Totally unrelated help needed ASAP


SpaceMouse

SpaceMouse

Fun Lover
It's cold out, 9 degrees and car won't turn over. Battery seems strong, but starter can't hack it.

Any hints.

I need my cheap bottle of wine so I can hang out under the bridge incognito.
 
Does it crank over at all? slowly? ECU needs to see a set RPM to start the car.
does starter click? if it does the batt voltage/charge is low

can you add jumper cables or car caharger to give the batt a boost?

just becarefull that you dont get stranded after the car starts and you drive off. If the batt is still weak it may do the same next time you try to start it. Bring your cables
 
Batteries get notoriously weaker in cold weather, esp if it is a older one. Put it on a charger to warm it up, and see if that helps.
 
can also be a bad ground on the starter. With the lights on can you tell if they dim badly when you crank the car? if they dim the batt is low on charge. if they are still brite when you crank and its clicking it could be a bad ground strap. if you live where they use road salt this is a common problem. some times that strap is a little louse and needs to be wiggled to make contact. if this works you should have it looked at soon as it will just happen again
 
If none of the other suggestions help and your battery is ok try shorting your starter to see if you got a bad starter. I have had that crap happen to me before also. Just take a long insulated screwdriver and contact the 2 studs should turn over. But charge your Battery first..
 
Some starters can freeze up, believe it or not, or their solenoids can. This is especially true after slushy driving conditions and a good solid freeze that night.

You can try heating the solenoid and starter shell with a torch, or tap it with a big pipe wrench...sometimes that works. Torch must be wielded wiith a couple of clues working for you, of course...don't want to melt anything or break welds.

I also agree that batteries that have to run lots of accessories, and do it during cold winter months, are often good for about three years, depending on quality and care. If you never top up the cells (maintenance-free means absolutely nothing), you can expect to lose potential over time...means cranking power.

I also agree that corroded connections, either at the battery terminals or on the frame/block, and at the devices that need power, are entirely possible. In places where road salt is used, you can pretty much assume it is at least part of your problem.

-Crandell
 
Cheap wine.

Hey Chip.
I'd call the Auto Club and settle down to wait for them to show up, with that bottle of cheap wine.
Mac
 
Ever clean your battery off. The grease that builds up on top and the sides can conduct electricity and drain your battery. The white fuzz growing on the battery terminals, isn't supposed to be there. Use a mix of baking soda and water to break down the acid and was it away. Heck, few tablesspoons in a gallon bucket of water would be fine. Be sure the baking soda doesn't get inside the battery.
Do your power windows seem slugish? Does your power seat run slower when your sitting in it? All signs of a weak battery.
 
My first thing would be the Auto Club also. :) Here are my guesses:

1. Bad cell(s) in battery

2. Corroded battery terminals

3. Bad ground strap

4. Bad starter motor

Hope you have it sorted out by now.
 
turn off any accessories that may have been left on inside the car. Radio, HVAC, ect....

Warming up the battery will help too
 
Hope she started Space?

sence on topic

Ever have a batt blow up in front of you? Its Not cool! when ever you connect those jumper cables I like to put the + on first then connect the - to the frame away from the batt.that way a chance of a spark is away from the batt. Even with safe practice I still was able to have one blow up in front of me last year. Luckly I had gloves and sunglasses on!

I remember as a kid a friends car died when he left the interior lights on over night when we were camping out. We had no cash, no jumper cables and out in the sticks on a sunday. We did have a tool kit in the other car so instead of going into town I rememberd what an old trucker tought me. I took the good battery out of one car and made its post touch the post on the bad battery. Started the car right up.Its Not safe but I guess its something to try in a jam. Just close your eyes and pray!
 
Still working on it. I tried to jump it but my wife's car is deader than mine. I hve the charger on it. Going to try again soon. I called auto club just last week--fuel pump.
 
if it has an automatic trickel charger leave it on over night. you could even run jumper cables over to the other dead batt and trickel both. if you see smoke there almost done charging!
 
I called the auto club and a jump started it. The battery was really falkey and tested good one second then not good. I went to Autozone and got a new one. Now everything is hunky-dory.
 
Chip, same thing happened to my battery about a month ago. It's only two years old but it went from working fine to hardly cranking the car overnight. Tested it and it had two bad cells. Obviously wasn't the cold here so just something wrong with the battery to begin with or bad luck. I also got a new battery and no trouble since.
 
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