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Can't jumpstart car
Darkewolfe
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I have an '05 Mazda 3, a little car, and since I've been relying on public transportation for months, I goofed and forgot to visit/run my car for about three months. Got a friend to come out and try to jump me, but after running the other car for a good 20 minutes or so while hooked up to my car, it didn't look like any progress was being made at all. The ignition wouldn't even make that clicking sound when you turn the key. The only light on the dash that would light up was the little oil light bit, and that was lighting from the start. (Please forgive my ignorance on all things car.)
Should I try to take the battery in and get it tested somewhere? Is there possibly something I was doing wrong while trying to jump the car? (Connected the hot leads to both cars while they were off, then connected the grounds. Started the good car, let it run a bit.) Is it likely that leaving the car alone for that long would honestly have killed the battery, rather than just draining it?
Should I try to take the battery in and get it tested somewhere? Is there possibly something I was doing wrong while trying to jump the car? (Connected the hot leads to both cars while they were off, then connected the grounds. Started the good car, let it run a bit.) Is it likely that leaving the car alone for that long would honestly have killed the battery, rather than just draining it?
What is this I don't even.
Darkewolfe on
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Does this car have a starter motor? it might be a faulty starter or another engine problem.
An 05 is pretty new for this, but I've had a little bit of starter trouble before where the starter just gets gunk in it and needs the application of entropy to be shaken out of it's stuck position. ESPECIALLY if the oil light is on and oil has been dripping on the starter.
Try this:
1) Make sure you're at a healthy oil level.
2) Get a hammer, locate the starter of the car.
3) Get a friend to turn the key as you tap the starter with the hammer, being EXTREMELY careful to keep away from all moving parts.
EDIT: Other things to check:
Make sure all leads running from the battery to the engine and chassis are firmly connected. Sometimes weather corrodes these grounding connections, and the car will fail to start. Follow the cables back from the battery, and it should branch off and connect to different parts of your car.
Just checking. Sometimes (esp with honda/toyota) these cars have safety switches that get loose. Giggle the gear around in park and see if that helps.
The red line was positive to positive, the black line was negative to negative.
Jiggled the gear a bit while we were fiddling. For some reason I was thinking it was supposed to be in neutral, but I think that's just manuals and this is an automatic.
You didn't jump the car right.
Connect the negative cable to the good battery's negative post, then connect the other end of the cable to a metal part of the engine compartment in your car.
What he needs to do is try starting it in park.
The car was overdue for an oil change. That's part of why I abandoned it in the garage for awhile, a full tank of gas and an oil change was gonna cost me too much for the budget I was on. I finally got a raise and feel like I can use the car again, and I can't even start the thing. Sigh.
It was in park. I was trying to put it in neutral but the car wouldn't let me shift.
Yeah, you can do it battery to battery. You just have to be careful because the battery can melt or explode then. Does the battery still have water in the cells?
but they're listening to every word I say
I've never seen that work. I'll bet you a Coke on it, though; if he tries jumping it my way and it still doesn't work, PM me your address and I'll send one out tomorrow with two bucks for a bag of ice.
I have no idea, how would I know?
As to the heat of summer, the car has been in an underground, air conditioned garage and not exposed to any ridiculously terrible elements or anything, though I'm sure it got a bit warm sometimes.
I've jumped cars that way before. I've read recommendations that you don't want to do it because it might be more dangerous, but I know you can do it either way, and have definitely done it that way before.
Instead of ice, can you send AAA? ;P
There are caps on the top, usually they write the battery warning stuff on them. You can lift them up and look.
but they're listening to every word I say
http://www.expertvillage.com/video/16410_battery-water.htm
EDIT: I was actually wagering with Pulvaan, but sure, you can get in on that action. Going negative to negative isn't a good idea, I promise if you google "how do I jump a car", they're going to tell you to ground the good battery's negative to the dead car's engine bay. It can't hurt anything to try.
Ok... can't go back to the car right now, but if the battery is dead, will it definitely be out of water/if it does have enough water, is it definitely not completely dead?
Yeah, I've done this as well -- just recently. Unfortunately the crappy set of jumper cables we had in the car were connected, so I can only connect the negative lead like 6-8 inches away from the positive lead, which meant I had to go to the negative battery terminal because I didn't have enough room to reach any other ground on the car.
It will work if you have to jump it that way.
But yeah, you should be revving the engine of the good car a bit, and especially while you're trying to start the dead car. A lot of time just letting it idle won't work well enough to charge the battery.
And to WP - I had a 1982 toyota tercel with a starter problem. I was always jumpstarting that thing. i almost always did negative to negative lead. Never had a problem or had a battery explode in my face.
If it is out of water that is bad, you probably need a new battery. If it does have water that doesn't really mean anything other than your battery isn't messed up that way.
but they're listening to every word I say
This is correct. The fumes referred to are Hydrogen Gas. Grounding to the chassis reduces the chance that a spark during disconnect will ignite the Gas, though the quantities of Hydrogen produced by a battery are usually very low anyway.
Also you can check the battery with a voltmeter. A reading of 12-13 volts is normal, 13-14 volts while the car is running (and charging), 10-11 volts means the battery is low or weak, and anything less than 10 volts is a dead battery. Anything less than 9 volts usually means the battery is completely borked and needs to be replaced.
The battery has died once before.
I wouldn't even trust deionized water. Stick with distilled water for refilling battery cells.
I was going to suggest this, too, though I don't know enough about cars to know if that could actually make such a difference.
Gonna try a bigger engine, revving, tomorrow afternoon. Will also check the battery stuff at that time. Will check back in with you guys then.
If the battery is completely dead even a running car with a big alternator might not have enough output, because you are also trying to charge the dead battery when you are starting the car. This takes a lot of juice. My hi output smart charger can take several hours to bring a dead battery back to life, and it out puts way more than a car alt. Revving the motor can help because the alt. only puts out about 13 volts at idle, but even the revved output is not enough unless the dead car has something left in the battery. Be careful because you are making a Parallel connection. This doubles(or there abouts) the potential amperage if both batteries are in decent shape. Might make the computer unhappy.