Last Updated on February 21, 2024 by Nasir Hanif
Do you want to know the unmistakable sign that points out that your car’s battery is failing? It’s inconvenient to get stranded in an unknown place with a dead car battery. It can also be dangerous for you if your battery fails while you are in the middle of nowhere during winter.
Fortunately, before batteries fail, they tend to give some signs that not all is well with them, so you can plan before you get stranded. Here are 5 telltale signs that your car’s battery is about to fail.
Table of Contents
1. Lights getting dim
A battery that is showing signs of failure will not be able to power all the components of your car. This therefore will start manifesting itself in the form of dim lights, both on the interior and also your car’s headlights. If you start noticing that your lights are getting dimmer with each passing day, then it’s time that you should start taking notes. The dimming lights will perhaps be a safety issue, and also a clear sign that you need to prepare to get a new battery.
2. Clicking sounds on turning the ignition key
Anytime a car’s ignition key is turned, the battery sends electric current to the starter solenoid and this gets things going. A battery that is starting to fail will find it cumbersome doing this function and the electric current which it will send will be weak. When the starter receives a smaller current than it should, then you will hear noise in the form of a clicking sound. However, with jump-starting, you can be able to bring a dying battery back to life, but this offers you a temporary fix.
3. Slow crank
After using a vehicle for some time, drivers get used to the noises that their cars make. However, if your engine cranks at a slow speed than it used to be, or when you notice some sluggishness, that’s an indication that your car’s battery is almost failing. This is an important red flag that you shouldn’t ignore.
4. The vehicle can’t start until when you press the gas pedal
You don’t have to press the gas pedal for your car to start. If you have to do this, then this is an abnormality that points to your battery failing.
5. When the vehicle backfires more often
A battery that is on the verge of failure releases intermittent sparks. The result of this is that there will be fuel accumulation in the cylinders. Upon ignition, this fuel buildup ignites with more force, and this causes the car to backfire. But keep in mind that backfiring could be an indication of many other problems, so you have to do positive and negative car battery tests just to be sure.
A dying battery may not present itself as an urgent issue, but a battery that is fully dead certainly is. If you notice any of the above five signs, you don’t have to wait any longer to get a replacement battery. You have to act before it gets too late.
