Will not start after giving someone a jump

Tiny
JOHNMMM
  • MEMBER
  • 1996 BUICK REGAL
  • 3.8L
  • 6 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 1,418,361 MILES
My car will not start after trying to give a jump. It sounds like it wants to but cannot or just does not have enough power.
Friday, September 8th, 2017 AT 7:14 PM

3 Replies

Tiny
HARRY P
  • MECHANIC
  • 2,292 POSTS
Have you tried getting someone to give you a jump? It could be a coincidence that your battery just drained flat. If you cannot get a jump, take your battery out and get a ride to the local parts store to have your battery tested. They will test it for free.

How to remove and install a battery: https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-replace-a-car-battery

At home battery test - https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-battery-load-test

Let us know how that goes.
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Friday, September 8th, 2017 AT 7:23 PM
Tiny
JOHNMMM
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
I did get it charged to 100%. It just will not turn. The security light is not on so I do not think it is that. Could it be my starter?
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Friday, September 8th, 2017 AT 7:37 PM
Tiny
HARRY P
  • MECHANIC
  • 2,292 POSTS
Could be. There are some things to check first, though. First check your battery cables. It is possible that one of them got loose when you jump started that other car. So make sure that they are tight enough that you cannot move them by hand. If you cannot get them that tight, replace the terminals. They cost a few bucks at the parts store. Also, make sure that there is no whitish/greenish corrosion on them. If there is, clean it off with a wire brush or something.

The next thing to look at would be the fuses and relays. There should be a fuse box inside the car and another one under the hood. One blown fuse or bad relay could easily cause this problem. Be sure to check (at the least) the ones for the starter and the computer (might say "ECM" or something like that).

If that does not do it, then the next thing to check would be to see if there is power getting to the starter. To do that, you'll need a multi-meter or at the least an electrical test light. Here is a how-to guide that we have: https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-cranks-but-wont-start. Scroll down to section 2.

So start there and let us know how it goes.
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Saturday, September 9th, 2017 AT 4:02 AM

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