Cars battery problems.....sometimes

[AndyAndyAndy]

My Hilux Vigo battery is sometimes "lazy" for last 6 months. Or is it battery?

 

Today I started (OK), drove 60 minutes straigh. And was unable to start it again (battery should be full right?). It barelly turned over once. So I got a guy to jump start me. And everything is OK again. Cars starts and everything.

 

Is it even battery? Sometimes car sits for 2 days and is OK. Sometimes it sits for 2 days and it barelly starts. Sometimes I drove for 1 hour and it starts as new. Sometimes after 1 hour of driving it barelly starts. Or doesn't.

 

 

 

[Rampant Rabbit]

check alternator  output, check  battery, check  corrosion on battery  terminals

Edited October 10, 2021 by Rampant Rabbit

[Havefunme]

https://www.700r4transmissionhq.com/toyota-hilux-battery-draining/

[BritManToo]

Batteries are good for three to five years.

If it's more than three years old, buy a new one.

[Tropicalevo]

Check that the battery is 'earthed' properly.

This is usually where the negative terminal is attached to the car somewhere.

[kickstart]

Take to a local shop and get them to check it, sounds if it's not holding charge ,could be on its way out .while you are they check the alternator ,but I would say that is not the problem .

Check fan belt ,should be about 3/4 inch of play in it .

Check battery  leads, clamps to the battery posts ,loose or corroded  and the earth strap ,is it earthing to the chassis. 

[gk10012001]

As others said clean and check all connections.  Then, check for electrical drain or short.  Maybe a bulb somewhere is shorted, some sneak short can suck out 1 or 2 amps of current.  God forbid something worse in some wiring harness.  Hard to isolate.   If you like to fiddle, get a clip on amp meter.  And see what if anything is leaving the battery.  I had a 2 amp solid drain on my buick I could not isolate.  I pulled all the fuses one by one, the relays, etc.  I ended up installing a cutoff switch.  When I parked the car for any length of time, I just turned the switch and completely isolated the battery. But newer cars often tend to NOT like having the battery totally disconnected. It upsets the clocks, chips, and other parts of the electronic systems and you often then have to restore things, re set electronic locks or whatever else. 

[transam]

Don't dismiss the starter motor/solenoid....

[Yellowtail]

How old is the battery? As others have said, they don't last long, they are cheap, easy to check and easy to replace. 

 

B-Quick or any of the other chains will check the battery and charging system free. You can watch them check it and they will give you an easy to understand print-out.

 

It is a good starting point, and if the battery is weak, it won't hurt replacing it even if it does not solve the problem. 

[Crossy]

On 10/11/2021 at 9:02 AM, transam said:

Don't dismiss the starter motor/solenoid....

 

Yes!

 

We had almost exactly the same kind of issue with our old Ranger, new battery sort of improved it. Then it decided one day to just go "click"!

 

Starter solenoid dead, contacts had been cooking for a while by the looks of it. Replacement solved the issue and it's been fine since.