Current Events > my car battery was dead. i jumped it and it was fine for a day. now its dead

(+) Yeah! (+)

again. what do i do? is my battery bad? need replacement?

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Likely out of capacity. How long did your car run for after jumping it?

Try jumping it again and letting it run for maybe 30 minutes to an hour. If it fails to start again the next day, you might need a replacement.

Also check if your battery terminals need cleaning.
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You most likely need a new battery and need to get it replaced.

Did you drive it for a while after you jumped it to recharge the battery?

Could be a power drain. Sometimes it's as simple as interior lights being left on. Could also be the alternator isnt charging the battery

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You could possibly need a new alternator, but hopefully it's just the battery.

got a multimeter? you can test the battery with it, you can also test the starter and alternater to see if any of those are the issues.

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how old is the battery?

if it's a few years old get rid of pos an replace it.

in most cases it's just the battery, not alt or starter.

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It's not safe but with the car running remove the negative cable from the battery and if it dies soon after then it's the alternator.

Problem is that if not done right you can fry your fuses and things.

I've done it several times and nothing ever happened.... yet.

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Have the battery tested, it's it's fine it's the alternator.

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KillerKhan420 posted...

Have the battery tested, it's it's fine it's the alternator.

Pretty much this. Most auto parts stores will test your battery for free. That's the first step.

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Corrupt_Power posted...

Likely out of capacity. How long did your car run for after jumping it?

i drove on the freeway for an hour.
NES4EVER posted...

Could also be the alternator isnt charging the battery

yeah im going to buy a voltameter and check.

youngskillz posted...

how old is the battery?

if it's a few years old get rid of pos an replace it.

in most cases it's just the battery, not alt or starter.

yeah its pretty old. we got this car from my fiancees parents in 2016. i dunno when they changed it.

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Is there any corrosion on the (- +) thingies?

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when i had that issue it just required replacing the battery


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I've had that issue resolved by replacing the battery and had it resolved by fixing an issue with the parts that connect to the battery.

Is there like a date on the battery?

Hell even a cheap brand one can cost $90.

Would suck to buy that and it be just you cords or connector thingies.

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PrettyBoyFloyd posted...

Is there like a date on the battery?

Hell even a cheap brand one can cost $90.

Would suck to buy that and it be just you cords or connector thingies.

If it were the cords and connectors to the battery terminals, I have a hard time believe the car would have cranked after the TC had the car jumped.

yeah i think its just a bad battery. ill get a new one

thanks for your help CEchanics

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How long have had you had the battery vnd had there been any battery acid leaking out?

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Mezcla posted...

yeah i think its just a bad battery. ill get a new one

thanks for your help CEchanics

Have it checked first, but yeah, it's probably a bad battery.

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_Rinku_ posted...

You could possibly need a new alternator, but hopefully it's just the battery.

This is the answer.

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So the battery is more than four years old? I doubt it's the alternator.

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I got a Scosche Powerup 300a car jumper/powerbank and I don't have to worry so much about my battery anymore. btw I got it from a Target store.

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If it was the alternator it wouldn't have started back up. Get a new battery.
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voldothegr8 posted...

If it was the alternator it wouldn't have started back up. Get a new battery.

I was able to jump start my car when its alternator went out. I'm assuming by "it was fine yesterday" that TC meant he was able to jump it and drive it home, which is totally possible under the circumstances.

Really hope it's just a battery though; replacing the alternator is kinda pricey (or at least it was to me as a college student at the time).

@Mezcla if you get the battery replaced, you might be able to get a discount on a new one for bringing in the old battery. That's how it works in my state (Alabama) at least.

Batteries have a life of 5 years, after that they can go bad. It's very likely the battery is bad because of how old it is, but there's also a possibility it is your alternator. Get the battery tested to see if it works correctly, if it does, then the problem is your alternator and you'll need to take it to a mechanic.

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