New battery and change in vehicle performance

[rloftus]

I have a 2003 FWD base model Vibe with 102,000 miles on it.

Recently the car wouldn't start, and I thought it sounded like it was cranking rather weakly so I replaced the battery. Immediately after I replaced the battery the car still wouldn't start. The next morning I was getting ready to call the tow truck to have it towed into my garage when I decided to give it one last try and it started right up. Since then it's been starting every time but the engine feels really weak, like it's missing a lot of power.

I'm still thinking it might be a fuel pump that's going and the new battery is helping but is not a permanent fix. The check engine light isn't on so I'm still driving the vehicle under the assumption that if there's no check engine light then there's no reason to think I'm going to destroy the engine anytime soon.

I know I've heard other members here comment on the computer in the engine needing to "learn" your driving style. Could the fact that I pulled the battery so I could turn it in for the core deposit and left the car sitting for several hours with no battery at all have made a significant difference? Is this one of those things where I have to wait for the computer to re-learn everything?

Bob

[JohnO]

I've disconnected my battery before and the relearning process is not that noticeable. It shouldn't affect starting or not. Does the engine crank normally with the new battery? If not, the problem could be the alternator output is too low or you have a bad cable somewhere. Check the battery voltage at idle. It should be at least 14 volts if everything is right.