Starting issue, battery?

the car has not been driven for any mile the last 2 months, but I moved it when necessary to different spots on the property, the car would not start, on earlier days, I noticed that I had to turn the key twice to get the engine started but
did not think much of it. There was corrosion on the positive terminal caused by
an insect that had built a mud nest there. I cleaned the terminal, tested the battery, good, but still the engine won’t start. Is is ok to get a jump start
from another vehicle’s battery?

Others might not agree but I don’t jump start a vehicle with my vehicle anymore . Too big of a chance doing expensive electrical damage. Remove the battery and have it recharged and hope for the best .

2 Likes

I agree with @Volvo v70. I sometimes jump my car in extreme circumstances, but you aren’t driving much so it makes sense to do the right thing and charge it. For your own comfort you might want to take it out of the car and have a shop charge and test it especially if it’s over 3 or 4 years old. If you need to replace it you can leave it in installed till a day or so until you need it.

I used a cheap battery tester and it shows a full charge of 12V.
Could there be an other issue?

12V might start a Pinto, but not most other cars, or barely if lucky. Get it charged or get a new one.

I have been jump starting cars all my life and never had any problems with the jumper or jumpee.

1 Like

Twelve volts does not mean anything. Turn the lights on or turn the key to the START position and see what the voltage does. If it drops into the 11s or 10s PDQ then the battery needs to be charged or replaced.
A fully charged battery should read in the 12.6 to 12.7 category but that does not necessarily mean the battery is good.

What should be done with a jump start is that the dead battery should be allowed to charge for a while before attempting a start. Engaging the starter motor on a car with a dead or bad battery can put a heavy load on the alternator of the car doing the charging and that in turn could possibly cause a problem. No guarantee that it will but the possibility exists anyway.

I now own a Dodge Grand Caravan with wheelchair lift. I wouldn’t dare jump with it.

You are correct, the 12 volt reading occured only if nothing was turned on.
I had the battery tested at Autozone, it was dead. I bought a new one at
a car dealership. Neither Autozone or another big retailer would do a curbside
pickup of the core or new battery, but the dealership provided a no person contact.