stote and shopped. It would not start. My battery is only 5 months old.Do i need a full charge or a new alternator?
2007-11-08 15:44:15 · 16 answers · asked by bridgett s 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
get the car started while its running carefully remove the positive cable from the battery if the car dies you need an alternator/ voltage regulator. If it stays running give your battery a complete charge
2007-11-08 15:50:48 · answer #1 · answered by Double D 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Despite "Double D" only has a 3% best answer rate he has a very valid way of getting a feel for what is wrong. Just like he said. If it dies the charging system(most likely alternator) is not working.
However there are many things that can be wrong. Dirty cables, bad battery, even an ignition switch or a bad starter can do this - or you cronically have left your lights on and drive very short trips.... or you have drained your battery dead a few times because you habitually forget to turn off your lights and have damaged your battery.
Yes, if you habitually drain your battery dead by leaving the lights on a 5 month battery could very easily be bad. Seeing as you have identified the discharge being from the lights... I would tend to believe the alternator is doing it's thing. I'd have the battery tested and possibly replaced. I would consider having a headlight alarm installed or perhaps a battery wizard to prevent it from being so discharged it gets damaged.
Why does complete discharge damage the battery?
The battery has lead plates that dissolve as the battery is discharged as it becomes Lead Sulfate. When you charge it the lead sulfate plates the lead back on to the plates and the sulfate goes back into sulfuric acid(battery acid). If you erode the plates too much the Lead Sulfate can pile up on the bottom of the battery and short out the cells. You can also erode the entire plate. This is what they call a "sulfated" battery. Deep Cycle batteries are designed so this doesn't happen. Thicker Lead plates that won't completely erode and a deeper pan so it won't fill up and short the cells. However they are not designed to produce the amps to crank an engine because the increased thickness of the plates prevents them from creating the large surface area needed to supply amperage.
Hope you understood that. Get your battery tested and do something to keep yourself from messing up your battery again.
2007-11-08 16:05:58 · answer #2 · answered by adventurouscouchpotatofun 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
How long did you drive it? If it was a short trip to the store, (like 5 min or so), even a good alternator would have a hard time fully charging a dead battery.
Some autoparts stores will load test a battery for you (free), although a good overnight charge may be all it needs.
If you don't have a charger, the simplest solution may be to jump it and then go for a drive (at least 20 min), preferably during the day so that no juice is wasted on the headlights.
2007-11-08 15:59:18 · answer #3 · answered by mrthreee 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Just for future reference, when you kill the battery on your vehicle, jumping it only steals the power you need immediately, thus your battery is not receiving a charge yet. Once the car is jumped, it takes a bit of time for your alternator to start recharging the dead battery. You should typically keep the car running for probably abotu 20-30minutes after receiving a jump start to insure you will have enough power to start your car again. If, however, once your car has had sufficient time to recharge, and your vehicle still does not want to run, take the battery into an auto store and have then check it/recharge it. This will help you find whether the battery is toast, or whether you possibly need that new alternator. Hope this helps! - Vegas
2007-11-08 16:03:32 · answer #4 · answered by roll_the_dice_in_az 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Jump it again, and drive for at least 30 minutes to ensure a good charge back on the battery. Or if you have a battery charger, you can use that to save the gas.
If it still won't hold a charge, then yes, replace the battery.
Sounds like you drained the battery w/ the lights. Jumped it, but didn't give it enough time to charge enough for another start before you turned it off. In turn not allowing it to start.
2007-11-08 16:23:04 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
You didn't say how long you drove it after the jump start, but chances are it was probably not long enough to charge completely. It's just like your cell phone. A few minutes won't do it. A 5 month old battery should not be dead this soon. Drive it for about an hour, see what happens.
2007-11-08 15:55:03 · answer #6 · answered by Me again 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Bridgett, about half of life's problems require a volt meter to solve. Here's one now.
If your engine is running, the alternator should put out about 13.5 to just a tiny bit over 14 volts. Then, when the engine is shut off, your battery should be left with a charge of about 12.5.
When the alternator voltage is up over 13.5, then the alternator is working fine. If that is happening and your battery won't hold a charge, then you know it's your battery.
2007-11-08 15:55:33 · answer #7 · answered by Firebird 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A short trip to the store is not enough to charge a totally dead battery, but if you are curious about the alternator double D is correct in his answer.
2007-11-08 15:54:57 · answer #8 · answered by cimra 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Be careful about removing battery cables with engine running. You could damage the engine "computer" or ecm as it's called. Take your car to where you got the battery and get the charging system tested. Sounda like alt. is not charging. Could be fuse, loose wire or bad alt.
2007-11-08 15:59:00 · answer #9 · answered by tronary 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I would take it to the shop and have the battery tested. I could be that you have a bad battery, even at 5 mos.
2007-11-08 15:47:36 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋