Is it time for a new battery?

After writing a hub about 5 potential signs that your car battery is dying, I've had an influx of messages and emails asking about different combinations of symptoms and their connection or non-connection to a dying battery in various vehicles. 

"Hi, just read your excellent article on diagnosing battery problems. One symptom I didn't see was the one that's happening to me right now.....the car won't start and my speedo and rev counter needles are going haywire. This just happened out of the blue. Is it time for a new battery???"

Dear Haywire Gauges, 
           
       First, thank you for your question! 

Here's your answer: Having the speedometer and rev counter gauges go haywire, is not necessarily an indication of a bad battery, but it can indicate a connection issue or it could just be sensitive gauges. In some vehicles, the moment you start the car, the gauges will fluctuate when the engine starts, even if the car isn't moving or the engine isn't being accelerated.

In this instance, without knowing more, my first stop would be to check the battery cables and terminals. Even a minutely loose terminal connection could cause the car to not start. You'd be surprised at the list of potential no start symptoms that are caused by loose, corroded or old terminals and cables. Some of them are downright strange.

Make sure that the terminal posts are not loose themselves and that they are corrosion free. Then check the terminal cables and make sure they aren't too old and worn out, and that when you tighten them onto the terminals, they cannot turn at all. It's also wise to make sure the cable wires are still in good shape and fully connected to the terminal connectors.

Once you've checked all that, if the car still will not start, then it's time to check the battery out. A simple way to do that, is to jump start it. If it will start up and stay running without the jumper cables, let it run for 45 minutes to an hour, even drive it around close to home if you want, and then turn it off for fifteen minutes. Then you can check to see if it will start again. If it doesn't, then it's definitely time to replace your battery.

Alternatively, if even jumping the vehicle won't get it started, then there are other components you'll want to look to, such as your starter or fuel pump.

Let me know if you have more questions or need any more assistance! 

Yours truly,

The Free Mechanic