Won't start

SRSMIYTH1966

MEMBER
2007 DODGE NITRO
70,000 MILES

My nitro won't Start I just get a clicking and hiking noise like something electronic is running. I let the battery charge overnight but is still nothing.

I can jump start the Nitro but it won't start again. My husband has checked the battery and it was showing to be fully charged. Cables are tight and have been cleaned

1 Reply

KASEKENNY

MECHANIC
18,907 POSTS

More than likely there is a shorted cell in the battery causing this or the cranking amps are just way down. The voltage may show that the battery is charged but it will not hold a charge once it is shorted.

So, we can test this by allowing it to sit overnight and then remove the battery and take it into a parts store and they will test it for you free of charge.

If it is not able to hold a charge, then it will fail the test, but you may pass the test if you charge it and then take it for testing. Basically, we want to see what the state of charge is after sitting overnight.

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

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

The battery may be showing 12 volts, but the amperage is low and that is what is required to start the engine.

If the battery checks out, then we need to move through this guide and find out if we have a greater issue with the vehicle:

https://youtu.be/dCjmRL3p4Cs

However, I fully expect we are going to have a battery issue so let's have this tested and go from there.

Thanks