Your car’s vehicle may run on fuel like the human body on food, but the vehicle’s battery is the heart that delivers energy to the different parts of the engine. Debunking the mysteries of how a cell works will help you determine if it needs replacement. The average lifespan of a car battery is an estimated five years. However, you may find yourself replacing it sooner than you think. We are still far away from a certain degree of technology can a car battery recharge itself so you must always be vigilant to make sure that it’s getting proper maintenance. When on a road trip or on your way to work, a car battery completely dead is something that can get you into trouble. Replacing a car battery isn’t expensive at all since one could only cost under $200.
So why do car batteries die? Batteries have limited years in them so that means it also ages and slowly becomes unable to maintain a charge due to corrosion. You can test the battery first by checking if a charge is still being sent without the need to start the engine. Check the battery gauge through its lighting and the dimness is definitely a sign. See if the windows and the wipers are working. The power must be turned off after then put the car power on the run. If after a few tries and the car still won’t start, wipe the corrosive on the battery away and try to use jumper cables if you know how otherwise get a professional to do it for you. A start could mean that the car’s battery is being run by the alternator but it can’t hold a charge without it.
Five Telltale Signs That You Need A Replacement Car Battery
A dead car battery can display different signs when it can no longer serve you, but the manifestations don’t appear the same all the time. There are, however, a few clues that will let you know what to expect when the battery you’re dealing with is no longer working.
- The radio and the headlights are not working. The lights would also sometimes appear very dim. The receiver runs on the car battery so one could quickly tell that the battery had is already drained. However, you need to thoroughly check because another cause of radio and headlight failure may come from the wiring, corroded battery connectors or if the primary fuse has blown over.
- When there’s no reaction after turning the ignition key on. It is the most obvious sign as you won’t feel the reverberating engine nor the sound of one after trying to activate it. Alternatively, other components may come into play hindering the engine to run such as problems on the switch of the ignition itself or a faulty starter.
- When your car won’t jump start at the beginning of the day but it will later on. This issue is a tricky one. There’s a high chance that the battery is being affected by a parasitic drain. This irregular discharge of power caused by an electrical device or when a short circuit occurred. In this case, the drain-source must be located to get fixed. Other causes of this issue may have to do with the cold temperatures during the winter when the flow of current slows down. Getting a new battery with a higher raw resistance rating would benefit your car.
- The engine won’t start even when the motor gives off a noise that it’s running after the ignition key tries activating it. The sputtering of the starter motor and finally coming to a halt after laboring is another sign of a dead battery. Sometimes it only means a spark or a fuel problem if the engine starts to run like it usually does state, or the motor itself is having issues with not getting enough current from the battery. In this case, a bad engine or not enough spark or fuel could also be the cause.
- There’s an absence of the door chime or the dome light at the insertion of the keys. There will be no lights, sounds or any signs activating if the battery is dead. Any lights may give off dim lighting, but aside from a dead battery, in this case, a broken door switch or a faulty fuse might be causing it.