Car will not start without a jump

1989 MERCURY TOPAZ
43,000 MILES • 6 CYL • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
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TRAY
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
I just had a new battery installed in my car because i had to keep getting jumps to get it started. I was able to drive to and from the mechanics, but the next day when i went to start my car it would'nt start. I just got a sort of knocking or clicking noise. The mechanic said that the starter and electrical was all fine at the time he did the repair, so what could be the problem now? I was told to tow the car back to them and if it's the battery they will pay for the tow and fix it at their expence but i am afraid they might say it's more than that and will be charged a lot of money for something else. What do i do? Also i purchased some cheap engine fluid (or dry gas) could that be the problem and is there something i can use to flush that out?
Dec 17, 2010 at 1:03 PM
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RASMATAZ
  • ✓Experienced Mechanic
  • 75,988 POSTS
Have the charging system checked out-could be the alternator
Dec 17, 2010 at 1:16 PM
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SQM
  • ✓Experienced Mechanic
  • 6,383 POSTS
Hey COXY,
What issues are you having? Let me know some details. If your vehicle is a different make and model, please open a new thread.

https://www.2carpros.com/questions/new

Thank you.
Jan 13, 2022 at 2:09 AM
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SQM
  • ✓Experienced Mechanic
  • 6,383 POSTS
This could be due to having excessive parasitic draw (current drain), on the battery. All circuits have some draw that is acceptable. However due to any given faulty circuit it can have excess draw. Like a glove box light staying on or a shorted switch.
To find out where the draw is coming from you will need to check the battery with a multimeter and measure it, as you you remove fuse for different circuit.
Basically, you are looking for the draw value to change on the multimeter at you check those circuits.
This vehicle should have about 25 milliamp of parasitic draw. Anything over this is considered excessive.

Here is a helpful video showing exactly what to do:

https://youtu.be/z5F7WpgjaRs

Please let me know what you find.
Thank you.
Jan 13, 2022 at 10:15 PM
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