Why does my car only start when jumped using a battery pack?
Posted by No_Refrigerator_1632@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 12 comments
Anyone know the cause?
I tried to jump via another car, no luck.
Replaced the battery, still dead.
Cleaned the terminals, still dead.
Called a tow truck to tow to a mechanic, he uses a battery pack to jump the car and it works like a charm.
Why couldn't I jumpstart it using another car? And what is causing this issue?
Bad alternator?
Aggravating_Kale8248@reddit
Starter might not be getting full amps from the battery for some reason. The jumper pack is going to put out way more amps than you need
HearingEffective743@reddit
Totally the opposite, not even comparable.
Jump from car = battery + alternator from donor give constant ~14V supply and doesn’t collapse.
VS
Portable jumper that voltage drops under heavy load.
No_Refrigerator_1632@reddit (OP)
That's what I was thinking too, however, 3 hours after the tow guy left, car has been off for a little under 3 hours and I'm able to start it again with no issues.
Nothing was changed, other than letting the car run for a bit after he jumped it with the pack.
rudedog998@reddit
Why is my Mercedes 2001 e430 not starting with a battery pack still attached
rudedog998@reddit
Someone help me
Burgermasterm@reddit
Bad alternator possibly? My alternator went and the battery would drop enough voltage that the engine could only idle. And if I shut the car off, it would die.
HearingEffective743@reddit
Battery from donor most likely dying to.
LT_Texan@reddit
Clean the battery cables where they attached to the battery terminals. You could have bad connections there. When you jump, you bypass that.
No_Refrigerator_1632@reddit (OP)
I tried, it didn't work.
Eventually I went to my mechanic and he found it to be a starter issue.
The_Equanimous_One@reddit
I was going to say, a failing starter that will only spin over with the additional power from a jump pack. Dead giveaway when you said that it wouldn't turn at all with a new battery.
Protholl@reddit
Check the ground cables. There should be a connection to the engine and a connection to the chassis. My guess is the engine ground is failing.
No_Refrigerator_1632@reddit (OP)
He put the negative on the negative battery terminal.