+1.

FWIW, My battery reads 13.8V prior to start, drops to 10.9 when cranking and backup to 13.9 when idling.

 

I would remove the battery and take it to the store you purchased it. At 16 months it should have warranty, Have the store check it out. They should replace it if you have a big draw down in voltage The cranking amps certainly would be severely effected too. The potential bad battery/connection question must be cleared up. Good luck

 

I have a stick as well and on occasion it will do what you describe and then will start if I push down harder than normal on the clutch pedal during startup. May not solve your problem but has worked for me FWIW.

 

Mine does something similar with the plastic keys (takes several attempts before it will throw the starter), but is fine with the glass key.

 

Do you live on a hill? Try a bump start.

 

You guys were right. Apparently what it needed was a set of jumper cables and a 98 Volvo V70. I hooked up to the jump points, let the Turbobrick run for a few minutes, and the Vantage started. Laboriously.

It had the red triangle and "Electrical System Service Urgent", so I let it idle for ten minutes, then took it for a 25-mile drive and the warnings went away after the first mile or so. I kept the bluetooth OBD reader in so I could monitor the live voltage level while driving and it never dropped below 14. So the alternator is good.

It's just weird that a battery would go bad when it's not even 18 months old, and I drive the car at least once a week. I'll see what its charge is tomorrow evening, after it sits for a day. In the meantime, I'll order a battery tender.

 

Glad you got it started.

 

Excellent. Does it have a warranty remaining? Batteries can sit on a shelf at the store for a long time so they may not be good when you get it. I try to make sure that I know the date of manufacture when I buy one.

 

If the battery has 1 bad cell, that could be your issue. Have the battery tested or replaced. Batter tender isn't going to remedy your problem.

 

Yep. Even though you got it started, you may not be out of the water just yet. If you remove the battery from the vehicle and bring it to an Autozone, they can put the battery under load and see how it performs. Obviously you can just keep driving it right now and see if any issues come back and if they don't, the car's probably fine.

There are a lot of smart guys who know about desulfating batteries though and swear by the methods, though I don't think in your timeframe that would be the issue. I still strongly recommend a battery tender no matter what though, as sometimes even two weeks without driving can render our cars inoperable.

 

You don't have to take the battery out of the car for the store to test it. But I would make it accessible so they can pull off the + terminal for testing.

 

try a few more times, sometimes the key just doesn't work

 

Update: I've driven the car a couple times the last two days since jumping it with my Volvo. It starts, but the battery is obviously not healthy, it causes a stutter when starting the car. So I will be replacing the battery.

On RockAuto there's an Exide MXH8L549 AGM battery for $166 with a 4-year free replacement warranty. Any reason not to use this brand?
If others have had problems with Exide, I could always get the Motorcraft battery for $200.

 

I bought a Duracell H8 AGM from Sam's Club a few weeks ago for $180. What sold me what that it's made by East Penn/Deka, which is a highly regarded manufacturer.

 

There's a Deka battery on RockAuto, too, for about $180. How's their warranty?