There are occasions when the car won’t jumpstart during cold weather, due to jumper cables age, amongst other reasons.
In some occasions, you will just need to jumpstart the battery in order to start-up the engine. For a successful jumpstart, there are things you will need to get right.
For example, connecting the jumper cables correctly onto the battery terminals. This will facilitate the transfer of electric current from the good battery to the dead battery.
Additionally you will need to know occasions when jumpstarting the car battery will work. For example, when you hear the car is clicking without it turning over.
1. Dead car battery.
If you have been using the car battery for over 3 years, it could have ran out of juice. Most car batteries have a lifespan of up to 3 years. Maybe it’s about tie for a new battery. Because a dead battery may fail at the responsibility of serving electric current during the engine start-up process.
2. Battery terminals connections.
The battery terminals and connections are one of the first things you need to check when you are having trouble to start your car. You need to ensure that the battery terminals are not corroded due to the electro-chemical reactions that take place. Further ensure that the connections are on point by wiggling the battery clumps.
3. Jumper cables.
Probably, the jumper cables that you are using to jump start the car battery are faulty. You should check the jumper cables to assess them for any breakage before starting the jumpstarting process.
Another issue that develops due to the jumper cables could be their design. The jumper cable’s design could mean that they are probably too long. Hence, preventing the effective flow of electric current.
Further the problem could be with the jumper cable clumps. They may fail at conducting the electric current transfer from the good car battery to the dead one.
4. Faulty alternator.
The car engine alternator is responsible for taking over the charging process after the engine starts. If your car keeps dying even after charging the car battery, the alternator could be the problem.
Further, if the alternator is faulty, it means that the vehicle is using your battery to power up every electrical need that the car has. Meaning that the battery will get depleted faster. This will reduce the battery’s lifespan.
The alternator usually supplies electric current to the vehicle’s electric system. Before buying a new car battery to undertake replacement, ensure that your alternator is in a good condition.
5. Clogged fuel filter.
Amongst the functions of a fuel filter is the need to ensure that only clean fuel goes to your engine’s combustion chamber. The combustion chamber is where fuel is burnt to produce energy during engine startup and acceleration.
Fuel filters remove debris contaminants from fuel and they can become clogged over longer miles. This clogging will prevent the fuel from flowing effectively. Hence the car won’t jumpstart even after an effective jumpstarting process.
This becomes tricky because even though your alternator and car battery are in a good condition, the car won’t start. The recommendation is for you to change the fuel filter within 20,000 to 30,000 miles. But this depends on the driving habits and environment.
6. Faulty ignition switch.
Under rare occasions, you will find that there is a problem with the car’s ignition. It usually has some electrical requirements in order for the process of starting the engine to be effective.
Since the starting process involves the ignition chamber as well as the key, any of these parts could cause the car not to start. Sometimes the key may get stuck in the ignition chamber because of wear and tear effects among other reasons.
If the car won’t jump you will have to disqualify some of the ignition process participants. In this case, if the battery, alternator and fuel filter are in a good condition, check the ignition switch. The car will not jumpstart without an ignition switch that works properly.
7. Empty gas tank.
Well this is one of the important factors that ensure the car starts properly. You need fuel in order for the ignition process to take place successfully. If there isn’t enough gas in the tank, you can bet that the engine won’t start even after jumpstarting it.
8. Vehicle safety feature.
The vehicles are made with a safety feature that prevents them from starting. This depends entirely on your vehicle’s transmission set-up.
If your car is an automatic transmission, it will not start if your gear isn’t set on neutral or park. Alternatively, manual vehicles will not start unless you step on the clutch pedal.
If these safety features are not engaged, the car won’t start after jumpstarting.