Top 6 Symptoms of a Bad Car Battery You Should Know– Most times, we are carried away by the blissful feeling of just driving our cars without paying attention as to whether any of our car parts are ‘falling apart’ or in serious need of maintenance or replacement.
One of the most ignored parts of the vehicle is the battery. I have been guilty of this on so many occasions and it has come back to haunt me very severely, most times in situations or circumstances when I least expect it to happen.
It is this reason that warrants the sharing of this much-needed information. You must know the symptoms of a bar car battery so that you can be on the lookout in case you experience something like any of the instances which will be shared accordingly in this article.
Top 6 Symptoms of a Bar Car Battery
Owing to the absence (in some cars) of a signal that shows the battery ‘percentage’ or life of your car battery on your dashboard just like you have for your gas/fuel, oil, and so on, it may be difficult for you to tell when your battery is getting bad and in need of urgent repairs, hence why this article on the symptoms of a bar car battery is important.
The issues to look out for are as follows:
- Engine Turns Slowly. One of the major symptoms of a bad car battery is the slow, engine crank you witness while trying to start your car. That is, if you try to turn on your engine (car) and it delays before it starts or it takes a while before it finally starts, then you need to check out your car battery. This is a clear indication that there is not enough charge in the battery to start the combustion process. A slow crank is frequently a sign that the battery needs to be replaced since it is losing capacity.
- Headlight Dimming and Other Electrical Problems. As you may know, the battery is responsible for powering most of the electrical components used in your vehicle. Therefore, if you notice, for instance, that your car headlight and/or your dashboard light is dimming, or the inner lights are lower than they should be, then it is a clear indication that you need to fix your car battery.
- Signal from the dashboard. Most modern vehicles these days come with state-of-the-art onboard diagnostic reader that monitors the battery life of the car battery, among others. This would improve the proactiveness of car users/owners to ensure that they the required action as it relates to their cars. All you have to do, if you have such a vehicle, is to ensure that you pay attention to the signal on the dashboard. Where the signal illuminates, kindly take your car to the mechanic for proper battery-related repairs.
- Where it requires regular jump starts. Another one of the symptoms of a bad car battery is the need for you to frequently jump-start the car. The essence of jumping start your car is to offer a temporary solution, with the hope that your battery is not having issues. However, if you need to jump-start the car every time you need to use it, then it is a serious indication that you need to fix or replace your car battery.
- Sulfurous smell. If you perceive a sulfuric odour each time you go to your engine, it is a strong indication that either your battery is leaking or it is damaged. Either way, you are expected to discontinue the usage of such battery, and in the case of you opening the engine and observing the smell to be very strong, then you must contact a professional to assist you accordingly.
- Battery age. The last but not the least of the symptoms of a bad car battery is the age of a battery. While this may not pose a necessary risk, especially given that it has not shown any of the symptoms listed above, nor contributed to the need for you to seek any car maintenance recently, you must change your car battery especially when you have used it for a very long period. The expected life span of a battery is 3 years, depending on the climate and usage of the battery. So if you have used yours up to this period, consider changing it before it develops an unexpected fault.
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