If you actually had a frozen battery, you could verify that with the removal of one of the caps and shining a flashlight in there.
If you see ice and nudging the car does not show fluid movement.
Go get a new battery and write frozen on that one.
Do not charge, jump or mess with it till it thaws and can be safely charged.
Get your car tested, clean your connections, be sure its not frozen, get a boost pack or set of cables and get to the parts store. Get tests and parts.
Or better yet, get to a garage and get it done right.
Have them test for what is going to happen also.
Have them prove it holds a load, have them show a charge under load have them check for a draw.
Have them unplug the ignition and read the cranking draw
after a few seconds cranking and up to 15 seconds.
Find out what else besides poor connections you are about to find.
If you dont overbuy a battery, the freezing temps can getcha.
Buy the better one than minimum.
Battery cells are shorted out! Prove it by checking each cell with an inexpensive battery hydrometer from any auto parts store. /or/ Take the battery to any store that sells new ones other than Auto Zone and ask for a free 15 second battery *load test to see what the reserve amperage capacity is. Battery amperage spins starter motors not battery voltage.
It could be battery or it could be your alternator is simply not charging it. You need to have them both checked, IF you have a meter, and get the car running, put the meter across from the negative to the positive posts, and see what kind of volts it reads. It should be around 14 volts, when charging.
Also check your cables, bad cables can prevent charging. Clean the connections, of cable to battery, these can also build up gunk and not allow full flow of current.
Simply take the battery to the battery store/walmart/auto parts house and have them test it. If the battery is good, move on to the alternator.
Hi without doubt the battery has died. the average life of most car batteries is 2-3 years. so i would guess it is a lot older.
Just ran into the same problem. it was the battery. mine was getting old and after testing it, they found out that the +ve terminal/side was very weak. replaced the battery.
battery don't freeze . a weak battery will rear it's ugly head when the temps. drop. make sure that your battery cables are clean and tight on the battery posts and then jump it one more time when you are going to drive for at least half hour if it doesn't start the next day go buy a new one or if you have unlimited funds go get a new one right away
if is not moving...
Its the battery, if it was the alternator it would shut off while running.
so my car wasn't starting and I jumped it and It started, left it running for 15 mins no problem, left it for 2 hours to start it again and wouldn't turn over, could it just be my battery freezing? Cause I think it's time to get a new battery but just trying to get some more input
Could be time for a new battery. Take it to a shop n get it tested. If it tests good, you may have alternator troubles
Its the battery, if it was the alternator it would shut off while running.
Its the battery, if it was the alternator it would shut off while running.
YOU HAVE A BAD BATTERY.
MORE DISCUSSION:
Batteries can freeze in very cold temperatures. The link from Interstate Batteries (1st link) shows that batteries lose power in cold weather and shows that engines are harder to turn over in cold weather (viscosity of oil).
By leaving your car for two hours (without running), you gave the weak battery time to discharge. It is clear that the battery can't retain a charge.
Country Boy suggested that the battery cells might have shorted out. This is possible.
The second link below says that a hydrometer test that shows a difference in specific gravity of more than .5 between cells indicates an open cell. A battery hydrometer measures the specific gravity, therefore the chemical content of the acid in a battery. The link indicates that you should be careful about splashing acid when using a hydrometer.
It certainly seems like you have a bad battery, but Scrubbag also suggested that the problem might be caused by a bad alternator. I don't think that it is an alternator problem, because after a wait of two hours, the car will no longer start (indicating that it is a battery problem, not an alternator problem). However, it is a good idea to measure the voltage while the car is running, as Scrubbag suggests.
Best Guesser suggested taking the battery to a car parts store or service center (Walmart, et al), to test it. I suggest taking the whole car, to test the alternator and starter for free while you are there. However, discharged batteries have to be charged before being tested. So, it might take a short time for them to charge your battery before testing it. Scrubbag suggests that it might be merely dirty clamps and battery posts that prevent the battery from charging properly. While it is a good idea to keep them clean, likely the dirt and corrosion is not causing the problem (because the problem comes when the battery sits for a while as if the cause of the problem is a weak battery).
Sounds like it. You can go to most parts stores and have it tested for free.
Get it tested
Yes get a new one.
could be your battery or alternator.
