Battery Problems

Okay so a few days ago i went to start my car and nothing happened so i assumed that the battery was dead. after i got home from work i jumped it off and it started fine, but after a few minutes of the car running perfectly all of a sudden the battery started looking like it was going to die and my stereo started flickering on and off and my subs started humming and kinda popping. then my car just died. so i took the battery to wal-mart and they tested it and said it was completely dead so i bought a new battery and put it in two days ago and the car started fine. i hadn't started again it but i thought everything was cool until this morning when my dad went to move it and said it wouldn't start. we figured that i needed a new positive connector because mine was an old piece of crap so i got that and put it on but then the car still wouldn't start. i jumped it off again and it was running fine but my amp wasn't working. so i was pissed but at least my car was running, but then of course the same thing started happening (the battery started looking like it was going to die and my stereo started flickering on and off) and then it died again. this might be one of those stupid questions where everyone knows the answer and i'm an idiot and if so i'm sorry but i need to figure this out asap. thanks

Altenator is most likely dead. It seems as if you have a short somewhere to thats killing the battery.

Altenator is most likely dead. It seems as if you have a short somewhere to thats killing the battery.

You can disconnect the negative battery terminal while the car is running to check if your alternator is pumping juice. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think your battery HUD light should also be lit if your alternator isn't working properly.

If you have a short that is killing your battery you can isolate it with a volt meter or a simple small (like a dome light) light bulb connected between your battery negative terminal and your car's negative wiring harness. Pull fuses one by one untill the light or current goes away. There will be some current flowing from anything still on in the car like clocks, lights, fans ect...

Check the amp for the short...

It suspicious that the amp doesn't work given it should not be sucking that much juice if have your stereo turn down...

WTF I posted to this this morning and my post disappeared. Anyway if you disconnect the negative the car will die no matter if the alt is charging or not. The system has to be grounded. Now if you remove the postive and it kills the car then the alt isnt charging.

Now if you remove the postive and it kills the car then the alt isnt charging.


Are you absolutely sure on this. Because awhile back, my positive cable became loose and popped off the battery once while driving and I lost all power...then again, I have been having issues with batteries draining, but I attributed it to 2 shorts I had in the car.

WTF I posted to this this morning and my post disappeared. Anyway if you disconnect the negative the car will die no matter if the alt is charging or not. The system has to be grounded. Now if you remove the postive and it kills the car then the alt isnt charging.
The Battery's only purpose is to suply power when the car is not running.
When the car is running every electronic piece of equipment (High powered amps exempt) is running off the power produced by the alternator. Disconnecting the Negative or the Positive battery terminal will simply remove the battery from the car's circuit. The alternator is still in a closed loop from the car's frame.

I only suggested the Neg because DC current runs from Neg to Pos, so when the car is running you wont arc that terminal unlike Positive that will arc from the alternator charging the battery... That is if your alt is even giving it power ;)

Are you absolutely sure on this. Because awhile back, my positive cable became loose and popped off the battery once while driving and I lost all power...then again, I have been having issues with batteries draining, but I attributed it to 2 shorts I had in the car.
I am positive. I did this just a week or so ago when I fired the Stealth up. The voltagelooked low so I removed the postive to see if it was charging and sure enough it stayed running. What most likely happened in your case was the positive popped off and arced on something killing the system.