Okay, so my car won’t start. I had to get a jump at the grocery store to get home, and my battery terminal appeared to be loose, so I tightened that. Now when I attempt to start my car, I am getting a crackling poping nosie, and it will not start.
Any ideas how to fix this, I cannot afford to be missing any work. It ran fine from the jump, but now it won’t start. I have not tried another jump as that won’t fix the obvious issue.
Thanks for any help you can give.
I realize the car isn’t starting, but is the engine even turning over?
Can you hear the fuel pump buzzing when you turn the ignition on?
I did hear the fuel pump going before the jump, and it is likely still going now, but I did not hear the clicking pop before the jump. And its pretty loud as is my exhaust. I do not recall the clicking before the jump at the least, It was trying to turn over initially, the way a car with a near dead battery would, but then that stopped, and right now it is not trying to turn over.
Also, on a side note, in case this helps in some way, for awhile now if it is really cold, my radio appears to cut out, the clock does not reset or anything, it just dies and comes back on. For the last two days, obviously not too cold, it has done this, but with the radio dying for long periods of time. Thought I should mention this on the off chance it might help to diagnose the issue.
How old is that battery?
Some possibilities
Battery is too weak to make starter move
Corroded battery terminals/cables
Starter is faulty
I’d look into the battery first. If it’s more than 5 years old, it should be replaced.
BTW . . . have you tried charging the battery first? Perhaps that trip after the jump start was not enough to sufficiently recharge the battery.
I have a feeling it is the battery, and I am fairly sure that the trip from the grocery store was not long enough to charge the battery. I bought the batter about 2 years old, but I have had issues with it the majority of the time. Autozone put the battery on, but they did a poor job with the terminals, and I did not have a socket that fit it until recently, so it has been riding loose that whole time. I do see some corrosion up on top of the battery it looks like, but the terminals are on the side. I sadly do not have a battery charger. I may try to check with a neighbor. I really hope it is just an issue with the battery needing to be charged.
I am familiar with those side terminal batteries.
I suggest thoroughly cleaning the cables (peel back the red and black covers, so that you can get a really good look).
I also suggest replacing these. They should be available at any decent parts store.
“I bought battery about 2 years old” . . . what does that mean?
The battery was 2 years old when you bought it
You bought the battery 2 years ago?
Since the terminals were “riding loose” I will assume the battery hasn’t been properly charged for quite some time.
Is this what you’re using to tighten those battery terminals?
Sorry about that, I think I am too frustrated to see my own typos. I bought the battery about 2 years ago. From autozone, and the terminal has been loose the entire time, I was considering that as a possible issue for corrosion, but now that you mention it, it makes a lot of since that that would lead to the battery having a poor charge. To tighten the terminal I used a socket wrench. The red terminal is the one that has been loose if that matters in the slightest.
You really need to get that tool I mentioned (it doesn’t have to be KD brand). It’s specifically designed for those side terminal batteries. And it’s a lot easier to use.