# Car is dead **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 19, 2016, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-is-dead/749586 "2016-03-19T22:01:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dondan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dondan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dondan)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-is-dead/749586/1 "2016-03-19T22:01:27Z")
I thought my car battery was dead,had all the tell tale signs.I bought a new battery,car still would’nt start.when I had the old battery in I could still roll the windows up and down,but now I can’t even do that,it is completely dead nothing goes on.any ideas to what may be wrong? ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-is-dead/749586/2 "2016-03-19T22:15:55Z")
Checked the battery cables and cleaned off any corrosion? Finally, I’ll flag this thread to move it over to another section of our forums. Seems you are asking for advice and we cannot give a purely factual answer. This discussion might be better over in our In My Humble Opinion area. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-is-dead/749586/3 "2016-03-19T22:20:21Z")
The obvious: is the ground strap still making electrical connection to both the negative terminal on the battery and the body/frame of the car? If no electrical devices (interior lights when door is open, etc) then the battery is not making contact with the wiring - most people ignore the ground connection but pay good attention to the positive. ---
**Author:** ![herman\_and\_bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f1d935/32.png) [@herman\_and\_bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/herman_and_bill)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-is-dead/749586/4 "2016-03-20T02:03:43Z")
Is the new battery charged? Is it hooked up correctly? Red cable to positive, black cable to negative. Did you thoroughly clean the cables where they hook up to the battery, scrape all the corrosion off? Check the fuses, check for a fusible link in the positive battery cable, check that the cables aren’t broken or corroded where they attach to the clamps. Look at the positive cable, it probably goes to the starter with other cables hooked up with it. Is it making a good connection? Did you have the old battery checked to see if it was actually bad? ---
**Author:** ![bb49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b38774/32.png) [@bb49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bb49)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-is-dead/749586/5 "2016-03-20T02:05:56Z")
Sometimes new batteries come with plastic caps over the terminals. Did you remove them? ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-is-dead/749586/6 "2016-03-20T04:25:52Z")
So it goes. – Kurt Vonnegut, _Slaughterhouse-Five_ ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-is-dead/749586/7 "2016-03-20T05:15:08Z")
When you turn the key, what do you hear? Silence may mean a bad connection, but a sharp CLACK probably points to a worn out starter. On re-read, it does almost sound like the battery’s shipping caps are still on one or both terminals, preventing any power from getting out of it. ---
**Author:** ![ZurBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/71e660/32.png) [@ZurBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZurBob)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-is-dead/749586/8 "2016-03-20T11:00:53Z")
Code issue? Look in the manual for “battery replacement”. ---
**Author:** ![GiantRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@GiantRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GiantRat)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-is-dead/749586/9 "2016-03-20T16:59:31Z")
You could try attaching to a known-good (and currently running) battery in another car, by passing the battery currently in the dead car’s harness. Jumper cables ought to do it. This would be a poor-man’s diagnostic approach, but I’ve used it before (and, unfortunately, it ended up requiring about $1800 and a week’s worth of parts/labor; but that’s because the 2007 Altima is - by the dealership’s admission - “the worst damned car Nissan ever sold.”) Always fun when the mechanic looks at low mileage on the odometer and the dialogue is: Mech: “What’s this, a 2012?” Me: “2007” Mech: Sh_t. That’s the worst damned car Nissan ever sold. New design. Bad gaskets, bad starters, the electronics are sh_t. It took 4 mechanics about a week; they admitted that they’d started using it as a “hobby project.” ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-is-dead/749586/10 "2016-03-20T17:04:51Z")
Bad starter relay? Or, you could have gotten a bum battery. It happens. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-is-dead/749586/11 "2016-03-20T17:06:41Z")
Oh, does the car have any automatic shut offs? some cars have things like, if the oil is low, it automatically shuts off the power and the fuel supply, so you won’t ruin your engine. Check the owner’s manual. ---
**Author:** ![core](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@core](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/core)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-is-dead/749586/12 "2016-03-20T17:27:20Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Bad starter relay? Starter solenoid/relay/etc would not cause the loss of window power. A $5 cheapo Harbor Freight multimeter or test light would find the problem in short order. > [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Oh, does the car have any automatic shut offs? some cars have things like, if the oil is low, it automatically shuts off the power and the fuel supply, so you won’t ruin your engine. Check the owner’s manual. So in addition to low oil, now at 70mph you’ve lost power steering and vacuum assist on your brakes. You’re going to need a new engine anyway after you fly off the side of the mountain. What kind of car is that you had?? ---
**Author:** ![Hairy\_Bob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecc23a/32.png) [@Hairy\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hairy_Bob)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2016, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-is-dead/749586/13 "2016-03-28T16:54:19Z")
> [@core](#): > > So in addition to low oil, now at 70mph you’ve lost power steering and vacuum assist on your brakes. You’re going to need a new engine anyway after you fly off the side of the mountain. What kind of car is that you had?? I’m fairly certain that the auto shut off would be disabled above a specified low speed, and that a low oil pressure warning would be accompanied by loud buzzers and a big red STOP symbol on the dash. In any case, simply cutting the fuel supply to the engine would not cause you to lose power steering or brakes, the car would simply coast to a stop, exactly as if you took your foot off the throttle, unless you decided to put the car in neutral. While the vehicle is coasting in gear, all the engine powered ancillaries will continue to operate as normal. ETA: Where are you doing 70mph on the side of a mountain anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2016, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-is-dead/749586/14 "2016-03-28T16:57:32Z")
Note that the OP’s first and last post was nine days ago, and he/she has not even logged in since then. So were I you, I wouldn’t bother attempting to help this person. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2016, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-is-dead/749586/15 "2016-03-28T19:25:49Z")
Blown fuse/tripped breaker. Happened to my brand new car a couple of months ago when an after-market shop installed a remote starter. ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_from\_CB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/278dde/32.png) [@Alex\_from\_CB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_from_CB)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-is-dead/749586/16 "2016-03-29T19:48:20Z")
Car is dead. Long live the car. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-is-dead/749586/17 "2016-03-29T21:57:45Z")
easy test of the ground using jumper cables. Connect both clamps on one end to the negative terminal. On the other end connect one clamp to an engine ground and connect the other to the chassis. This covers issues with grounds to the engine and grounds to the chassis. If everything works then disconnect them individually to see which ground is in need of repair. Make sure the battery is charged first. That should be step 1. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-is-dead/749586/18 "2016-03-29T22:00:46Z")
Maybe the OP didn’t pay his electric bill … nothing for the car … nothing for the internet … all his food spoiled …