digest
Short Summary
Main recommendation: If a car won't start, first check whether the battery is the problem by looking for simple signs like a clicking or slow crank, dim lights, a reset clock, and a battery older than about four to five years, then have a free load test done at an auto parts store. The creator's diagnosis in this case was a seven-year-old battery that failed under load, so it was replaced.
Key Points
- Signs of a dying battery in the video include slow cranking, dimming headlights, beeping, and the clock resetting to 12:00 after power loss.
- A battery light on the dash, if present, can point to either a bad battery or a non-charging alternator. Its absence while driving and with the headlights and blower on suggested the alternator was fine.
- Cold weather (about 30°F in this case) can expose a weak battery.
- A dirty negative battery terminal can cause starting and headlight problems, so cleaning terminals is worth checking.
- A multimeter reading around 12.6 volts with the engine off suggests a healthy battery; the creator's own multimeter test showed about 10 volts, well below that mark, and the parts store printout later showed 13 volts after the car had been jump-started and run.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions:
- Check the battery age by looking for a sticker on top or on the side with month and year markings. If none is marked, mark the month and year of purchase with a marker. Here, the battery was about seven years old.
- Clean the battery terminals if you see crystallization or corrosion, and make sure multimeter probes make clean contact with the posts.
- To test with a multimeter, set it to 20 DC volts, connect black to negative and red to positive, and check for about 12.6 volts with the engine off.
- If you lack a multimeter, jump-start the car, drive to an auto parts store, and ask for a free battery load test and alternator check.
- At the parts store, the load test printout showed 315 cold cranking amps against an expected 850, and the battery was marked for replacement. Check the battery label for its cold cranking amp rating and size; this battery was rated 850 CCA, 1000 regular amps, and size 65 N.
- Batteries typically last about four years (the creator also mentioned four to five years earlier), and the creator noted a three-year warranty with possible prorated refunds after that, using five years as an example of when it might go bad.
- A parasitic draw (something draining the battery while the engine is off) is possible but was not the cause in this case.
- The creator noted that a clean, tight connection is important when testing voltage.
Bottom Line
In this case, a seven-year-old battery that failed a load test was the cause, and the car started normally after replacement. Testing the battery before assuming a bigger problem can save time and money.
