Car won't start, no electronics working...?

Question

Every now and then my car won't start. It's not every time but sporadic. It begins to click over and I see the dashboard lights light up but then it just dies. Kind of like a dome light has been left on all night, but there hasn't been. When I pull the key out of the ignition with the door closed, I hear a clicking sound. When I open the door, the sound goes away. When I jumpstart the battery, the car works fine and I can even turn it on and off a few times and sometimes for a few days without any problems. I took the car to Les Schwab to test the battery since I bought it through them in January and they said the battery is fine. Any ideas what it could be? 2005 kia spectra hatchback with 60,000 miles. No major work on it since i bought it.

Answer 1

I would start with checking that the battery terminals are not loose, if they are OK I would suggest you have your alternator charging voltage checked, If the terminals and charge voltage are fine you should probably have your electrical system checked for a power drain by an electrician as when some relays get old and worn out ( Central locking for example ) they can drain a battery overnight.

Answer 2

You should have had the alternator charging voltage checked when the new battery was installed and later tested. You could have a bad diode in the alternator.

Answer 3

Dirty, corroded, or loose battery cables at the battery posts. (not just the outside)

Remove, clean, reinstall, and tighten.

Answer 4

starter!!!