2004 Accent starting issues...

Hello, all~

I've got a 2004 Hyundai Accent Auto (U.S. version) and have been having the
following problem:

If I drive the car say 15 miles and then shut it off for 15-30 minutes, it
acts as if it has a dead battery. The starter just barely turns and then
nothing. Lights & accessories still work. If I then let it sit overnight, it
starts just fine in the morning, even when its almost freezing cold.

If I do the same as above but instead of starting it again shortly after
turning it off, I just wait until the A.M., it also starts just fine. It's
almost as if it has a "hot-start" problem.

A jump-start gets me going just fine, of course. At this point I've been
stranded several times and I'm needing to take it in. I'm the second owner,
car has 43,000 miles and is within warranty. My brother has checked the
battery with a digital multimeter and after sitting last night (Christmas
Eve!!!) in a bad neighborhood because of the problem, it had 12.55 volts
cold.

When I turned the key the reading dropped to 3 or 4 volts, but my brother
said his multimeter might not give good readings on a fast drop. After we
jumped it and it was running, it read 14.35 volts. He thinks it may just be
the battery not taking a deep charge, just a surface charge.

What sayest everyone?

I hope it's just a new battery. I was planning on taking it in to the dealer
for a couple of other issues anyway within a week or two. I've had it a year
and put about 11,000 miles on it during that time in mostly rush-hour
traffic.


Thanks for your time,

Dirk
Austin TX

 

Based on what you've posted, it's likely that your alternator is working
properly, especially if your air bag lamp hasn't come on. I'd say it's
most likely to be a battery problem. The battery won't be free at this
point (2 years only), and you could be out of the partial warranty period
(2-3 years), which would reduce your cost at the dealer to 75% of parts
and no labor. If you're not ready to pay dealer prices for a battery,
pick one up at your local auto parts retailer and drop it in yourself.

 

I had got conflicting info from others and because it's my only car I had to
just leave it at the dealer today. Thanks for your help, keeping my fingers
crossed that it isn't the battery!

Dirk

 

As you thought, new battery was recommended & installed.
So far, so good.

Dirk