What Causes a Car’s Battery to Not Work?
Have you ever been running late to work only to find out that your car battery has stopped working? Along with cursing your fate, you must be wondering what could have possibly caused it. While a jump starter can help you out of this dilemma, you must still know why your car’s battery drained in the first place.
There are multiple reasons why car batteries stop working. But if you don’t know what you’re doing wrong, there is no need to worry. We’re here to tell you all about what causes a car battery to not work so you won’t ever have to deal with a flat battery again.
EVERYTHING THAT CAN CAUSE A FLAT BATTERY
A parasitic drain
You might have left your car, but things like your car’s interior lights or glove box still get power from the battery. Unfortunately, the battery cannot be recharged while the car is off, so providing power to such things in the car can cause it to drain completely. This is what we call a parasitic drain. The only way to avoid these is to make sure all the lights are off and all compartments of your car are shut properly before leaving.
Extreme weather conditions
If your car battery is new, there’s no need for you to worry. But an old or weak car battery is not immune to these extreme temperatures. When it’s too hot, the water in the battery’s liquid electrolyte can evaporate or even accelerate corrosion.
Similarly, your car battery may keep losing strength during the winter. This means you might face a flat car battery through no fault of your own. But to reduce such unfortunate instances, you should maintain the battery and get it checked often.
Malfunctioning alternator
An alternator is a part of your car that’s responsible for recharging the battery while the car is on. So if the alternator is malfunctioning or has stopped working, there is a high chance, you’ll end up with a flat car battery.
Switched on headlights
This is perhaps the most common reason why people find their car’s battery dead. Many cars are designed in a way that their headlights turn off after some time. But for those of us who don’t have this feature, we often forget to switch off the headlights. This means coming back to a dead battery. So, before leaving your car, don’t forget to make sure the headlights are off.
Old battery
As advanced as our world might be, car batteries cannot work well forever. So if your battery has aged around three to five years and you live in an area with extreme temperatures or use your car too often, it’s time to consider getting your car’s battery replaced. An old battery is more likely to die quickly and frequently.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If you find yourself using a jump starter frequently, we hope this article helped you realize where you might have gone wrong. Regardless, it’s important to learn a good way to maintain the battery, and it’s always a good idea to get it tested when you feel like it’s about to give up. Have you found out what made your car battery die? Let us know in the comments!