6 Symptoms of a Bad Car Battery
When your car battery ages, there are some signs you can look out for before it leaves you stranded. Learn how to recognize these 6 common symptoms that indicate your battery may be dead. Catching it early gives you plenty of opportunity to replace it before you get stranded.
We’ll also tell you how much a typical car battery costs these days, where you can buy one, and how much it costs to install one if you don’t want to do it yourself.
Symptoms of a Weak Car Battery
If your battery is starting to go bad or fail, there are some signs to look out for. If you notice these symptoms, consider replacing your battery immediately.
Otherwise, a defective battery could cause further problems for your vehicle, at least at the most inopportune moment.
1) Battery Warning Light
You should have a battery warning light on your dashboard. The light is in the shape of a battery and comes on if your battery isn’t charging properly or if there’s a problem inside it.
Often, this warning light comes on when there’s a problem with the alternator or another area of ​​the electrical system. If this light comes on, your best bet is to check the voltage of your alternator and battery or take your car to a shop to have it inspected.
2) Slow Engine Starting
If your car takes longer than normal to start, this is an early warning sign that your battery is low. When you try to start your car, you’ll hear a long “whoosh” sound. And you’ll notice that your car’s electronics won’t turn on either.
A slow engine start is often caused by a defective battery. So if your car starts even though it makes a short buzzing noise, test the battery voltage with a multimeter to make sure it’s not too low. Or take your car to your local auto parts store or repair shop to have it tested.
If the voltage is too low, replace the battery before all the electronics in the vehicle stop working or before something breaks down and you have to jump start your car.
Besides the buzzing sound, you can also check the condition of some types of batteries by checking the battery fluid level to see if it’s low. You may also notice corrosion on the battery terminals. This corrosion blocks the flow of electricity and must be removed before starting your vehicle.
3) You hear a clicking noise when trying to start your car
When you turn the key to start your engine, the battery sends an electrical signal to the starter, which then starts the engine. If your battery is weak or dead, it may not be able to send enough power to the starter motor, causing the engine to not start and resulting in a clicking noise.
This is because the starter is still trying to engage but doesn’t have enough power to do so. As a result, you hear a clicking noise instead of the engine starting. The clicks can be one or multiple times.
4) Rotten egg smell
One of the easiest signs to recognize is the smell of rotten eggs after opening the hood. Most car batteries contain a mixture of sulfuric acid and water. When the battery is depleted, both elements of the mixture can evaporate (or even leak out of the battery), causing problems for the remaining mixture.
As a result, the battery overheats and begins to boil, filling the surrounding air with a terrible rotten egg smell. In severe cases, smoke may be emitted.
5) Electrical component problems
Your car battery does more than just power the engine. It also needs to power the car’s electrical components. Today, cars are equipped with all kinds of electrical parts and accessories.
They are equipped with headlights, power seats, heated seats, power windows, dashboard lighting, stereos, navigation, windshield wipers, and other features that require power. All of these run on the energy of the battery. If they stop working or perform poorly, it is usually a sign that your car battery is weak.
6) Enlarged Battery Case
Your car battery is housed in a housing. This battery creates a chemical reaction to power your vehicle. However, sometimes the chemical reaction doesn’t happen as intended. This is probably caused by the battery being too cold or too hot around it. In this case, in rare cases, the sides of the battery (which are usually flat) may start to bulge. This is often the case for people who live in cold climates and don’t drive their cars much.
It happens that the car battery starts to freeze and then swells because it hasn’t been driven and used for a long time. This makes it necessary to replace the battery, because when the battery swells, it’s like saying goodbye to the battery because it’s dead.
