How to troubleshoot car not starting?


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Old 08-01-18, 06:07 AM
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How to troubleshoot car not starting?

I have a Toyota Camry 2011 that will not start. When opening the door, there is no light. It seems like the battery gave up. However, when I tried to jump start, it does not work either. Is it still a battery issue or something else?
 
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Old 08-01-18, 06:27 AM
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Have you checked the fuses?
 
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Old 08-01-18, 06:37 AM
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Maybe one of the Battery Posts has lost its contact with the Cable and needs a good cleaning/tightening ?
 
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Old 08-01-18, 06:56 AM
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I have checked the voltage with my multimeter and it shows 1.758volts. I assumed that means I need a new battery, correct? This battery has been with my car for the last 7 or so years.
 
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Old 08-01-18, 07:28 AM
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Has that car been sitting idle for a few weeks or months ?

It couldn't have gone that dead in just a few days or hours ?
 
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Old 08-01-18, 07:33 AM
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The car only been in the garage for two days.
 
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Old 08-01-18, 08:12 AM
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Then, it would appear that your battery suffered some kind of catastrophic deterioration because you ought to be getting over 2 Volts per Cell on a Six Cell 12 Volt Battery, and your reading is less than what you should expect from just one of the Cells.

You can try and put a charge on it; but it would appear to have virtually gone almost completely dead over night . . . . and I gather that it occurred without any warning ?

I've only had one life's worth of experience . . . . but I've never encountered such a rapid failure; not with cars or trucks or lawnmowers or anything that relies on a battery for starting ( and not computers, cell phones of flashlights either).
 
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Old 08-01-18, 05:38 PM
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Thanks, guys! I put in a new battery and it works now. On a closer inspection, the two sides of the old battery is kinda bulging out. The guy at the Advance Auto store said the battery may have been frozen at one time due to more water in the battery.
 
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Old 08-01-18, 10:17 PM
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Typically.... a charged battery won't freeze but if allowed to go dead..... it can freeze and that is basically the beginning of the end as the plates have shifted internally.
 
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Old 08-02-18, 03:08 AM
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It's just very unusual to experience evidence of a frozen battery in July or August in the Northern Hemisphere.

Maybe it froze and began bulging out last winter . . . . but the electrolyte didn't suddenly drain out until this week ? Makes me wonder if excessive heat may have caused the plates to buckle at this time of year.

If that's what happened, I would flush the battery compartment with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to minimize the damage that the leaking acid may have caused.
 
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Old 08-02-18, 04:27 AM
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And the car still should have started if jumped properly.
 
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Old 08-05-18, 12:36 PM
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Starting

[I]

If the batt had a dead short you wouldn't be able to jump it. And yes they can die in a short period of time. Had one quit while watching a movie at the drive in.
 
 

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