97 855 T5, 140,000mi
New battery Dec 2003

My car doesn't have enough juice to start up. After fully charging the battery, I can get one normal start out of it, then drive it for hours ok. Next time I try to start it, it sounds like theres barely any power left in the battery, but the car will manage to start. Trying to start it a third time is pressing your luck. Fourth+ times will be just dead.

I've tried returning the battery to Schucks, where I bought it. They did a 30 minute test on it, charged ok, held the charge, and was able to do a few simulated starts no problem.

When fully charged, the battery shows 12.6v. When running, there's 13.5-14.0v going to the battery. Battery terminals are clean and the cable clamps are snug. Headlights work fine, and are not dim when driving.

I've done some work on the stereo, and to rule that out I've removed both Radio fuses, as well as the fuse on the additional power wire I've installed.

I've also tried removing all the other fuses, one by one, while the key was in the 1st position, and watching the battery voltage. No fuse seemed to cause it to drop any noticable amount. I cant measure mA of drain from the battery at this point, because I'm either doing it wrong, or my multitester is not working right.

Any ideas? Could the alternator need to be rebuilt (even though it is spitting out 14v)? I'm running out of ideas of what to try next.

Thanks,
Dave
97 855 T5
89 780 T