Last Saturday morning, I went out to start the Citroën and drive over to the pharmacy in Saint-Aignan. The car wouldn't start. The engine wouldn't turn over at all. However, when I turned the key in the ignition all kinds of warning lights started flashing on the dashboard. There was an unfamiliar clicking noise coming from the dashboard. The battery seemed okay because the car's lights, radio, and electric windows opened and closed when I pressed the button on the clicker.
It was Saturday, so the mechanic's shop was closed for the weekend. I had to wait until Monday to go over there. I went Monday morning and told them about the problem. They said it sounded like the starter motor had died. What should I do? Call your insurance company and have the card towed over here this afternoon or tomorrow. I decided to wait a day, hoping the car would miraculously start if I continued trying. It didn't. I called the insurance company that afternoon.
On Tuesday morning, the guy from the insurance company came over. He tried to start the car. He listened carefully and said: It's the battery. Let me get my battery charger out of the truck. When he did and he tried, the Citroën started immediately. It purred like a kitten. He said the battery was still good but didn't have enough juice to start up the engine. He told me to keep it running, drive it for 15 or 20 minutes, and then turn it off. It would start right back up. He was right.
It was our mechanic who sold us that battery just three years ago. Why it failed was and is a mystery. The "old" battery was okay, the mechanic said. He said we just need to start it up and drive it for 15 or 20 minutes at least once every month or two. I'm afraid we had already been doing that over the past three years. I don't think I've ever had a car battery failure so early in any other car I've owned. Of course, when we lived in California I did a long commute by car several days a week. Wait didn't in his car because it was simpler for him to take public transit most of the time. The battery in his car never failed.
So I went ahead and bought a new battery. The mechanic installed it. Right this minute, I have to go out and try to start the Citroën after it has spent the night outdoors. It's pretty cold this morning, about 5ºC = 40ºF. I'll be right back... It started. I guess the other battery was somehow defective.
It was Saturday, so the mechanic's shop was closed for the weekend. I had to wait until Monday to go over there. I went Monday morning and told them about the problem. They said it sounded like the starter motor had died. What should I do? Call your insurance company and have the card towed over here this afternoon or tomorrow. I decided to wait a day, hoping the car would miraculously start if I continued trying. It didn't. I called the insurance company that afternoon.
On Tuesday morning, the guy from the insurance company came over. He tried to start the car. He listened carefully and said: It's the battery. Let me get my battery charger out of the truck. When he did and he tried, the Citroën started immediately. It purred like a kitten. He said the battery was still good but didn't have enough juice to start up the engine. He told me to keep it running, drive it for 15 or 20 minutes, and then turn it off. It would start right back up. He was right.
It was our mechanic who sold us that battery just three years ago. Why it failed was and is a mystery. The "old" battery was okay, the mechanic said. He said we just need to start it up and drive it for 15 or 20 minutes at least once every month or two. I'm afraid we had already been doing that over the past three years. I don't think I've ever had a car battery failure so early in any other car I've owned. Of course, when we lived in California I did a long commute by car several days a week. Wait didn't in his car because it was simpler for him to take public transit most of the time. The battery in his car never failed.
So I went ahead and bought a new battery. The mechanic installed it. Right this minute, I have to go out and try to start the Citroën after it has spent the night outdoors. It's pretty cold this morning, about 5ºC = 40ºF. I'll be right back... It started. I guess the other battery was somehow defective.
We had a similar problem with the old Peugeot that is left in the UK and therefore doesn’t get used for a few weeks at a time. The battery failed, the replacement battery failed and we're now on number three. We now disconnect the battery when we leave it , which is a bit if a faff, but the car never fails to start any more.
ReplyDeleteI love reading Jean's words- "a bit of a faff". I've never heard that term but experienced lots of faffs lately. Glad a new battery solved the problem.
ReplyDeleteOh, yesterday Walt said it was the starter motor! I guess he was going with the initial call of the mechanic. When my battery wouldn't start my car last month (good battery, but dirty terminals), it did like yours and would start the radio and the heater blower and the locks... just wouldn't turn over the motor). Cleaned the terminals, drove the car a bit, and it starts right up, now.
ReplyDeleteI just did some reading on the web about car batteries. They have evolved greatly over the past few decades. So I just don't know how they work these days. They are based on lithium, and not on lead and acid nowadays. Re-[charging them is pretty different. Here is a link:
Deletehttps://www.flashbattery.tech/en/blog/history-evolution-lithium-batteries/