Car slow starts and then doesn't start

CAROLINE32201

MEMBER
2004 PONTIAC GRAND AM
116,000 MILES

2004 Pontiac Grand Am 6cyl. The Service Engine Soon light came on a few days ago. Last night when I tried to start my car it did a really slow start where I had to press on the gas a little to get it to turn over. Today, it slow started again so I decided to stop at the Auto Zone to get them to scan it to see what the error code was. The line was too long so I decided to come back later. Got to my car and it would not start. Waited for the Auto Zone guy; he checked the battery and said that it had only half a charge. He then checked for why I'm getting the Service Engine Soon light and the code that came back was "no error code". He then hooked my battery up to a charger and it started strong like normal within seconds. The Auto Zone guy said it sounds like something is draining my battery making it unable to have enough of a charge to start the car. Does anyone know what the problem could be and if so, can you give me a guess on how much money it would ideally cost to repair?

5 Replies

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
109,755 POSTS

Did he check the alternator?

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Thursday, July 30th, 2020 AT 4:58 PM

CAROLINE32201

MEMBER
3 POSTS

No he did not. Are they able to do that at the Auto Zone? I think the poor guy was just trying to get my car running and out of the way because it was super cold and windy outside and I was number 4 out of 4 people he had to help outside in a row.

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Thursday, July 30th, 2020 AT 4:58 PM

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
109,755 POSTS

Yes, they have the equipment to check it. Have them do it for you. If you have a volt gauge at home, you can do it too. Let me know if you want directions. Or you could go to our homepage under the DIY section for directions.

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Thursday, July 30th, 2020 AT 4:58 PM

CAROLINE32201

MEMBER
3 POSTS

Called AAA for their Battery Service. The battery was bad which is not surprising considering it's been 4+ years since I had it replaced. The guy replaced my battery. He did the alternator test and said that my alternator was producing a "high ripple". He said that might be a sign that my alternator might be going out?

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Thursday, July 30th, 2020 AT 4:58 PM

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
109,755 POSTS

That is possible. Keep an eye on your voltage gauge in the vehicle. With the engine running, it should maintain around 14 volts. If it drops to 12v or below, the alternator isn't doing its job.