Getting in the car and turning the ignition first thing in the morning and nothing happens, isn’t the best way to start off the day. To get the car started normally the first thought is to get out the jumper cables and jump-start the car. Even if the car is started with jumper cables, there could be other problems besides a bad battery.
There are a few things that could cause the car not to start that could be an easy fix before the jumper cables are brought out. These are some of the things that should be looked at before getting out the jumper cables
To jumpstart a battery, position another vehicle so that both batteries are in close proximity to each other. It’s best to use another vehicle that has at least the same size battery or larger as the car that’s being jump-started.
Make sure that both vehicles are the park position (neutral for standard transmission) and the parking brake is properly set. Position vehicles on a level surface if possible. Keep the engine running on the vehicle brought up. Make sure the two vehicles are not touching.
The following steps should be used in the exact order listed below. Red cables are for positive (+) and black cables are for negative (-)
If the engine stops running after the jumper cables are removed, this usually means that the alternator is bad. A good alternator will send enough of a charge to the battery to keep the engine running. If the alternator’s bad, it won’t send enough of a charge to keep the engine running.
Normally if something was left on to drain the battery then the battery should be OK. If not the vehicle should be taken in to make sure the battery is still good. If the battery checks out OK and the vehicle is still having battery problems, there’s probably something else wrong with the vehicle. There could be something that’s drawing power from the battery and an auto repair technician should be consulted.
There’s nothing worse on an alternator than charging a dead battery. The alternator gets overworked, which may cause premature failure of the alternator. Constantly jumping the battery is not advisable for the health of the alternator.
As part of a routine scheduled maintenance, the battery should be tested to make sure it’s at full strength. If there is any corrosion or exposed battery cable wires, the cables or cable ends should be cleaned or replaced.
If you’ve ever been stuck in the middle of muddy, sloppy, or other difficult terrain and tried to slog your…
If you're in the market for new car speakers, you'll know that there are a number of options available. Numerous…
Due to their construction, subwoofers need a significant amount of power to recreate low-frequency sounds. A subwoofer amplifier is an…
Sound systems without subwoofers will have a faint and uninspiring sound. So, in order to get that deep bass and…
Despite the fact that your car radio is mainly designed for listening to music, you may connect other devices to…
An air compressor is a tool for creating controlled amounts of air pressure. You can use it to inflate items,…