[CCC]

My Granddaughter's 2011 Kia Soul has a starting problem related to battery and/or starter and/or charging system.

The car has started reliably for 7 years and 115,000 miles. Very dependable,..... until about two weeks ago. Now it starts about half the time.

A new battery was installed last June by Advanced Auto Parts in Cabot, AR. Still under warranty. The car is now in Newnan, GA.

Here are the problems:
-- Often it cranks over slowly,.. too slowly to actually start. On the second or third attempt, it just stops turning over and degrades to a rapidly clicking solenoid.
-- Sometimes it just does one click,... but sometimes it'll start normally a minute after that.
-- Sometimes it starts as if there were no issues at all. Intermittently it works fine. Very frustrating.
-- Within ten minutes or so of shutting it off, it will start up okay most of the time.

When the motor is running, the voltage at the battery terminals is 14.5V. When cranking the starter after it has been running for a while, the voltage at the terminals is about 10V. With a cable disconnected and the motor not running, the "at rest" battery voltage a minute after the motor was shut off is about 12.2V.

A reputable repair shop (Crossroads Automotive in Newnan, GA) tested the battery and said it was bad. Only 36 CCA. The Advanced Auto Parts store across the street tested the battery and said it was fine, so they won't replace it.

When the car won't start, using jumper cables (or one of the little battery-powered jump starters) makes it start rapidly and all the problems mentioned above go away.

When I disconnect the ground cable from the battery, then insert a multimeter between the terminal and the cable, there is amperage of about .25A for a couple seconds, then it decreases to around .01A and stays there. Does this qualify as a parasitic drain?

It seems to me the battery is dying and Advanced Auto Parts won't replace it because their tester "says" the battery is good.

 

[Shaggy Wierdo]

Welcome.

 

[CCC]

Thanks.

 

[GeoSoul]

You got some good utility out of that first battery CCC!

My advice would be to look at the new battery and find the CCA number on it: Cold Crank Amps. Write that number down.

It will look something like this:


Have it retested for its cold crank capacity and write that number down. If it is less than what the battery says on the sticker, take it back and show them the proof that it's a bad battery. It may have a bad cell or two. If it fails the CCA test, then it doesn't have the depth to start your car reliably.

Keep us posted!

 

[MonsterSoul]

Symptoms sure sound like a bad battery. Keep that jumper box in the car.

 

[CCC]

One other thing I just discovered,.... the battery is a 121R, smaller than the OEM 124R. This might be a factor. I also found out from the Granddaughter that she bought the cheapest battery she could get at the time. She is a college student working part time as a server in restaurants, so she is not a rich person. They charged her something like $110 for that battery several months ago.

Geosoul, I'll do the CCA test.

Monstersoul, Good Idea! I am keeping that jumpstarter battery in the car.

BTW, those things work great,... an amazing amount of power for such a little thing. I am thinking about getting one for each of the cars for the Daughter, other Granddaughters, and current wife. Look on Amazon for Aickar Car Jump Starter, 1200A Peak 19800mAh 12V Auto Battery Booster. The huge advantage is that for someone like a Granddaughter who is clueless about cars, these things are safe, simple to operate, and don't need another car to use for jumper cables. Sorry,... I sound like a salesman, eh?

 

[GoldOxide]

My Granddaughter's 2011 Kia Soul has a starting problem related to battery and/or starter and/or charging system.

The car has started reliably for 7 years and 115,000 miles. Very dependable,..... until about two weeks ago. Now it starts about half the time.

A new battery was installed last June by Advanced Auto Parts in Cabot, AR. Still under warranty. The car is now in Newnan, GA.

Here are the problems:
-- Often it cranks over slowly,.. too slowly to actually start. On the second or third attempt, it just stops turning over and degrades to a rapidly clicking solenoid.
-- Sometimes it just does one click,... but sometimes it'll start normally a minute after that.
-- Sometimes it starts as if there were no issues at all. Intermittently it works fine. Very frustrating.
-- Within ten minutes or so of shutting it off, it will start up okay most of the time.

When the motor is running, the voltage at the battery terminals is 14.8V. When cranking the starter after it has been running for a while, the voltage at the terminals is about 10V. With a cable disconnected and the motor not running, the "at rest" battery voltage a minute after the motor was shut off is about 12.2V.

A reputable repair shop (Crossroads Automotive in Newnan, GA) tested the battery and said it was bad. Only 36 CCA. The Advanced Auto Parts store across the street tested the battery and said it was fine, so they won't replace it.

When the car won't start, using jumper cables (or one of the little battery-powered jump starters) makes it start rapidly and all the problems mentioned above go away.

When I disconnect the ground cable from the battery, then insert a multimeter between the terminal and the cable, there is amperage of about .25A for a couple seconds, then it decreases to around .01A and stays there. Does this qualify as a parasitic drain?

It seems to me the battery is dying and Advanced Auto Parts won't replace it because their tester "says" the battery is good.

When ignition is turned off, some subsystems will still be running. For example: The wireless key receiver. Anyway, 10 mA drain doesn't sound like much, especially if the vehicle is driven routinely. If the drain was say 250 mA, then an idle car in winter for a week or two will likely not start. What would draw 250 mA? Example: So called electronic rust inhibitors. So be informed.

As mentioned by some already, sounds like a battery cell is weak.

 

[CochiseKev]

Go to a different Advanced Auto store and get it replaced. Ridiculous that the first one won't replace it. If a second one balks too, I'd call corporate and read them the riot act. Politely, of course.

 

[DoDaHarry]

I would also double check your grounds. If there is any corrosion on the connections to the battery or the grounding wires that can cause issues like this. When I first bought my truck it had been sitting for 5 years or so and did this exact thing until I sanded and cleaned all the grounding wires and replaced the battery and ignition switch. Bad grounding kept battery from charging right.

 

[dynamo]

Yeah, it does sound like a bad battery. But the Soul's grounds are a known weak point. If you search the forums here, you'll find a lot of discussion about that. (I'd say "use the search function", but it doesn't seem to be working. That seems to happen periodically, maybe we need to check the admin's grounds, too.)

 

[GoldOxide]

Yeah, it does sound like a bad battery. But the Soul's grounds are a known weak point. If you search the forums here, you'll find a lot of discussion about that. (I'd say "use the search function", but it doesn't seem to be working. That seems to happen periodically, maybe we need to check the admin's grounds, too.)

Certainly, a bad cell on a new battery can be created by weak charging (e.g. poor connections). Eventually, a cell (or more) will corrode to the point of failure and the behaviour will manifest most during freezing temperatures as cell water turns to ice.

 

[GeoSoul]

Yeah, it does sound like a bad battery. But the Soul's grounds are a known weak point. If you search the forums here, you'll find a lot of discussion about that. (I'd say "use the search function", but it doesn't seem to be working. That seems to happen periodically, maybe we need to check the admin's grounds, too.)

I have better luck clicking on the " Advanced Search" button. It always seems to work whereas plain Search is hit & miss.

 

[CCC]

I installed a 4 gauge wire from the negative battery post to the engine block. If continuity between the battery and the starter ground is a problem for either charging, or driving the starter motor, this might help.

 

[rktbrkr]

I had similar symptoms with 6 YO OEM battery which tested OK (with inexpensive tester). I cleaned the battery posts and ground points but had to get a new battery.

Sams club has "next generation" Duracell with 700cca for $95, Walmart is about $110 for 550cca both correct 24R size. Auto parts places always charge more and sometimes sell schlock store brands, if they don't honor their warranty I'd tell them "I'll never be back".

 

[cromanof]

I have had nothing but starting issues from Day 1 when I purchased my 2014 Kia Soul Exclaim brand new. I never know if it is going to start or not. The odds are, it won't. It is horrible never knowing if I will have a car that is going to start or not. The dealership says that the entire problem is due to the fact that I don't drive it enough to keep it charged. Granted, I still have less than 3,000 miles on it. But I go out every other day, start it in the carport, and actually sit in it with my foot on the accelerator (to give it a higher idle) for 25 to 30 minutes if I won't be driving somewhere. I've also had the dealer replace the battery with an Interstate battery and wire the car so that I can plug a solar-powered battery charger (it requires 20 amps) into the plug-in receptacle, which is plugged in all the time. But, nevertheless, I go out and it won't start. If it weren't for this issue, I would love the car. But this has caused me nothing but stress and grief for over four years now. I'm older, with weak hands, and can't open the hood myself to utilize a regular battery charger and have no friends or family to jump-start me; so the Roadside Service guy knows me by name. Is there anything (at any cost...I don't care) that I can buy that I could plug into that cigarette-lighter looking receptacle to jump-start the car (from inside the vehicle) myself? Eventually I am going to have an emergency and need my car to start. It's been sitting dead in the driveway now for over a week. I know they'll jump start it, I'll drive it, and two days from now it won't start again. Is there anything, anything at all, I can buy to jump-start it myself from inside the car? Or something that I can plug in from inside the car that will charge it enough over a period of several hours for it to start? This is just making my life miserable. Any other suggestions that a non-mechanical older female might try would also be appreciated.

 

[plymouthcranbrook]

I have had an issue recently with our 2012 ! where upon turning the ignition key sometimes there is no response. No click, not turning over. Turning it off and redoing it always results in a quick start. i have cleaned all the grounds and the battery is less that a year old. Driven regularly. Waiting to see what happens next.

 

[GeoSoul]

I have had nothing but starting issues from Day 1 when I purchased my 2014 Kia Soul Exclaim brand new. I never know if it is going to start or not. The odds are, it won't. It is horrible never knowing if I will have a car that is going to start or not. The dealership says that the entire problem is due to the fact that I don't drive it enough to keep it charged. Granted, I still have less than 3,000 miles on it. But I go out every other day, start it in the carport, and actually sit in it with my foot on the accelerator (to give it a higher idle) for 25 to 30 minutes if I won't be driving somewhere. I've also had the dealer replace the battery with an Interstate battery and wire the car so that I can plug a solar-powered battery charger (it requires 20 amps) into the plug-in receptacle, which is plugged in all the time. But, nevertheless, I go out and it won't start. If it weren't for this issue, I would love the car. But this has caused me nothing but stress and grief for over four years now. I'm older, with weak hands, and can't open the hood myself to utilize a regular battery charger and have no friends or family to jump-start me; so the Roadside Service guy knows me by name. Is there anything (at any cost...I don't care) that I can buy that I could plug into that cigarette-lighter looking receptacle to jump-start the car (from inside the vehicle) myself? Eventually I am going to have an emergency and need my car to start. It's been sitting dead in the driveway now for over a week. I know they'll jump start it, I'll drive it, and two days from now it won't start again. Is there anything, anything at all, I can buy to jump-start it myself from inside the car? Or something that I can plug in from inside the car that will charge it enough over a period of several hours for it to start? This is just making my life miserable. Any other suggestions that a non-mechanical older female might try would also be appreciated.

Hi cromonof, I must have lucked out on my 2014 battery. I don't drive the Soul that much either, but more than you (usually couple times a week). I also run the radio off aux for about 8 hours a week. Knock on wood, it starts up fast every time.

There are products out there like the Stanley SimpleStart device you can use to start from inside your car. Most also have cables that you can hook directly to the battery if need be.

My nephew has one for his Ford Escape, which routinely has starting problems & this gets him going every time.

There are multiple brands available. Be sure to tell your seller you want to be able to start from inside the car.

Here's a video of one guy using it. Happy New Year to you!

PS: You would be a good candidate to buy an electric Soul. Little use and short trips are fine with them, not good for gas engines.

 

[cromanof]

Thank you so, so, so much for your response. I appreciate it so much!! And thank you for sending the video for the Stanley SimpleStart. I am going to watch it right now. I'm curious...is the starting device that your nephew has (that he has had good results with) the one that you sent me the video for (the Stanley one)? Is he able to charge-up and/or start his car from "inside"? If he can do this from inside, I will buy whatever he is using. Many, many thanks for your help. I truly need it and have no one to turn to. So, thank you.

 

[cromanof]

Many thanks, plymouthcranbrook. I will try your suggestion. Many thanks! Cindie.

 

[GeoSoul]

Thank you so, so, so much for your response. I appreciate it so much!! And thank you for sending the video for the Stanley SimpleStart. I am going to watch it right now. I'm curious...is the starting device that your nephew has (that he has had good results with) the one that you sent me the video for (the Stanley one)? Is he able to charge-up and/or start his car from "inside"? If he can do this from inside, I will buy whatever he is using. Many, many thanks for your help. I truly need it and have no one to turn to. So, thank you.

You're most welcome cromanof!

Yes, my nephew has the Stanley. I believe you can also charge it inside the house or in the car. He just leaves it in the cigarette lighter when he starts the Escape, but helped his dad start the 4Runner by connecting it with the supplied cables once.

Remember the cigarette lighter isn't as "powerful" as direct cabling, but my guess is it will start the small Soul engine easily.

His dad bought a cable connect version (he charges it through the cigarette lighter first). It's a powerful unit. The kids charge devices on it when they go on trips. Technology has come a long ways for sure!

https://www.amazon.com/DBPOWER-Portable-Starter-Emergency-Flashlight/dp/B01MU1CPOE/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1545927463&sr=8-6&keywords=battery+charger+for+cars+jump+start+through+cigarette+lighter