# Car won't start - battery issues? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [January 19, 2019, 10:34am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wont-start-battery-issues/132932 "2019-01-19T10:34:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![paulleaf5\_147205](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c77e96/32.png) [@paulleaf5\_147205](https://community.cartalk.com/u/paulleaf5_147205)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 10:34am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wont-start-battery-issues/132932/1 "2019-01-19T10:34:22Z")
Hi My car went dead the other day - turns but won’t fire. I checked my battery with a multimeter and its reading 12.39V. Am I right in assuming this about 60 - 75% charged and is more than likely the cause of my starting issue? Cheers ---
**Author:** ![PvtPublic](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/pvtpublic/32/13089_2.png) [@PvtPublic](https://community.cartalk.com/u/PvtPublic)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 11:01am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wont-start-battery-issues/132932/2 "2019-01-19T11:01:40Z")
Maybe not. Did you set the choke and advance the spark? ---
**Author:** ![common-sense-answer](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/common-sense-answer/32/716_2.png) [@common-sense-answer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/common-sense-answer)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 11:02am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wont-start-battery-issues/132932/3 "2019-01-19T11:02:39Z")
> [@paulleaf5\_147205](#): > > My car went dead the other day - turns but won’t fire. > > I checked my battery with a multimeter and its reading 12.39V. Am I right in assuming this about 60 - 75% charged and is more than likely the cause of my starting issue? Hold it right there! If the car turns (cranks over) at a normal sounding rate, but fails to start then it’s not a battery problem. Please tell us the car’s… **Make?** **Model?** **Model-Year?** _ **CSA** _ 🌴🕶🌴 ---
**Author:** ![paulleaf5\_147205](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c77e96/32.png) [@paulleaf5\_147205](https://community.cartalk.com/u/paulleaf5_147205)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 11:11am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wont-start-battery-issues/132932/4 "2019-01-19T11:11:28Z")
Thanks for the response. Apologies, maybe I was a bit loose with my terminology. Its a Toyota Starlet (Sportif) 1996 - 1999. I turn the ignition, it scraps but won’t start. This happened a couple of weeks earlier and I waited a few seconds and tried again and it started so I thought nothing of it (thought I’d flooded the engine or something) I tried the spare Key (immobilzer) and checked the fuses. Cables to the battery seem clean, no corrosion, etc. ---
**Author:** ![paulleaf5\_147205](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c77e96/32.png) [@paulleaf5\_147205](https://community.cartalk.com/u/paulleaf5_147205)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 11:56am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wont-start-battery-issues/132932/5 "2019-01-19T11:56:08Z")
How do I do that Pvt? ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 12:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wont-start-battery-issues/132932/6 "2019-01-19T12:51:32Z")
I think that PvtPublic was engaging in a bit of sarcasm, as a result of your failure to supply details about the make, model, and model year of the car in your original post. For all that any of us knew, you could have been referring to a 1929 Hupmobile. 🤔 ---
**Author:** ![tcmichnorth](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tcmichnorth/32/25126_2.png) [@tcmichnorth](https://community.cartalk.com/u/tcmichnorth)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 1:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wont-start-battery-issues/132932/7 "2019-01-19T13:36:59Z")
12.39 is normal voltage for a battery. If it happens again, try turning the key to the on position (not start position) leave it on the on position for 5 seconds. Repeat this 2 more times. Then try starting it. If it starts it may be just a fuel filter. Take it to a shop. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 2:32pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wont-start-battery-issues/132932/8 "2019-01-19T14:32:11Z")
> [@paulleaf5\_147205](#): > > Am I right in assuming this about 60 - 75% charged and is more than likely the cause of my starting issue? No. 12.39 V is plenty of juice to start the car. It IS cranking, so you have another problem. ---
**Author:** ![paulleaf5\_147205](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c77e96/32.png) [@paulleaf5\_147205](https://community.cartalk.com/u/paulleaf5_147205)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 2:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wont-start-battery-issues/132932/9 "2019-01-19T14:37:07Z")
Hi yeah the engine is turning. I just tried again and it almost very briefly fired with a few accelerator pumps but I couldn’t catch it. Then nothing at all on subsequent attempts. ---
**Author:** ![paulleaf5\_147205](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c77e96/32.png) [@paulleaf5\_147205](https://community.cartalk.com/u/paulleaf5_147205)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 2:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wont-start-battery-issues/132932/10 "2019-01-19T14:38:03Z")
Thanks tcmichnorth ---
**Author:** ![paulleaf5\_147205](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c77e96/32.png) [@paulleaf5\_147205](https://community.cartalk.com/u/paulleaf5_147205)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 2:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wont-start-battery-issues/132932/11 "2019-01-19T14:41:33Z")
I forgot to mention the engine seems be turning over at normal rate. ---
**Author:** ![Cavell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cavell/32/43396_2.png) [@Cavell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cavell)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 2:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wont-start-battery-issues/132932/12 "2019-01-19T14:43:32Z")
is Motor fuel injected? Why do u pump accelerator?