my car won't start?

Question

its really cold, i've had it plugged in for about 2 hours. it almost starts it just won't turn over. do i need to keep it plugged in for a really long time or is my car broken. any suggestions or comments please. i'm really car stupid and i'm sure any mechanic can sence that, i don't want to end up paying out my *** for things that are not wrong. please help

Answer 1

If you can remove caps to check water level, clean top of battery with water and use a paper towel to dry and get a good grip. Wear glasses. Also, make sure your belts are not loose. Leave the charger plugged in for a long time until it is not very warm. Make sure the battery cables are tight by trying to move them from side to side. If loose, place a cardboard or thick towel over any metal near the + or positive terminal and support the post and cable with your hand while you tighten very carefully until it won't move from side to side. A battery that has been down for a long time will sulfate and take at least 24 hours to return to normal. A really low battery will freeze in very cold weather. Keep top of battery clean by flushing with water and then wipe clean with a paper towel. Check out the link below in source!
Checking Your Car Battery
Adapted From: Auto Repair For Dummies ~

Answer 2

We purchase old cars all the time and battery issues always come up. Heres are 2 ideas that might help keep it starting & what it could be. One car wasn't driven in the winters & if left it to long without driving wouldn't start either. So every few days I would start it for a couple of minutes. If I waited longer then that I would need a jump. I would just try this if I was you. Another car wouldn't start & had to be jumped every morning. After buying 3 new batteries we found out the Antenna was the cause. Somehow draining the battery. We disconnected the antenna and haven't had a problem since. Probably not what is causing your problem but just a heads up that something small like that could be what's wrong.

Answer 3

Just leave it plugged in for awhile. If the battery is weak you may need to get a jump but it will start eventually. Once it does start let it run long enough to recharge the battery. Leave it plugged in as long as it's really cold. It's not broken, it's just reluctant.

Answer 4

No reputable mechanic is going to ask you to fix things that aren't broken. If you have avoided doing maintenance on the vehicle for a long period, you need to have it looked at. You probably need to clean battery connections at the very least, and perhaps a new battery is needed.

Answer 5

You could spend thousands of dollars trying to guess what's wrong. If the car has not been worked on in a while, my first guess would be a weak battery. Cold weather naturally lowers battery output, and a weak battery would be worse.

Answer 6

Sounds like the battery. If you can start the car by getting a "jump" from another vehicle then you need to replace the battery.

Answer 7

If it ran good when u shut it off then its just somthing simple. make sure the battery is fully charged, and when u say pluged in is this a diesel or just an aftermarket heater?? i would take a drop light and set it under the hood (make sure not close to anything that ca melt. u just need to get some heat under it. Good luck.

Answer 8

First of all, what kinda car is this? Gas or diesel? What temp is it there? gas could be froze, diesel could be gelled. Battery could be bad. Call a wrecker service and have them come out and give you a jump because they will know what's going on.

Answer 9

take the battery out and have it tested. check to see if the cell's are dry.