dead battery?

W

Walnutking2

New member
I've got a 77 diesel Scout II. The battery is only 2 months old, the Scout has always started up right away. I took it to a shop for a fuel problem and when I stopped by I witnessed them jumping my vehicle. I got in it and it wouldn't start, the guy told me story about how it's fine to jump diesels when you are working on them? I came back later and they were charging my battery. It started and drove fine from the garage and around town but now it sits dead on the street. Radio works, alt gauge is going up when I press the glow plug, but nothing happens when I turn the key. Is this just a dead battery? Does jumpstarting a car drain the battery? Do I have good reason to blame the mechanic?

Thanks,
 
I am thinking someone is trying to sell you a load of bs.

If the battery was dead nothing would be working.

If everything was working before you took it into the shop and it isn't working correctly now, then someone at the shop did something that screwed something up.

Jump starting in of itself usually will not damage anything if it is done correctly. If however, in the pursuit of diagnosing your fuel issue they ground the starter so long it wore your battery down dead which then required jumpstarting, then you May have a larger problem. Most likely the main lug from the battery to the starter has gotten way too hot and is no longer making a good connection. Too much cranking could also have fried your starter.

When you go to start your rig how much amperage is the starter pulling? Anything more than about 100 amps and you have a problem.

If you have a bad connection at the starter or a bad starter, even if you have a good battery you May not be able to get the starter to turn. The addition or a jumper can add enough extra amperage to get things to turn.

All I can say is good luck in getting the shop to make good the problem. If they were trying to sell you such a load of bs getting them to admit to causing the problem is going to be difficult at best and impossible at worst.
 
Thanks for your affirmation/advice! I know very little about repair so I'm not sure how much amperage is being pulled nor how to find out. But I'll monkey with the connections in hopes that I never have to return to that godawful shop.
 
One way in which to check the amperage draw of the starter if you don't have the necessary tools is to observe the headlights when the starter is energized.

If the lights dim considerably then the starter is drawing too much amperage.
 
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