How to start the car if the battery is dead

The battery is the most important element in the car’s ignition system, so if it isn’t there, it will not be possible to start the car. He delivers a lot of trouble to motorists in winter: in cold weather, the battery can lose half its capacity, and if you don’t notice a faulty battery in time, and there is no spare battery in the trunk, you may need help. How to start the car, if the battery is dead - we will analyze further.

Battery Safety

Since batteries work on the basis of a chemical reaction between a metal and acid solutions, there is a great risk of getting chemical burns not only of the skin, but also of the respiratory tract.

In view of this danger, when working with rechargeable batteries, each motorist is obliged to observe important rules:

• Rubber gloves should be used to protect hand skin.
• Upon completion of the work, thoroughly wash your hands and face with soap and rinse your mouth. If acid gets on the skin, it can be neutralized with a 10 percent soda solution.
• Carry the battery by the handle intended for this or using special grips.
• When composing an electrolyte, it is important to pour acid into water, and not vice versa. Otherwise, a strong reaction will occur during which the acid will spray. For this procedure, it is necessary to use lead or ceramic dishes (a large amount of heat is generated during the reaction). Add acid to the water in a thin stream, carefully stirring the solution with a glass stick.
• When adding distilled water to the battery banks, use a respirator and safety glasses.
• Do not use the battery near an open flame. It is necessary to illuminate the battery with an electric bulb of 12 and 24 V. (or a flashlight), in no case with a lighter. Also, do not smoke when inspecting the battery.
• Connect the terminals so that sparking is avoided.
• The room in which the battery is charging should be well ventilated.
• In the case of serviced modifications before unloading, you need to unscrew all the plugs. This will prevent the accumulation of explosive gas in the cavities of the battery.

• The terminals should fit tightly to the contacts so that sparking does not form.
• While the barathea is charging, you should not bend over it and look into open banks. The fumes can cause burns to the respiratory tract.
• Connect / disconnect the charger from the battery when it is disconnected from the mains.
• Periodically, you need to wipe the battery case (additional tips on how to extend the life of the vehicle’s power source can be read here).
• When disconnecting the terminals, it is important to first remove the negative, and then the positive. Connection is made in reverse order. This will prevent accidental short circuiting when the key worn on the plus terminal comes into contact with the car body.

The main causes of battery discharge in a car

There are several reasons why a car’s battery may run out. The most common include too long battery life (more than 5 years), malfunctions of the generator, as well as the influence of severe frosts.

Regardless of battery capacity, improper use can quickly drain the battery. There are three main reasons for this:

• carelessness and mistakes of the owner of the car;
• equipment malfunction;
• violation of wire insulation.

Inattention of a motorist

The most common cause of battery discharge is headlights that are turned on for a long time. This can happen between October and May, when it’s clear on the street. After a long-distance trip, the driver may not even notice that the headlights remain on.

A trip to a picnic will be more interesting if you have good music and high-quality acoustics. Here are just a long operation of the audio system significantly reduces battery power.

In addition to these reasons, the battery will be discharged from equipment such as glass heating, boot light or glove compartment left on radio with mute etc. It is worth noting that in many cars, when the ignition is turned off, most systems are turned off, while in others they are not.

The mistakes of the motorist include the use of powerful equipment, which the factory power supply system cannot cope with. This may include the installation of a car amplifier (how to connect the amplifier correctly can be found in separate article).

Often replacing standard headlights with brighter ones or installing additional lighting equipment also leads to fast charge consumption. Particularly careful should be in the case of old batteries - due to loss of capacity, they discharge faster. Sometimes for this it’s enough to turn the starter a couple of times, and the battery “falls asleep”.

Failure to comply with the rules of operation and maintenance of batteries can not only lead to frequent loss of charge, but also significantly reduces the working life of the power source.

Short trips with powerful equipment turned on (for example, in winter, heated windshield and rear window, stove) leads to battery discharge. Many drivers think that charging is enough for the car to work. In fact, many generators charge the battery at 1500 engine speeds. Naturally, if the car moves slowly in a traffic jam at low speeds, the battery does not recharge (or it receives a negligible amount of energy).

If the car does not start after a long period of inactivity, the driver, while scrolling for a long time, starts the battery himself. The operation of the starter is one of the most energy-intensive processes during the operation of a car.

Hardware malfunction

During operation of the motor, the battery must be recharged. If the generator is faulty, this process will not occur. Its problems include:

• failure of the charge controller ("chocolate");
• breakage of the rotor winding;
• the diode bridge burned out;
• the fuse in the mounting block has failed;
• the brushes are erased;
• starter winding rotted.

In addition to these malfunctions, it is also worth paying attention to the generator drive belt. It must be sufficiently tight. In wet weather, this is immediately noticeable due to the characteristic screech during engine operation. This sound will be heard until the belt dries. The belt tension is easy to check. You need to click on it with your finger. If it sags 1,5 centimeters, it needs to be tightened.

Wire insulation fault

This factor discharges the battery unnoticed. Sometimes the leakage current cannot be noticed, except because of the rapid loss of charge. The problem is resolved by visual inspection of the wiring. If there are cracks in the wires (cores need not be visible), they must be replaced. Also, a current leak can be found if you “ring” the electrical components of the car.

In addition to insulation failure, leakage currents can occur if the electrical equipment is not connected correctly. Proper connection of the circuit allows you to save battery power for up to 3 months (depends on the quality of the battery).

How to understand that the battery is dead? 

There are several ways to understand that a car’s battery is dead. The first thing you should pay attention to is the light on the dashboard. If it lights up red, then the battery requires recharging. It will be useful to monitor the voltage of the on-board network - for this you need an external voltmeter.

In addition, if you hear uncharacteristic rattle sounds when starting the engine, and also observe the slowed-down operation of the starter, then there is a high probability of a low starting current, which affects the state of the battery. Symptoms also come down to the alarm system and door locks. If they wedge or work intermittently, then the car battery is low.

How to start the car if the battery is dead?

In addition to sub-zero temperatures, which contribute to battery drain, it also affects battery capacity and driving with the heater turned on, heated seats, and mirrors and steering wheel.

In addition, often the driver can simply forget to turn off the side lights or any other devices during parking. However, do not panic. Four methods are described below with which the car can start and drive.

Method 1. Start the car from a tugboat or from a pusher

To start a car with a pusher, you will need a cable for towing. The optimal length is 4-6 meters. To tow, two cars must be connected by a cable and dispersed to 15 km. In a car that is being towed, third gear is engaged, and the clutch is gradually released. If the method worked, then the machines can be disconnected. This method is perfect for a machine on which a mechanic's gearbox is installed. 

If there is no vehicle suitable for towing nearby, ask one of the people to help you disperse the car. You need to do this on a flat road or downhill. People who have come to your aid should stand behind the car, grab the trunk and push the vehicle forward until the engine starts and the car continues to drive.

Method 2. Start the car by lighting a cigarette from a donor battery

What to do in a situation if the battery is dead? A proven way is to light a car. To do this, you will need:

• donor machine;
• key on 10;
• wire for lighting.

The main condition of this method is that the donor battery should work properly. To carry out lighting, cars need to be parked nearby, but so that they do not touch each other. The engine of the donor car must be turned off, and the negative terminal must be removed for what needs to be recharged. In order for car electronics not to fail, the polarity must be observed. The minus wire is usually painted black and the plus wire is red. Connect the terminals marked with a plus.

Next, you need to connect one minus to the auto-donor, and the second to the car, the battery of which requires recharging. Start the donor car and wait 5 minutes until the battery of the second car is recharged. After that, it can also be wound up, letting it work for about 7 minutes. As a result, the terminals can be turned off, and the car should be allowed to work for 15-20 minutes. So you can charge the car faster when the engine is on.

Method 3. Start the car with a rope

To use this method, it is worth stocking up with a strong rope and a jack. First of all, raise the drive axle of the machine with a jack. Next - wrap the car wheel with a rope. To spin the wheel, pull the rope with a sharp movement, as if pulling a cord from a lawn mower to start it.

This method is an imitation of starting a car from a pusher. When the drive wheel is spinning, the auto drive begins to rotate, which starts the subsequent processes leading to the engine starting. Alas, this method will not work for a car with a box. However, the launch of the car on a manual gearbox will be successful.

Method 4. Start the car with a launcher and charger

The easiest to use is to start the battery using a special device. The launcher-charger is connected to the network, and the mode switch must be in the "start" mode. A ROM wire with a positive value must be connected to the positive terminal, and with a negative value, to the motor block, next to which there is a starter. Then, using the key, the ignition is activated. If the method worked, and the car could start, turn off the ROM. You can also use a booster to charge the battery.

What to do if the battery is on the machine

Most of these methods are used on cars with a manual transmission. In the case of an automatic transmission, the good old “pusher” method will not work. The point here is the difference manual transmission devices and automatic.

Some “advisers” claim that there will be no problems with starting the “machine” from the pusher if you accelerate the car to 70 km / h and put the selector in position “D”. In fact, these tips are not supported by facts.

Unlike a mechanical transmission, the machine does not have hard contact with the motor (for example, in torque converter modifications, the torque is transmitted to the planetary gearbox using a special pump that does not activate while the engine is turned off). Due to such features of the device, the “classic” method of starting the engine will not help. Moreover, this procedure will spoil the mechanism itself (even the usual towing for the "machines" is not desirable).

To start the car with automatic transmission, you will have to use only recharging. In this case, the battery is removed from the car and connected to the charger. With a working ignition and fuel supply system, the car will start.

If there is no time to wait until the battery is recharged or there is no charger, you can “light up” a car from a neighbor or use other available methods to “revive” the battery.

What to do if the battery has run out in winter

In winter, due to the increased load, the battery discharges faster, and this does not depend on how long it was purchased. Some motorists after a long downtime before starting the engine for 3-5 seconds. turn on the high beam to “wake up” the battery, after which they start the engine.

In the case of a mechanical transmission, there are many options for forcing the engine to start when the battery is low. The easiest way is to start the engine from the pusher. At the same time, you should make sure that the problem is connected with the low battery level. In this case, the starter will turn slowly or will not react at all to the turn of the key in the ignition switch. AT separate article on the example of the VAZ 2107, other causes of a troubled start of the motor are shown that are not associated with a low battery charge.

If the car is equipped with an automatic transmission, then in this case only an alternative power source will help. How to prevent overcooling of batteries in winter, as well as the proper winter storage of car batteries, is described here.

How to extend battery life?

To keep your car battery running as long as possible, follow these tips.

1. Keep the battery of the machine dry and clean.
2. Avoid sudden changes in temperature.
3. Do not recharge the battery or disconnect from the power prematurely.
4. Turn off the engine when idle.
5. Do not wear out the battery with a starter.
6. Securely mount the battery in the car.
7. Do not let the battery run out completely.

All these tips are quite simple and easy to implement. It is only necessary to accustom yourself to take care of the car on time, so that later you do not get up in the middle of the road.

Common questions:

Can I start my car without a battery? Yes. Only the methods differ depending on the features of the layout of the machine. Without a battery, the car can be started from a pusher (in this case, the car must have a manual transmission) or from a booster (a small starting device that produces a large starting current for up to 1 minute).

How to understand that the battery is dead? In this case, the red battery light on the dashboard will illuminate continuously. With a low charge, the starter turns sluggishly (the battery needs to be recharged). If the battery is completely discharged, the on-board system is not activated (the bulbs will not light up).

What to do if the battery is completely dead? 1 - put it on charge overnight. 2 - start the car from the pusher and let it run or drive without stopping the engine and with the equipment turned off (at least 50 km).