Battery instantly dead

[svtrit]

Last night I got in my Camry and nothing happened when I turned the key. After wiggling the negative clamp, and making note I tighten that, it fired up.

Once home, I changed the battery and went to bed. This morning, same thing. It’s around -8F here these days.

The battery only had 12.3 volts after being charged to 13.6 last night, so I checked the date, and it’s 5 years old.

Is it normal for batteries to suddenly just give up the ghost now with no warning?

My wife's car also has a 5 year old battery in it, so I’ll do that one next month. My Jeep has a 7 year old battery that is on a trickle charger when not in regular use.

It was a surprise to have a perfectly good starting car finally just stop working.

 

[WylieCoyote]

Last night I got in my Camry and nothing happened when I turned the key. After wiggling the negative clamp, and making note I tighten that, it fired up.

Once home, I changed the battery and went to bed. This morning, same thing. It’s around -8F here these days.

The battery only had 12.3 volts after being charged to 13.6 last night, so I checked the date, and it’s 5 years old.

Is it normal for batteries to suddenly just give up the ghost now with no warning?

My wife's car also has a 5 year old battery in it, so I’ll do that one next month. My Jeep has a 7 year old battery that is on a trickle charger when not in regular use.

It was a surprise to have a perfectly good starting car finally just stop working.

It's a crapshoot on how a battery dies. My '05 Sport Trac gave me a warning with a very strange startup one morning, and died completely in the Target parking lot 15 minutes later. Not even a click. I don't think I've ever had the pleasure of having a battery die slowly in any perceptible manner. They may well have spent a year "dying" but the vehicles always masked it. I sometimes get a warning, and sometimes am caught totally off guard. It's the luck of the draw.

 

[Donald]

Last night I got in my Camry and nothing happened when I turned the key. After wiggling the negative clamp, and making note I tighten that, it fired up.

Once home, I changed the battery and went to bed. This morning, same thing. It’s around -8F here these days.

The battery only had 12.3 volts after being charged to 13.6 last night, so I checked the date, and it’s 5 years old.

Is it normal for batteries to suddenly just give up the ghost now with no warning?

My wife's car also has a 5 year old battery in it, so I’ll do that one next month. My Jeep has a 7 year old battery that is on a trickle charger when not in regular use.

It was a surprise to have a perfectly good starting car finally just stop working.

Did you charge or change the battery when you got home?

You need to remove both cables and clean the cable connector and post with a battery brush or wire brush. Maybe use some baking soda and water.

Although 5 years for a battery is reasonable life. But figure out if it a battery or battery connection problem.

 

[oldcodger]

In my experience that is a pretty normal old battery failure. I have cranked up at home, stopped at a store and then nothing.

 

[Kira]

A good cold night is just like the first killer hot Summer day.....batteries die.

If you don't drive every day I suggest taking the general advice of throwing a charger on your battery overnight at least monthly. I do.

 

[JMJNet]

Is it normal for batteries to suddenly just give up the ghost now with no warning?

Yes. It is not always but as said above, it is not that good.

I had an experience when a battery just shorted without any reason.
The best tool to have is battery load tester.

Battery needs to be load test-ed to make sure that it is good or bad (not voltage).
Nowadays, Amazon sells battery analyzer with load tester or you can get an analog load tester from HF.
It is a good investment.

 

[mk378]

Hold your voltmeter probes directly on top of the battery posts (not the terminals) and measure while someone turns the key trying to start. If the voltage drops a lot (like below 10 volts), the battery is bad. If the voltage stays up but the starter doesn't turn, there's a problem elsewhere, not the battery. Very often that problem is a bad connection at one of the terminals. It can also be a bad ground wire etc.

 

[Pelican]

Last night I got in my Camry and nothing happened when I turned the key. After wiggling the negative clamp, and making note I tighten that, it fired up.

Once home, I changed the battery and went to bed. This morning, same thing. It’s around -8F here these days.

The battery only had 12.3 volts after being charged to 13.6 last night, so I checked the date, and it’s 5 years old.

Is it normal for batteries to suddenly just give up the ghost now with no warning?

My wife's car also has a 5 year old battery in it, so I’ll do that one next month. My Jeep has a 7 year old battery that is on a trickle charger when not in regular use.

It was a surprise to have a perfectly good starting car finally just stop working.

That's typical for AGM batteries, not so for regular ones.

 

[nomas]

The battery in my wifes Car died suddenly . She cranked it up , drove to the Eye Doctor . Got in to leave and nothing . Dead as a hammer . It was an older battery so I wasn't surprised .

 

[slug_bug]

For the last 25 years or so I've used the philosophy that if the battery is over 4 years old and you have any electrical/no-start issues then just replace the battery. Unless the condition can be explained by lights left on, or loose battery cable, etc. The philosophy has never failed me. Never had to replace other components such as alternator after the battery was replaced. Never had flaky electrical issues keep occurring.

As far as failing with no warning. That's common. Just happened on my 4 year old Lexus last week. Started and ran fine one day. They next day it wouldn't crank. Replaced the battery and all is well.

 

[JohnnyG]

My Mercedes gives a warning on the dash, even if it is a bit "cryptic". It'll say something like "Do not shut off the engine" or the sunroof will open when the keyfob is used to unlock the doors.
That last one might be coincidence, but at least I know what to look out for now.

 

[Dave Sherman]

I've had batteries give up the ghost with no warning. Original battery in my Saturn lasted 6 years, never showed signs of slow cranking in the cold. Then one day in spring, I ran an errand in the morning, battery was fine. That afternoon: Click click click click. Now I usually try to get the battery tested when it's getting to be 4-5 years old.

 

[Wolf359]

My Mercedes gives a warning on the dash, even if it is a bit "cryptic". It'll say something like "Do not shut off the engine" or the sunroof will open when the keyfob is used to unlock the doors.
That last one might be coincidence, but at least I know what to look out for now.

Mercedes tends to monitor the voltage. You used to be able to display the voltage on the dash through some sequence. You usually get some warning when the voltage drops below 11 volts and it says convenience items disabled like the radio. The sunroof opening could the keyfob held down too long. Handy during the summer, hold it down and it opens the sunroof and rolls down the windows for faster cooling.

 

[Chris Meutsch]

For the last 25 years or so I've used the philosophy that if the battery is over 4 years old and you have any electrical/no-start issues then just replace the battery. Unless the condition can be explained by lights left on, or loose battery cable, etc. The philosophy has never failed me. Never had to replace other components such as alternator after the battery was replaced. Never had flaky electrical issues keep occurring.

This is my philosophy also. Replacing a battery every 4 years has never "not" worked for me.

 

[FT92]

had that happen to me over the years, at home started great then after stopping at wherever tried to start and the battery was done...so not unheard of

 

[billt460]

It's a crapshoot on how a battery dies. My '05 Sport Trac gave me a warning with a very strange startup one morning, and died completely in the Target parking lot 15 minutes later. Not even a click. I don't think I've ever had the pleasure of having a battery die slowly in any perceptible manner. They may well have spent a year "dying" but the vehicles always masked it. I sometimes get a warning, and sometimes am caught totally off guard. It's the luck of the draw.

I've had much the same. Out here in the desert heat, mine die instantly. Almost as if someone had cut the battery cable. Fortunately I only had one strand me. I got into my truck in the garage, and it fired right up. Drove to the store about 2 miles away, shut it off, and when I came out, nothing. The dome light wouldn't even go on.

I only had one give me a warning in my Jeep. It started cranking slower and slower. So I finally changed it before it died completely. But I'm not usually that lucky. I now have all 3 of my vehicles on Battery Tender / Maintainers. Hopefully that will extend their life, plus give me a heads up when they're about to take a dump.

 

[billt460]

This is my philosophy also. Replacing a battery every 4 years has never "not" worked for me.

I would gladly adopt this "philosophy", except I'm never lucky enough to get a battery to last that long. Out here you have to follow what is known as, "The 2 Summers Rule".

Generally speaking, after you've have had a battery under your hood for 2 full Summers, you're on borrowed time. A bit like walking on a frozen lake, and you start hearing the ice begin to crack under your feet.

 

[levi]

Is it normal for batteries to suddenly just give up the ghost now with no warning?

Has been my experience the last couple of times I've had to replace my batteries. YMMV.

 

[Chris Meutsch]

I would gladly adopt this "philosophy", except I'm never lucky enough to get a battery to last that long. Out here you have to follow what is known as, "The 2 Summers Rule".

Generally speaking, after you've have had a battery under your hood for 2 full Summers, you're on borrowed time. A bit like walking on a frozen lake, and you start hearing the ice begin to crack under your feet.

Oh I have heard about this from the Southern/Western hot-climate people.
If I lived in one of those places, I would be every 2 years for certain. I just don't believe you have to wait to be stranded; it's worth the outlay of money to be reliable.

 

[Wolf359]

Oh I have heard about this from the Southern/Western hot-climate people.
If I lived in one of those places, I would be every 2 years for certain. I just don't believe you have to wait to be stranded; it's worth the outlay of money to be reliable.

I wonder if a jump pack and a battery load tester might make more sense, that way you're not dumping a battery before it's really dead. I just have a battery charger. I'm at 14 years on my AGM battery, but then I'm in a colder climate and my H8 battery is in the trunk. Probably the biggest battery you can get. Mine died last year, I charged it up and was able to get another year out of it. I think that was just me listening to the radio a bit after I shut it off and maybe had the seat heaters on too. A few of those will kill a battery too. This winter I've just made sure to shut the heater off and leave right away instead of just sitting in the car afterwards.