How to Diagnose a Dead Car Battery

How to Diagnose a Dead Car Battery

It's happened to your best of us - typically when we're on the go to get somewhere: the heart-seizing, irritating "click" and dead silence in the event the ignition key's turned.

A car that will not start might have any number of things wrong from it, but probably the most common can be a dead battery. Rather than paying a tow truck to get it in for the shop at Cars for Keeps, there are many simple ways to diagnose whether your battery is dead as well more serious is amiss.

Here are a few methods to check if it's time to have a new battery or some a specialist from a mechanic.

Try turning the headlights on. If you turn the ignition key and hear a "click", however the engine doesn't rollover, this can be a good indicator that there is not enough juice to convert the engine. A good way to double-check that is to try the electrical system by activating your headlights and seeking to honk the horn. If they aren't effective, it's really a likely bet your engine is dead. If your lights work nevertheless the engine might flip over, there could possibly be a problem with your carburetor or fuel injector, and it's really time to take it straight into Cars for Keeps for most car battery repair.

Check for dirty or faulty battery connections. Put on some non-conductive (latex) gloves, pop the hood and view the contacts to your battery. If you're not whatsoever mechanically inclined, simply try to find the two large lead terminals protruding at a box, with cables leading out of your terminals. Wiggle the clamps to find out if their loose, then reaffix them securely on the terminals. Clean excessive dirt in the lead terminals when they're dirty, then start the car again. If it still doesn't start, it's probably time and energy to visit Cars for Keeps for a few car battery maintenance.

Try jumpstarting the car battery. Just like in Princess Bride, car batteries have different amounts of "deadness". A car battery that's mostly dead begins when jumpstarted. If the auto does jumpstart, you should make sure the engine is started long enough for the vehicle to recharge. If it doesn't restart, the automobile battery is liable all dead - or something like that more serious is wrong. Rather than looking through its pockets for loose change, contact us.

Faulty alternators, fuel injectors and carburetors can frequently mimic an inactive car battery, if your vehicle has reoccuring start problems or not one of the above tests work, it is a good idea to get a professional mechanic have a look under the hood. Catching these kinds of problems before they blossom in to a full breakdown can help to conserve on hefty repair costs.

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