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Hit a tree and now won't start

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Old 01-06-04, 01:51 AM
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Exhaust leak

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Unhappy Hit a tree and now won't start

It could just be the cold (around 10* F). There was a lot of snow and ice on the groud (I got caught in a blizzard) and I slid into a tree. It dented my from fender. No biggie, but it also bent this little bar on my front bumber and my headlight will not go down.

I went to go start my car about a day after the "accident" (I was going about 5 MPH) and my car didnt start, it clicky, but no starty. The lights were really dim and stuff like a low battery, but when I jumped it with another car, the battery was reading 14 volts. The car didnt start again.

The next day I went to see what I could do. The battery was totally dead (the terminals has no spark at all), I tried to jump it again, it worked and I drove home. The same thing about the terminals having no spark happened again probably meaning dead battery, or cold weather. Which is it?

I think it could be that my headlight motor is trying to work, thus causing a lot of drain on the battery, but I am not sure.

This is freaky weather we are having (I live in Southeastern Washington desert) and it is just too cold.

Anyone know what could be wrong? I don't want to take it in somewhere. Thank you.
Old 01-06-04, 01:56 AM
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Yeah i think its your headlight motor. I know when i removed my fuse to do the sleepy eye mod it drained the battery. I'd check all your wiring down in there.
Old 01-06-04, 02:40 AM
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When you take out the headlight fuse it drains the battery?? (weird) My battery keeps going dead on me my fuse is pulled because my headlights cant come all the way up. Some loser backed into me
Old 01-06-04, 02:47 AM
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What happens is your stupid headlight motor doesn't realize it's stuck and sits there and tries to turn, generating an assload of heat and killing your battery. Just unplug the harness to the motor
Old 01-06-04, 02:49 AM
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I think with that impact you may have created short somewhere. Ck the fuse and see any of them fried. And based on that start checking wires.

How old is your battery? If battery is bad it won't keep charge due to weak cell. It's very common for battery to go during colder season.

I use deep cell marine battery in mine.
Old 01-06-04, 03:14 AM
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from the sounds of it, its probably the headlight motor, but it probably also wouldnt hurt to check out your alternator, it might be bad, or maybe something was jarred inside of it when you hit the tree. probably not, but its worth checking.
Old 01-08-04, 02:20 AM
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Exhaust leak

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I just bought a new battery, so thats not it. Right now its buried in the snow, and I haven't gotten to unpluging it. I hope it didn't do any more damage.
Old 01-08-04, 02:25 AM
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For those of you who dont beleive that pulling the fuse on the headlight motor wont draw power... pull the fuse... let it sit for about 5 minutes then take off the ground wire on your battery and touch it back on in about 5 seconds... it will generate a large spark... then put your fuse back in and it shouldnt spark as much... just thought i'd share....
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