Car doesnt start?
5th Gear Member
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 2,652
From: Colorado
Im with Nuke. Original battery has probably kicked the bucket.
A bad starter isnt going to mess up a radio ever.
Symptoms are indicative of not enough power to keep the settings in the head unit alive. Granted that a jump should start the car, but if it doesnt, I'd just replace that battery since it's already 5 years old (actually 6 since 07 model year came out in 2006) and then have the alternator tested just to be sure. I have had batteries that even with a jump, they wouldnt start the car. Voila, change the battery, and you're golden.
A bad starter isnt going to mess up a radio ever.
Symptoms are indicative of not enough power to keep the settings in the head unit alive. Granted that a jump should start the car, but if it doesnt, I'd just replace that battery since it's already 5 years old (actually 6 since 07 model year came out in 2006) and then have the alternator tested just to be sure. I have had batteries that even with a jump, they wouldnt start the car. Voila, change the battery, and you're golden.
5th Gear Member
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 2,652
From: Colorado
If you've got the circuit completed correctly, you should hear once youve attached the last cable a slight variation in the donor vehicles' RPM as it tries to make up for the drain. Let it sit for a little bit (I've never had to wait more than 5 minutes) before you try to crank your car. Sometimes there's enough to do it instantly and sometimes it needs to charge the bad battery a little bit first.
The sound you hear from the starter is very very likely not enough power for it to actually turn the flywheel to get things rotating. Every starter I've had go bad it sounds like a very fast wind up toy almost. Fast clicking is not enough juice to get it to turn the flywheel.
Except one time when the flywheel was just worn on a pickup I had. That was a bad day.
The sound you hear from the starter is very very likely not enough power for it to actually turn the flywheel to get things rotating. Every starter I've had go bad it sounds like a very fast wind up toy almost. Fast clicking is not enough juice to get it to turn the flywheel.
Except one time when the flywheel was just worn on a pickup I had. That was a bad day.
2nd Gear Member
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 169
From: North Carolina
If you've got the circuit completed correctly, you should hear once youve attached the last cable a slight variation in the donor vehicles' RPM as it tries to make up for the drain. Let it sit for a little bit (I've never had to wait more than 5 minutes) before you try to crank your car. Sometimes there's enough to do it instantly and sometimes it needs to charge the bad battery a little bit first.
The sound you hear from the starter is very very likely not enough power for it to actually turn the flywheel to get things rotating. Every starter I've had go bad it sounds like a very fast wind up toy almost. Fast clicking is not enough juice to get it to turn the flywheel.
Except one time when the flywheel was just worn on a pickup I had. That was a bad day.
The sound you hear from the starter is very very likely not enough power for it to actually turn the flywheel to get things rotating. Every starter I've had go bad it sounds like a very fast wind up toy almost. Fast clicking is not enough juice to get it to turn the flywheel.
Except one time when the flywheel was just worn on a pickup I had. That was a bad day.
4th Gear Member
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,495
From: California
If you've got the circuit completed correctly, you should hear once youve attached the last cable a slight variation in the donor vehicles' RPM as it tries to make up for the drain. Let it sit for a little bit (I've never had to wait more than 5 minutes) before you try to crank your car. Sometimes there's enough to do it instantly and sometimes it needs to charge the bad battery a little bit first.
2nd Gear Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 263
From: San Diego, CA
If the radio & clock reset, then its an electrical problem and NOT the starter. I'm with Nuke, its probably a bad battery. If the battery can't keep the clock & radio settings, its not going to turn over the engine, even if its jumped.
The problem with replacing the battery after its completely gone is, it puts an extra load on the alternator before it goes, leading to reduced alternator life.
The problem with replacing the battery after its completely gone is, it puts an extra load on the alternator before it goes, leading to reduced alternator life.
Last edited by Joenpb; Aug 18, 2012 at 05:17 PM.
Thread Starter
1st Gear Member
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 59
If you've got the circuit completed correctly, you should hear once youve attached the last cable a slight variation in the donor vehicles' RPM as it tries to make up for the drain. Let it sit for a little bit (I've never had to wait more than 5 minutes) before you try to crank your car. Sometimes there's enough to do it instantly and sometimes it needs to charge the bad battery a little bit first.
The sound you hear from the starter is very very likely not enough power for it to actually turn the flywheel to get things rotating. Every starter I've had go bad it sounds like a very fast wind up toy almost. Fast clicking is not enough juice to get it to turn the flywheel.
Except one time when the flywheel was just worn on a pickup I had. That was a bad day.
The sound you hear from the starter is very very likely not enough power for it to actually turn the flywheel to get things rotating. Every starter I've had go bad it sounds like a very fast wind up toy almost. Fast clicking is not enough juice to get it to turn the flywheel.
Except one time when the flywheel was just worn on a pickup I had. That was a bad day.
2nd Gear Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 263
From: San Diego, CA
Jumpering the car isn't rocket science. The alternator maintains the battery, it doesn't recharge it per say, hence battery failures. You drove the car last night with the headlights on, got home (luckily), the next morning the clock & radio reset, and the car wouldn't start. 99% its a bad battery.
Thread Starter
1st Gear Member
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 59
Jumpering the car isn't rocket science. The alternator maintains the battery, it doesn't recharge it per say, hence battery failures. You drove the car last night with the headlights on, got home (luckily), the next morning the clock & radio reset, and the car wouldn't start. 99% its a bad battery.