This is nothing but a hazard if your car troubles you while driving. Some troubles are avoidable but what will you do if your car battery dies while driving? Don’t worry. We are here to help you because we always try to provide our visitors with the best gift on earth. Keeping in mind that, in this article, we are going to show you the solution of the problem.
Yes, there are certainly some ways by which you can get rid of this problematic situation! However, there are some reasons for dying a car battery including electrical fault, loose connections of the battery, fault in the diode of the alternator, and so on.
Let’s jump to know in detail.
What will You Do if the Car Battery Dies While Driving?
Of course, you have something to do in this regard. We are suggesting you to take the following steps if your car battery dies suddenly:
- Restart the car: If you are the victim, you can restart your car. This is the best thing by which the problem can be solved. To do this, you need to take out the key of the car from the ignition. Stop your car for a few seconds so that it can take a rest. Then try to start the car again. If you are lucky enough, you can get back into life.
- Ask for help to someone: It will be a very problematic situation for you if your car stops running while driving and won’t start. In that case, you can call someone for help so that you can tow your car to a workshop. You can also follow the maintenance tips at that time.
- Turn your emergency flashers on: Before towing the car, you must turn on the emergency flashers of your car so that other drivers or pedestrians can see you. It will keep you safe from accidents.
The Reasons of Dying a Car Battery While driving
What can drain a car battery – is the most common question asked by many car users. There are some reasons behind dying your car battery quickly. Let’s have a look, shall we?
- To keep the lights on: Your car battery may die fast for keeping the lights on. Most of the drivers make this simple but dangerous mistakes and thereby influencing the car batteries to die swiftly. After coming back home from work, you must feel tired and forget to turn off the headlights or to close the trunk. This makes the car battery draining overnight. Moreover, you need to turn off the small dome lights because they dramatically influence the battery to die quickly.
- Electrical faults: Electrical faults are also responsible for draining a car battery. When you turn the key of the car off, some tasks automatically keep running such as the clock, the security alarm, and radio presets. But some other things can be kept running if there is any electrical faults with the car. So, be conscious about the electrical faults of the car.
- The weak condition: If the battery of your car is in weak condition due to poor maintenance, it cannot hold power for a long time. It will remain at risk. Small drains such as the memory functions of the clock and radio can lead the battery to die. In that case, you can use a trickle charger for battery maintenance. It helps a battery to charge slowly and on the other hand, stop it from overcharging.
- Loose connections of the battery: Loose connection of the battery is another reason to damage it quickly. It hampers the charging system to function properly. Many models use the alternator to charge the clock, radio, lights, and other small components. For this, a charging issue can make the thing worse.
- Fault in the diode of the alternator: The alternator of a car has some works to do such as recharge the battery and supply power to some electrical systems. But if there is any fault with its diode like a loose connection, it will pursue the circuit drawing power even if the engine is off.
- Old battery: The lifespan of a battery may be nearly 4 to 5 years. At the last stage, it may not function well, thereby, cannot start the engine of the car easily. In that case, you had better replace it.
- Human Error: We, the human beings, are also responsible for the death of a car battery. We often neglect the functions and the systems of the car. Sometimes we leave the trunk partially open. Similarly, we forget to turn off the radio and the headlights. All these things cause unnecessary draining of the battery.
- Bad charging problem: If the charging system of your car does not work correctly, the lights, dashboard, radio, and other components will drain the charge of the battery even when the car is running.
- Bulging the cases of the battery: The bulging of the battery cases is caused by extreme temperature. For supplying energy, the cases need chemical reactions. The chemicals are disposed of cold and heat as well.
What problems will face if the battery dies while driving?
Generally, most of the car users try to buy the best car batteries on the market. Unfortunately, the best batteries can die while driving your car within a very short time because of different reasons. Sometimes, you can deal with some issues easily but some others need a mechanic to solve the problems.
However, what will you do if your battery dies at the time of driving because of the faulty alternator? You may face a dangerous situation if you fail to stop the car slowly on the side of the road. If the battery dies, you will see the fan of the cabin ventilation to run slower and the lights will be dimmed.
Furthermore, you will fail to have adequate power to run the spark plugs and the parasitic load from the electrical system may exhaust it further. Lastly, the car will stop running right at that time and the lights of the car will start flashing.
Listen! Good news for you! Generally, the battery of a car does not die suddenly. Gradually, it becomes weaker day by day. Many people do not care about the symptoms. At one point, your car will not start easily rather it takes time while starting. The headlights of the car become dim. You need to know that a car suddenly dies while driving because of a weak battery. Generally, it happens when a dying car battery produces an enormous load on the alternator.
What Issues Can Die a New Car battery?
As we have already stated that the normal lifespan of a car battery is nearly 3 to 4 years. At the last stage, it may not function well and you need to replace it with a new one. But what if the new one begins to die just after buying it? Be careful about it! Let’s know the reasons –
- Your driving distance can play a vital role in the performance of a battery. If you drive in short distances regularly, your battery can end soon. When you drive short distances, the alternator of the car does not get much time to recharge the battery. This type of driving can pursue your battery to die soon.
- Extreme hot and cold weather is bad for a car battery. This puts pressure on the battery and forces to a build-up of lead sulfate crystals that shortens the life of the battery by increasing the recharge time.
- The alternator system supplies energy to recharge the car battery. If there is any fault with some of its parts, the car battery will die soon.
The way of identifying a dead battery
You will face some problems before dying your car battery. If you carefully examine and have some knowledge, you can easily identify whether your battery is dead or not. We are going to make things easier for you. Let’s know about the way of identifying a dead battery –
For New Battery
If you face problems with your new car battery, you can check it yourself.
Firstly, park the car and turn it off with a charged battery next to the dead one. Then, you have to pop-out the jumper cables and hoods of the car.
Secondly, you need to connect the red jumper cable to the red post of the dead one. Then, connect the other end of the red jumper cable to the red post of the charged battery. Now, you have to connect one end of the black jumper cable to the black post of the charged one and connect the next end to the metal in the car that is away from the car battery. This technique will help the circuit to stop sparkling.
Thirdly, you need to start your car with the charged battery and keep the engine running for nearly 10 minutes. Now, you need to start the car with the dead battery. If it takes the start, you will keep it at rest for about 20 minutes. Then, you need to drive for about 8 to 10 miles for charging the battery back-up completely.
For Old Battery
We know that there are some signs of a damaged battery. To crank or the entire nonappearance of the lights while starting the car – is one of them. Another sign is the cranking of the engine without taking the start.
It is better to go for self-diagnosis without towing the car to a garage. It will save your money and time. The old damaged battery can be used for some cases but it will be better for you to replace a new one. Otherwise, you may encounter a bad situation if your car stops in an open place.
On the other hand, if your battery is damaged heavily, it cannot take a charge for a jumpstart. In that case, you are recommended to take the battery to an auto parts store for free testing. There you will get a chance to buy a new battery if your old one becomes unable to run.
FAQs
Q: Can a car battery die while driving?
Answer: Yes, a car battery can die while driving. There are some reasons behind this, for example, to keep the lights on, electrical faults, the weak condition, the loose connection of the battery, the fault in the diode of the alternator, human error, bad charging problem, bulging the battery cases, etc.
Q: What causes the alternator to fail?
Answer: Bad diodes are responsible for failing the alternator because they are the part of the rectifier assembly which helps to convert the alternator’s AC to DC output. So, if the diodes are bad, the alternator fails.
Q: How can you identify a dead battery?
Answer: There are some signs of a damaged battery. They are the entire nonappearance or the cranking of the lights while starting the car, the cranking of the engine without taking the start, etc.
Q: Will some components of your car work even if you turn off the key?
Answer: Yes, some components of your car such as the clock, the security alarm, and radio presets will still work even if you turn off the key of your car.
The Conclusion
What are you thinking after reading the article? We think that we have been successful to make your idea clear about car battery dies while driving. We suggest you be more careful about the signs before dying your car battery. Only your consciousness can make your days smoother and happier. Our blessings are always with you.