this thread to point this out.
The other guy even gave you a chart to show why. A normal battery is 12.6V. Your 12.4V means your battery is not holding a charge.
This of course only explains one of your symptoms.
I will cast my vote on the other issue, based on the very limited info in this thread, as crank or possibly cam position sensor. They can fail in an intermittent way, work sometimes, fail other times, but quickly work again seconds later. They would cause the highway symptom you describe.
Of course, testing them will only reveal they are fine, unless you test them at the moment of failure, which will be kinda difficult since you only have a few seconds that failure mode occurs, and at highway speed.
So your only way to rule them out is replace them.
Read that again, because I'm not the first person in this thread to point this out.
The other guy even gave you a chart to show why. A normal battery is 12.6V. Your 12.4V means your battery is not holding a charge.
This of course only explains one of your symptoms.
I will cast my vote on the other issue, based on the very limited info in this thread, as crank or possibly cam position sensor. They can fail in an intermittent way, work sometimes, fail other times, but quickly work again seconds later. They would cause the highway symptom you describe.
Of course, testing them will only reveal they are fine, unless you test them at the moment of failure, which will be kinda difficult since you only have a few seconds that failure mode occurs, and at highway speed.
So your only way to rule them out is replace them.
Thread Starter
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Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 166
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From: Tuscaloosa, Al
So the bogging quit. Was trash in the tank. Still havnt figure out the starting issue. Found out that if I wiggle the shifter around while holding the start button the starter will work and crank the car. Does anyone know if there are starter wires in the tunnel by the shifter? Or a relay I could hit or a sensor if I wiggle the shifter?
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