Every couple of weeks, the battery appears dead, no power anywhere. Can't jump it, solenoid just makes a rattling sound. If I go away for an hour or two, everything is fine, car starts right up.
I was getting in the car to start it. Key in ignition, dome light on, all was well. I shut the door and everything shut off like a switch was thrown. No power at all. We tried jumping it, and the solenoid just buzzed. I left the car there for a few hours, came back, and it started right up as though nothing had ever happened. This has happened twice now, with the incidents several weeks apart.
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Quite likely the rattle is a relay or solenoid that is trying to activate but there's not enough power to make it work properly. The solenoid on the starter motor will make such a noise when it's not getting enough power.
Depending on location, getting 5 years from a battery is optimistic. Since you're mentioning the battery almost right away, I think you may have your answer but have not had it or your charging system tested. Your regular repair shop will be able to test your battery and charging system for you for a reasonable cost and will help you determine what steps you need to take next.
Possibly dead battery, Possibly bad connection on the battery, Could be your solenoid, Should make sure it isn't a fuse as well. Owners manual should get you some insight on which Fuse it should be.
Sounds like the battery is dead.
You can try a jump start and see if the car will start. If it does I wouldn't have any issue with replacing the battery and see what happens.
You can also measure battery voltage with a voltmeter. You should see 12 volts with the key off, on, or cranking. If the battery voltage is not 12 volts than it is dead or low on charge.
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Check your battery terminals and make sure they are clean by removing and lightly sanding with some rough sand paper (wipe down when finished), also the wires/cables going to them, they should not move when tightened on terminals. Also clean and tighten the negative (earth) cable/wire and if you have easy access check to see if the main starter motor lead is tight, be careful if you need to tighten it as you can short out the positive (starter motor lead) with the negative (anywhere on car thats metal 95% of it). You have poor connection somewhere which is causing your problem.
You need to remove the battery cables and clean the connections with a wire battery terminal cleaning tool. Then start the car and check the voltage at the battery with a multimeter. It should be between 13.5-16 volts. Any less and the alternator is defective. If this all checks out and you are 100% sure nothing is on drawing power then the battery more than likely has a dead cell. Remove the battery and take it to your parts store and have it tested. You will probably need a new battery.
Three possibilities I think: First is weak battery. There may be enough juice to light the gauges but it takes power to turn an engine.
Second, bad solenoid. The solenoid is a relay which closes the high current circuit that delivers the cranking power to the starter motor. If you hear clicking in the engine compartment (not the starter) when you turn the ignition switch on it is probably the solenoid engaging and disengaging. However if the battery is weak it won't turn the starter motor. If the solenoid is clicking look at the battery first. The solenoid could be bad but the clicking indicates it's trying to work and there just may not be enough juice to turn over the engine.
Third possibility is the starter motor itself is dead. You have to answer some questions for yourself. Is this an old,neglected car or one that has been taken care of? I would be looking at battery. Can you jump start it? If yes then weak battery is the likely problem. If the car and battery are relatively new and in good condition you should suspect the charging system, that is, the alternator. Did this happen all of a sudden on a car that was running fine recently or has the car been sitting idle for weeks/months.Eliminate the easy stuff. Clean battery terminals? Good battery connections and ground? Try jump start - if yes then follow up battery/charging system. If no start then try to hear for solenoid clicking. If jump start does nothing -figure the solenoid first. If it sounds like solenoid is kicking in but engine does not turn then the starter is looking a little guilty. Jump starting will answer a lot of questions. If the car is really dead then the car that is jumping may have to be connected and revved up a couple minutes to juice up the dead battery enough to turn the starter over. If it turns over a little during the jump start but just barely then you should figure your battery is bad.
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