my battery just went dead, after working perfectly all year, had a jump start, dead next morning..HELP!!!?

Question

Yeah will get a charge today..........is there any simple signs that it is the battery rather than the alternator thats dead!

Battery is only 12 months old!!!

Lost the warranty!

Do I look like i have a clue what all those wires and caps mean in my car?? LOl

I have no clue sorry..............thanks for trying to help though! Simplicity works best for me xx

ok, thanks............are there any signs that would tell me its definitely the battery thats gone..........ie lights not coming on etc

Answer 1

after a jump take the car out for a 30 min drive without the stereo or a/c running(jk about the a/c now). After that go to autozone or equivalent store and have them test the battery and alternator to see if its in working order. Second see if you have a sealed battery or not. If not pry the plug off with a screw diver(dont touch the posts. and see if the float is up, if not, then add distilled water to it. If the post have alot of white gunk on it, use soda water to clean it(pour it on it one post at a time.)

Answer 2

When you are driving check the dashboard lights to see that the ignition light is off, if its not your alternator/generator is not recharging the battery.
When you get home at the end of the day disconnect the non earth lead at the battery and only reconnect it next morning when you want to start the car.
If the car does not start the battery is not holding its charge, you need a new battery.
If it does start the battery is discharging through the night. You either have left something switched on, or you have current leaking to earth through one of the circuits, excluding any car clock you have. Leaks can cause car fires, don't delay, trace the source.
One way of doing this is assuming your battery has some charge, is to go to the fuse box in semi-darkness and with everything switched off including doors and boot lid closed, withdraw and replace the fuses one be one looking for mild electrical sparks as you do this. That way you find a single circuit causing the problem. At this stage you will probably require an experienced electrician's help.

Answer 3

Sounds like a dead short somewhere in the car. Unfortunately you will have to check all the connections and switches that remain live when the ignition is off. You say that the battery is 12 months old so that should be OK. One way to check for large discharge of power is to disconnect one of the terminals from the battery and put an lamp (bulb) 12v between the contact and the terminal of the battery, if this lights up brightly than the problem is that something is earthing in the car. So as you know nothing take it to a garage or auto electrician for fixing.

Answer 4

Get a new battery (if your car needs a jump start then it means that you need a new battery).

Your battery is dead and won't be holding much of a charge ever again (if you do a deep discharge of a car battery then you do ruin the battery, they aren't designed for that).

As for the alternator, if the alternator warning light (which rather strangely looks like a battery is coming on while you're driving then you have an alternator problem), if that light only comes on when you are starting the car and then stays off while driving then it isn't the alternator (if it doesn't come on when you try to start the car then you've got a burned out light bulb).

Answer 5

Sounds like a dead short in the battery - this can happen without any warning - one minute OK next gone.

If the light work and then go out when you try to start this is the most likely problem.

Get a garage AA, RAC to do a battery check

The car will run OK on the alternator only once its started, but if its a duff battery it wont hold the charge from the alternator.

Answer 6

If you have been driving with the headlights on on dark mornings it is possible that the battery is simply discharged. Get it charged .
The only way to really check if a battery is duff is to get it charged by a garage and subjected to a high discharge rate with a meter.
Alternator? If the light goes out it is most likely OK but again the charge rate can be checked by a garage.
Sorry to keep on about garages and their cost but the equipment is even more expensive!
I had two MGs - a MGTF and an MGZS they would flatten new batteries in a two or three days simply by leaving the security set.
RoyS.

Answer 7

Probably the battery,the cold weather is a killer...if you don't see any red or orange lights on your dashboard when driving then generally your alternator is working OK..a red light would indicate that itś not charging,if you are not sure go to a garage/kwik Fit etc and get it checked they often do free winter check ups, you know something is wrong so you wont be surprised when they tell you the battery needs replacing (and not just drumming up business!)

Answer 8

really sounds like the alternator or a really CRAPPY battery you bought you can jump a car with a dead battery but it won't charge which means it it will dead the nxt time you try start her up alternator aslo how old is the car it should have a battery light get her started and rev her up to the max the battery light should come on if it's the alternator just a thought?

Answer 9

Geesh.............
Look on the top of the battery. If you see removable caps ( 2 of them)...Take a screwdriver and pop them off. Look into the little round cylinders and check the fluid level.
If they appear low add water to the fill level.
In each cylinder there will be a little Ring embossed to let you know how high the water level should be...

Then charge it.


Yes people they are still wet cell batteries...
And most of the so called "maintenance free" batteries still have caps that can be removed to refill their charging cells....
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How to maintain a car battery

It's a good idea to have your car's entire charging system checked once a year, especially after your battery is more than two years old if you live in a warm climate or four years old if you live in a cold climate. This includes the alternator, voltage regulator, belts, and connecting cables. Of course, don't wait until a year is up if you notice potential signs of weakness such as hesitant start-up.

Between routine servicing, check periodically to make sure the cables and terminals are snug and retighten as necessary for good contact. If your connections are dirty or showing a lot of corrosion, disconnect and clean them with a wire brush or cleaning tool. Be aware that when you disconnect the battery, you may have to re-enter a security code in your radio or navigation system.

If you have a sealed, maintenance-free battery with no removable caps, there's little else you need to do. If your battery has removable caps, check the water level periodically, and refill with distilled water as needed.

Finally, if the vehicle is going to be parked or stored for an extended period of time, you may want to consider investing in a trickle charger to keep it charged.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/news/september-2006/car-battery-installation-and-maintenance-9-06/overview/0609_car-battery-installation-and-maintenance_ov.htm

Answer 10

First, look under the hood...

Lots of corrosion on the battery terminals will decrease the life of any battery...

Get it charged and have a technician give it a load test equivalent to its CCA (cold cranking amps).

You've made no mention of the car's general health so going forward, let's assume its got a good drive belt on the alternator. If you have had no warning lights related to the charging system, then you're good to go.