Hi.
Last night i was about to leave for a short errand. I tried turning the car on and it was dead! I tried the key again and still nothing, even the annoying beeping sound was fading and not as loud as usual.
Figured it just needed a jump, so i drove my dads car over and hooked up the jumper wires (my negative then his negative then his positive finally my positive) i got back in my car and tried again, i heard clicking but engine didn't start. since his car is smaller (1997 Saturn SL1 1.6 4 dohc) i figured the battery didn't have enough power, i got in his car turned on the engine and got back in mine and tried starting it. My brother said he saw smoke, i didn't see it, but it couldn't of been much. I go my father to get in his car and throttle up the engine while i tried to start mine. the clicking came again and heard a little more noise than before but still nothing. After turning key two or three times i heard a loud pop. My father turned his car off and i jumped out of the monte. the air smelled a little like fireworks. but went away fast.
Then a while later after harassing the damn battery metal strap thing i got the battery out and used my multimeter to test the voltage, it read something like 7.6 volts. I loaded the battery into my dads car. this morning we took it into pep-boys and used the battery testing/charging machine thing to see if the battery was ok, 40 minutes later the machine said the battery was good, the battery being rated at 700 CCA but the machine said it only had 550 CCA i thought the battery was bad, but my dad said i shouldn't buy a new one. i got home, put the battery in the car, hooked it up and after trying the key once the car started up after a little while, longer than it should take but not more then 10 seconds i think.
I thought the car wouldn't even start with the crappy battery and the popping noise from the night before (which i thought for sure was a fuse), but it did, so i drove the car around for maybe half an hour trying to farther charge the battery.
when i got home i disconnected the battery and let it sit for a few hours to see if it was the battery itself that was losing power. I connected it an hour or two later and she fired right up, in the normal time with no abnormal noises.
so i guess the electrical system is losing power somewhere. what can i do about that?
i have to disconnect the battery every time i want thee car to sit and start up again a few hours later

Next problem: well the cars first owner(s) lived in Michigan, so the mufflers are pretty well rusted, the piping coming into them to. I might just go to a junk yard and find a same model car and try to get the pipes and mufflers from it, maybe this isn't a good idea? I live in Louisiana so very rust would be found (i would think). the mufflers have holes on the top of them so they seem to be causing more rust on the chassis above.

final problem: After the car has been running for a few seconds (<10) i can hear a high pitched buzzing noise coming from under the car in the rear end, maybe from the brakes, i dont know. I doubt its a very big problem, but it might be wires shorting out and the cause of my battery issues.

i wish i could figure out how to upload pictures to this site so i could help you guys understand what im saying. i cant find a manage attachments button or section.

 

What year is your monte and what engine? Any mods and how many miles?

 

1997. 3.4 dohc. No mods that i know of. everything looks stock and i havent done anything to it. 127K miles.

 

today a friend of mine said my rear end lights don't work right. they seem to blink on and off randomly, which to me sounds like a short in the electrical system, i think this is the cause of the battery draining and the high pitched sound.
how do i go about finding the cause of the bad rear end lights?

 

If your brake lights aren't working correctly, first check the bulbs of course. If the bulbs are fine, then your multifunction switch has gone bad.

 

i check the light bulbs by looking for continuity?
multifunction switch?

what should i do about the exhaust system?