Car won't start and lights and radio worked but radio stopped working afterwards

Car won’t start bit radio and lights worked but when I started to charge my phone the radio stopped slowly not working.what could be the problem?

Could be a dead battery, which could be caused by a dead alternator or bad cables to the battery.

What exactly do you mean by “won’t start”? does any thing happen when you turn the key, any noise? Did this all happen with no prior warning?

Year, model, mileage? How old is the battery?

1 Like

The car makes clicking noise when trying to start it the car is 2001 Honda Accord battery is about 3 years old the alternator I got like 6 months ago so I don’t think it’s any of those but all signs point to a weak battery but just wondering if those symptoms could be something else?

Take off the cables that run to the battery and clean both ends. Check the wire itself for corrosion.

Do a google search for “how to check battery cables” to find video’s and other sites that detail this process.

edit: but I’d still suspect the battery and/or alternator. Take it to a shop that can perform tests on these. Some auto parts stores will do this free.

edit2: some simple tests with a voltmeter will narrow down the problem. If the battery reads about 12 volts right at the terminals, then it is probably OK. To verify, check that same voltage when you attempt to start the car. If it’s still about the same voltage, then the battery is OK. However, note that the battery may be discharged due to a bad alternator, so if it reads low initially, let it charge via a charger overnight and check again.

Now check the voltage at the starter, when attempting to start the car. It should be at least 10 volts. Less than that, the problem is in the cables. more than that, the starter or starter solenoid is bad.

1 Like

Does jumping the car get it started?

If you can get it started through a jump…then once started and running at a higher rpm (say 3000 or more). Check the voltage across the battery. It should read around 13-14 volts. If it’s lower…then it sounds like the alternator.