Can you identify why my car isn't starting?

Question

First of all, there has been a sudden cold snap. Below freezing.

Yesterday after driving all over the place, starting it over and over again with no problem, it refused to start. It sounds like VERY dead battery. I got it jumped and it idled just fine, but when I turned it off and tried to re-start it, it died.

In the morning I got a jump, and I was able to drive it a few blocks before it died when I down-shifted at a stop sign. I got another jump and was able to make it onto the highway just a block away. I got a mile down the road and it died again when I downshifted at a stoplight.

Anyone have any ideas on where to start?

Answer 1

Your Alternator is Gone, Replace it! The Bad Alternator Drained your Battery Down to Nothing! Remove the battery and have it Fully Charged, "Load Test" it at 50% of CCA for 15 Seconds to see if if will Take and Hold a Charge (Dueing the "Load Test" the Battery Voltage should Not Drop below 9.6 Volts, if Below Replace it!)

Answer 2

Alright, I'm sorry I was not on to try to save you from some of these stupid answers earlier. Lets address some of the issues that a few of the answers pose.

Lets begin with "wiseornotyoudecide". I decide that he is a moron. He told you to start the vehicle and then remove the positive battery cable. This is stupid, very stupid. See, here is the deal, your alternator output is determined by the voltage regulator and also by your vehicle being hooked to the battery. See, when you have the vehicle running and you remove the battery cable, you remove the limitation on the alternator and the voltage regulator. The alternator will "charge wild", and when it does, it is possible for it to turn out 130 volts or more. And with high voltage output, you have no protection against it, fuses protect against amps, not volts, you could run 1,000,000 volts through a 5 amps fuse at only 2 amps, and it would just roll on by the fuse. If you get a voltage spike with the battery cable disconnected and the vehicle running, you'll send ALOT of volts through systems that are only meant to run on 12 or 5 volts. This can cause alot of damage to a vehicle in less then 2 seconds. But hey, if you wanna listen to him go ahead, its not my vehicle. This guy is a moron who has no idea what he is talking about, his answer is comprised of made-up statements that hold no truth. Yes, you can check the voltage output of an alternator with a volt meter, but that's about useless when testing an alternator, the only real way to test it is to full field it and compare the output to the service manual's specified output rating for that alternator, but hey, he wouldn't know that now would he.

Lets move on to "paul h". I'm not going to be as hard on him, he isn't really as far off base as some of the others. It is true that colder weather will make harder starting conditions for a battery, and it is true that when its colder, the engine oil is thicker, which makes the starter work harder and turn slower, and the slower it turns, the high amp draw it has. But the CCA rating is specifically for cold weather conditions, the CCA rating is the available amps at 0 degrees Fahrenheit. That's the only thing he was a little off on.

Now, about your car. Your vehicle does have common symptoms of a failing alternator, but that does not mean that it is definitely that. See, when a vehicle like this comes into the shop, one with problems starting or staying running, I always do 3 things. Check the starter, check the battery, and check the alternator, that way, you have a good idea of whats going on in your starting and charging system. My suggestion is to have at least your battery load tested and the output of your alternator tested, and see what those tests turn up, chances are your problem will be found with that.

Answer 3

Sounds like a bad alternator which is what powers the car when running and also recharges the battery. The battery just holds reserve power to start the car and could be getting weak especially in really cold weather but the alternator is what the car runs on when driving.....technically, once the car is started, you could disconnect the battery and it should run off the alternator power but on newer cars, it can damage components to do this. Best to have them both tested as well as the battery cables for a good connection. I usually recommend to have the biggest battery---most CCA that will fit your car ---to aid in starting for very cold weather. Batteries lose 50 percent or more of their starting power in very cold temps so a 600 CCA battery may only have 300 CCA or less in cold weather plus a cold engine is harder to start because of the engine oil getting thicker.

Answer 4

Number one start the car and remove the positive wire from the battery while the vehicle is running if dies is your alternator. If it runs for 30 seconds or less is your fuel filter or fuel pump. If it goes for over 30 seconds and dies is usually normal because many vehicles do require the battery to be connected to run but can still be diagnosed for bad alternator this way. You can also perform the alternator test with a voltmeter but you need to refer to your vehicles manual on how to do it, but the method I described works on every vehicle. If the alternator is good simply replace the battery and see what happens.

Answer 5

sounds like you have a bad battery with a dead cell, or doesnt have enough cold cranking amps (listed as CCA on the tag). i would try a new battery....if you live in really cold weather climate try a 800CCA or bigger. also clean cable connections are important in cold weather. you may want to try a bottle of Heat or ice out for the fuel too.

Answer 6

the fuel and air mixture is messed, and the battery is dead, below freezing messes with tones of compontents

Answer 7

Congratulations dude, your alternator is broken!