Tried it again just now, and got the rapid clicks that would indicate a dead battery...when I got it jumped, the guy used one of those portable battery things, not a direct car to car connection. Do those portable units sometimes not have enough juice? Or maybe I cranked the battery dead, not sure.

 

His booster pack may have needed to be charged up again, or it was getting old and not holding a charge very well.
They are very handy to have though, as long as you charge them properly.

Did you leave something on that would have drained the battery down that much in just five days?
A good battery should have been able to start the car with no problem over such short period of sitting unused.

 

You might want to get the battery load/capacity tested - like Bili said, it should hold a charge for longer than that (over 20 days according to the FSM). Have the charging system tested also. That can be done by checking for between 13.5 and 14.5 volts (ambient temperature dependent - closer to 13.5 at warmer temps., closer to 14.5 at colder temps.) with the engine running above 2000 rpm with some loads turned on (headlights on hi beam, cabin fan on high speed). If batt. and alt. test out, check quality of connections at battery, at pos. and neg. jump posts, and the hot power wire stud nut at the starter.

 

Did it crank slowly or seem like the battery was weak when you first tried to start it?

 

check the pos and neg connectors at the battery itself......not the remote connectors

they may be corroded and may need to be cleaned or replaced.

 

check the pos and neg connectors at the battery itself......not the remote connectors...

The jump post connections have been known to cause problems too, though the connections at the battery posts are more prone to heavy battery acid corrosion (out of sight, out of mind - until they give problems).

 

Thanks for the replies everyone. Cranking seemed normal, but the battery died sooner than normal I think..tried a few times before jumping, a few times after, then it was dead. The jump points looked good, didn't check the battery. Didn't notice any lights or anything else on, though could have missed something.

Ended up having to get it towed, least I have a AAA type service for that, didn't cost extra. Will let y'all know what the fix ends up being.

 

You can't just look at the jump post connections and tell much about their condition. But hopefully whoever is checking it out for you will get to the root cause and get it fixed right.

 

I have a booster pack and if the battery is dead it don't work!

 

They called today, they trickle charged it over the past couple days and say it's starting fine. Will be sure to ask them if they did a load test.

BTW, is there a proper way to do a load test with a regular multimeter? Early last year when I was having starter then battery problems, it was really hard for me to get a reliable reading with one. The one I have is a cheap multipurpose model, not designed for cars specifically.

Will also double check and see if any lights are staying on that shouldn't.