YACT: My car won't start! Not even respond to a jump!

[MattCo]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
starter

 

[NeoPTLD]

Originally posted by: Elemental007
My car is a 1998 Ford Contour, 4 cyl Zetec. I went to go start it tonight to go back home. I haven't driven it in about a week. The car won't start, period, as in, the motor won't even turn over. I tried to get two jumps from two different cars, and in both cases, the motor still wouldn't even begin to turn over. I had an alternator replaced this past summer as well as a new battery. Anyone got a clue?

EDIT: TO CLARIFY the word 'NOTHING.' There are no signs of headlights, tailgihts, anything. The power locks won't even lock. Furthermore, there is only a faint light on the dash - the ABS light, and it doesn't look even fully backlit.

Borrow a 12V compressor or something and hooks up directly to the battery. It will run happily if your battery is charged well and in this case, it's something downstream of battery you're having problem with.

 

[Looney]

Alternator.

 

[NutBucket]

Did you check the 80A main fuse in your fuse box?

 

[amdskip]

What don't you guys get? Do your lights light up when the car is attempted to being jumped? I would assume not so its definately something other than the battery or alternator. This sounds like a job for a professional really considering how easy it is to blow a computer up.

Skip

 

[xeno2060]

Originally posted by: Elemental007
My car is a 1998 Ford Contour, 4 cyl Zetec. I went to go start it tonight to go back home. I haven't driven it in about a week. The car won't start, period, as in, the motor won't even turn over. I tried to get two jumps from two different cars, and in both cases, the motor still wouldn't even begin to turn over. I had an alternator replaced this past summer as well as a new battery. Anyone got a clue?

EDIT: TO CLARIFY the word 'NOTHING.' There are no signs of headlights, tailgihts, anything. The power locks won't even lock. Furthermore, there is only a faint light on the dash - the ABS light, and it doesn't look even fully backlit.

Elemental, It is your battery! When you have no power at all and a jump doesn't help...The BATTERY is DEAD, Also check to see if the new altenator is bad as well. You need a volt meter, when the car is running set the meter on the DC 20v setting place the probes black to Neg. red to Pos. it should read between 13.5 - 14.25v good luck

 

[Sluggo]

Originally posted by: Gaard
Is the battery good? Did you spark it to see? Lights and stuff come on ok? I just had my ignition switch replaced in my old Chevy a couple of weeks ago.

Spark the battery? Do you really think that is a safe practice?

I'm going to assume you have never seen a battery explode.

 

[flot]

Is there crap/corrosion on the battery terminals? Are the cables loose? Wiggle them around (violently if you can) and see if they're tight and secure... if they're not, keep wiggling, you can actually build up corrosion between the cables and the battery posts - yes, bad enough that the car won't start, and no it might not even be visible.

That's a long shot in this case though - it does sound like a dead battery to me. And I've had cases where a battery was SO dead, that jump-starting didn't help. I can't really explain that, but that's the way it was. Pull the battery and take it to an autozone type place, they'll usually put it on a tester for free.

 

[element]

Do you even know how to jump a car? You have to give it some time. A dead battery looks like a short in a circuit because all the current is flowing through it, therefore no current is left to start the car. If you are certain the battery is good, let it charge for several minutes before attempting to start the car.

Of course if you have a real short, you need to find and eliminate it wherever it is. How old is the battery? Batteries don't often develop shorts like that. I've never seen a lead acid develop a short. Go dead yes, act like a short from being dead yes, but an internal dead short? Unlikely, but not impossible I suppose. If you have no idea what you are doing take it to a mechanic.

 

[NoLegs]

Remove a battery from the car giving you a jump and set it under your hood and connect your battery cables to the spare battery then try to start your car. If the car still will not start, check to see if the lights will work while connected to the spare battery. If the lights will work but the car will not start and you do not hear a clicking sound the starter is bad or the netural switch is bad. Make sure your car is in "Park" or in neurtal with the clutch depressed. If your car starts with the spare battery, check for a dead ground (short) in the power system or a bad voltage regulator (Alternator). Sometimes the voltage regulator will go bad and instead of charging your battery it will pull the charge out of your battery. Today's cars have the voltage regulator built into the Alternator. You can have the Alternator checked at most Auto Parts Stores.

Regards,
NoLegs

 

[element]

he replaced the alternator and battery so it's not likely those parts although you never know. The neutral switch doesn't affect the headlights coming on so its not that.

 

[Thegonagle]

I bet it?s the battery. I?ve seen them go bad suddenly plenty of times, and these are the symptoms. When that happens, it?s because of a physical problem inside the battery.

Also, you only need to wait to start the dead car after hooking up the cables if you?re using cheap, inadequate cables.

 

[Rastus]

You need to sacrifice a virgin to the car god.

In that case, you came to the right place, as ATOT is the only place I know where there are virgins left in the world.