5 Reasons Your Battery Could Fail
Your car’s battery is not worth much if it will not hold a charge. If you left your headlights on or left a door ajar overnight that kept your cabin lights on, you are to blame for your car’s battery malfunction. However, if you did not do anything that can explain why your car’s battery is dead, it’s time to do some detective work. There are several reasons why your battery might be failing.
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1. Weather
When the temperature is blazing in the summer or freezing in the winter, your car battery takes a beating. Extreme temperatures weaken a car battery.
2. Terminal
Is the battery terminal corroded? Are connections loose or broken? If so, your battery will fail to charge.
“Clean the terminals with a baking soda solution before removing them from the battery. (Always remove the negative cable first!). Clean the terminals and battery posts with a wire brush, then snugly tighten,” advises Reader’s Digest writer Robert Lacivita.
3. Mechanical issues
Using the radio and operating the lights and other features in your car should not drain the battery if the charging system is working properly. When it’s not working properly, all charge will be drained from your battery.
“A defective alternator can kill a battery if bad diodes or an internal voltage regulator prevents it from charging the battery,” Lacivita explains.
Other charging system components like a loose drive belt, weak belt tensioner, or a leaking diode can be charge-sucking culprits, too.
4. Short distances
If you are only driving short distances, your alternator doesn’t have enough time to recharge your battery. You might need to extend your time on the road to help your battery recharge properly.
5. Battery age
Since time flies, your battery may be older than you think, resulting in its weak or loss of charge. Batteries typically last only three to five years. Not practicing proper battery maintenance can cause your battery to die, too.
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If your car’s battery isn’t operating well or at the strength it should, seek an assessment from an automotive professional. You will not only discover why your battery is weakened, but it may also help you from getting stranded with a dead battery.
DeAnn Owens is a Dayton transplant by way of the Windy City, yet considers herself to be a California girl at heart even though she’s only visited there once. To get through the dreaded allergy season unique to the Miami Valley, she reads, writes, complains about the weather, and enjoys spending time with her husband, two sons, and their newest addition, a Boston terrier puppy that is now in charge of all their lives. In the future, she hopes to write a novel and travel through time. See more articles by DeAnn.