2002 Ford Focus Battery

TIPPIE221979

MEMBER
2002 FORD FOCUS
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
89,000 MILES

My focus has problems starting. Last week I went 2. My dealership and the battery tested bad. Today after driving of and on all day the car died. I did have someone give me a jump and charge for 45min. Then went 2 auto zone to have the battery tested. Which tested fine, but after turning the car off did not come back on. The gut at auto zone wiggled the wires 2 the battery and asked me 2 turn on my lights. As he wiggled wires the lights came on and the car started. So my question is could this be a problem with my battery, the wiring, or the starter. Also I do taxi alot of people around.

Friday, July 17th, 2009 AT 9:35 PM

3 Replies

BLUELIGHTNIN6

MECHANIC
16,542 POSTS

If wiggling the wires helped then either the connection at the starter or the connection at the battery (or both) is dirty and not getting good connection. Clean the terminals to get rid of any corrosion and tighten them very well.

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Friday, July 17th, 2009 AT 9:45 PM

TIPPIE221979

MEMBER
2 POSTS

First I want to say thank you for your answer and I will make a donation. But also from what I saw my terminals were clean. And I just now started the car 3 times and it started just fine. So would u suggest. Replacing the wires.

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Friday, July 17th, 2009 AT 10:03 PM

BLUELIGHTNIN6

MECHANIC
16,542 POSTS

Yeah, that is a good idea. Make sure you replace the ends as well. It wouldn't hurt to go ahead and have your alternator tested as well. Most part stores will do this free of charge, either off or on vehicle. If the alternator is weak it will drain the batter, even a new one eventually, and then both the alternator and battery will be bad.

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Friday, July 17th, 2009 AT 10:32 PM