How do I tell if its my battery or starter that is bad?
Hello all,
Last week, my car did not start. What was weird was that all the electrical stuff was working, my headlights and all,however; my car was not kicking over. I would turn the key and it just went all the way through so to speak. It did not crank or anything, just *click*. Someone came and gave me a jump and It started right up and worked fine until yesterday.
Same scenario, all electrical working, and same *click*. I called someone to give me a jump and let it charge for a while, but it did not start this time. Is this my battery or my starter? I would appreciate any help, this is my only car and I am stressed out of my mind!
well grab your voltmeter. your battery should read 13.5 volts. Next you have to get it to a load tester, this will impose a load drawing the battery dead, if it isn't up to par and checks the ability to accept a charge..if it fails, just get a new battery. Your starter will need all the amps the battery will put out, so if you're battery is a weak sister all you'll get is a 'click'- they will bench test your startermotor at the same place at your battery. NAPA auto parts comes to mind, but they all will bench test ya-
I took my battery to autozone, they told me it wasnt holding a charge. Just got a battery from the junk yard,its only one year old. I put the thing it and charged it, but it didn't start. All electrical works. They checked the battery at the yard, but my car is doing the same thing
invest in an interstate battery, little more money, but they will stand behind every battery, pro-rating up to ten years after purchase....on exchange..later.
When you turn the key, does everything go dim, or does everything stay the same? If everything dims, there is a good chance the battery does not have enough amps. If everything stays the same, or only dims a very little bit, then chances are the starter motor itself is defective. The click you are hearing is the solenoid engaging.
clearly you need a new battery, not a junkyard one. invest a bit and be happy, rather than the annoyance of never knowing whether it's gonna start.
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