2001 Hyundai Elantra

Tiny
RSUNDER
  • MEMBER
  • 2001 HYUNDAI ELANTRA
Electrical problem
2001 Hyundai Elantra 4 cyl Two Wheel Drive Manual 190k miles

i drive an hour to work and this is quite an issue.
this car has started to do strange things. I can sit in the car and have the radio on and if I advance the ignition switch it can loose all power. It is as if there is no battery. Once a battery tester is hooked up to it, everything comes back on.
it will also do this if I activate another device such as a window switch. But, not all the time.
i can go out in the morning when the car is cold, and once I turn the ignition to start, there it goes again. Open and close the door, "juggle" the ignition switch and it comes back on. This does not always work. It has become like a "crap shoot" as to what will happen.
the car has been to the same tech shop twice and of course it behaved perfectly.
at wits end here!
Monday, January 18th, 2010 AT 7:53 AM

1 Reply

Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 109,867 POSTS
IT sounds like you have a ground problem. One of the most common problems is either a corroded or loose battery terminal or a corroded or loose ground to engine block connection. What happens is when you place the added load on that circuit, it can't handle it and basically shorts and looses connection. When they place the tester on it, they could be moving it just enough to make connection again.

Start by cleaning and tightening the battery terminals and the ground to the engine block.

Let me know if it helps.

Joe
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Thursday, January 28th, 2010 AT 1:44 PM

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