You can’t expect a more frustrating feeling than trying to turn on your vehicle’s ignition but nothing happens. You try to put the key in your ignition again, and then the third time but still nothing happens. At that time you will get only one thought: Your battery is dead. Undoubtedly, this is the most distressing feeling in the world. However, you can avoid the situation by only keeping yourself attentive to the following failing battery signs.
6 Signs of a Failing Car Battery
Your car’s battery is just like its heart. Without a battery, you cannot expect your vehicle to have sufficient power to start, run, or do anything else. Therefore, it is necessary for you to understand the working principle of your battery and the most common symptoms that it needs replacement.
1. Slow Engine Crank
Your engine needs a large amount of power to start and all this power comes only from the battery. As soon as your engine is started, the alternator will replace the battery by providing the necessary power to move your vehicle and other important electronics accessories.
When you try to start your engine in the morning for the first time, it is only the battery that provides all the necessary power. In case your battery is about to die, you will observe your car’s engine cranking quite slowly than routine.
You must take that warning sign seriously, and test your battery as earliest as possible. A general observation is that a weak battery often gives you only one chance for a slow start and if you miss, it will not give you a chance again. If you find that your engine does not crank at all, you may observe very rapid clicking sounds from your engine. It is a warning that your battery has very low available power to crank your engine.
In any of the above cases, visit the nearest auto repair agency for your battery test and replacement, if needed.
2. Problems with Vehicle Electronic Components
The battery is not only responsible to start your engine, but it is also responsible to produce enough power to run all the necessary electronic machinery of your vehicle. Today many modern cars have a lot of electronic accessories such as power seats, power windows, windshield wipers, dashboard lights, headlights, radio, and more. All of these electronic components need continuous electric supply from your vehicle’s battery.
Therefore, if you find that your electronic machinery is not getting enough power, you might have got a weed battery. You must take this situation seriously and visit the workshop as soon as possible for a thorough battery check-up.
3. Battery Warning Light in your Dashboard
Most cars today have dashboard warning lights. One of these lights is a battery warning light having a shape like a battery, as shown in the figure. This light will illuminate whether your battery is not properly placed or there is some internal problem within the battery.
Just like an engine light, the battery light can also give you an idea about some problems with your electrical system or alternator. If You observe this light blinking, the best idea is to have your electrical system examined thoroughly.
You should select some certified professionals to perform this job and indicate the exact problem. Pep Boys’ battery inspection service can be your choice for complete battery service.
4. Inflated Battery Case
Do you know what a car battery actually is? It is nothing but a chemical reaction held in a box. Since the chemistry of any chemical reaction can go wrong at anytime, the same is the case with your car battery. When your battery is exposed to a large amount of cold or heat, d flat mountains of the battery case may swell or inflate.
For example, if you have not driven your car for some time in the winter season, the battery may freeze or discharge. Swelling and freezing from the surplus heart usually lead to an electrically dead battery. Such a battery cannot be repaired and will have to be replaced.
Sometimes swollen or infected battery is even dangerous for neighboring components, particularly if your vehicle has a hybrid or any other electronically controlled engine. The leaked acid can also remove paint from the interior of your hood, in case you are using a lead-acid battery. That will not be the case for dry batteries.
5. Aged Battery
The normal average age of a battery is a maximum of four to five years. Your battery life depends on a number of factors including but not limited to the number of extensive discharges, severe temperature exposures, and the number of full charging cycles.
Most mechanics say that five years is the maximum life a battery can have, so once you reach the 4-year mark, it’s not a wise idea to get your battery inspected by any professional. This is obvious that now your battery cannot have enough strength to drive your vehicle and other electronic components. So it’s a better approach is to get your battery replaced.
It is quite easy to check the manufacturing year of the battery, mostly you can find it printed on the battery case. Otherwise, you can also find it on the battery warranty card or the battery invoice.
6. Weird Smell
If your battery gets internally short, overcharge, or frozen, its casing may discharge gas. This discharge is usually like a rotten egg smell. So if you open the hood of your car one day and observe a rotten egg smell, this is a sign of a failing car battery. Therefore, you should have it inspected as earliest as possible and get an expert opinion about it.
You should make up your mind because you may have to replace your battery because gas discharge usually damages the battery internally and make it unrepairable. But you might be lucky enough to survive your battery if you get it inspected on time.
There is also a possibility of severe damage to other important engine components due to sulphuric acid discharge. This can damage your vehicle’s paint and can also cause corrosion. Never allow the gas to discharge for a long period of time.