my car will not start after i wanted to drive it around. here in texas we just had a pretty big freeze. i got down to like the 20's. <---thats low for us texans. everything got frozen and it was a huge mess. could that have been the cause of my car not starting? the battery was also dead, but i think i might have left the lights on or something. my starter is pretty weak, could that have gone out?

when i turn the ignition, it sounds like it might start but then just makes a weird cracking kinda nosie. its like a GRRRR.....GRRRRR......CRACK CRACK. sorta somethin like that. i was thinking the starter might have gone out.

any help will be greatly appreciated. thanks alot.

 

It sounds like your battery is too weak.You should take it and get it tested and go from there.

 

the battery was dead, but i tried to jump start it with my forenza.

 

i think its the battery also....turn your lights on and crank it

 

the car wont start even if i am tring to jump start it? even if the cars are still connected? it wont atleast idle??

 

Battery bad or just low. Jump start or have it charged. Make sure to let it run for at least 10 minutes before you turn it off if you jump it.

 

see, but i am tring to jump it. when i turn the ignition on, thats when it makes that nosie. it sounds like its comming from the starter.

 

i had a similar problem and also thought it was the starter or anything but the battery which at the time was about 6months old. but it turned out to be the damn battery. it would not charge at all through jumpstarting or by taking it to a charger, it just died. when i took it back the guy from autozone said that some batteries do this especially after below freezing temps.

btw i was caught in san antonio during the freeze, that was some crazy sh*t. i lived in san antonio for 5 yrs and during the time i dont remember anything like that in the area.

good luck with car

 

the clicking sound is the armature in the starter tring to engage but it does not have enough power to do so. Jumping the car does not always work. you have to let it charge the battery up some.. your problem is the battery. another thing.. DO NOT just idle your car to charge the battery up if you do get it started by a jump. else you will be buying an alternator next. it is not made to really charge a dead battery. get a charger. through it on the batter and go from there. First though i would have the battery tested depending on age to make sure it is good. or if the car had set for a while without being run and the battery discharged before the freeze you could have shorted the battery due to it freezing.


In the end. it all comes down to the battery. I have had it happen alot. but then being in minnesota it's expected occassionally

 

well, it sounds like it might be the battery! lol thanks alot guy. i will take it to auto zone today to get it checked and tell you guys the outcome. thanks alot for your advice!

 

let it charge for a bit and then try to start it.

 

make sure your battery is not frozen.
a dead giveaway is your battery will be bulging and not flat on the sides.
if that happened then it might be junk

 

if a battery freezes it is Always junk...

 

not so, you have to let it unfreeze first before you put a 10 amp or trickle charge to it.
make sure you take the caps off first before charging because it will pour acid everywhere
this only works on batteries that are 3 years or newer.
if you try to charge it when its frozen you will ruin it.
i have saved quite a few.

 

I have never been able to save one once they were frozen. i would bring it in. let it thaw for a 48 hours inside the house and then try to charge it.. thing would always short.... And always using the 2amp charge... (no reason to charge any harder than that in the winter time anyhow. it can charge a battery full overnight.