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I'm hoping someone can help me diagnose this car problem (car won't start). I made a short video here so you can hear the noise it makes when trying to start:

[video removed]

Short summary of the problem:

  • Car has been sitting for 3 months (warm climate)
  • I initially thought the battery was drained, so I tried jump-starting it. No luck. It made the same clicking noise you hear in the video.
  • I then trickle-charged the battery overnight (trying to avoid spending money on a new battery). To my suprise, the charger indicated it took a charge, so I reinstalled the battery, turned the key, and it made the same clicking noise you hear in the video.
  • The starter was replaced (refurbished) about six months ago.

In my limited knowledge of working on cars, I've never seen a completely dead battery (lifespan exhausted), which is probably what is confusing me so much.

Thank you!

Jeff
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1 Answers1

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Even though my old battery appeared to take a charge from a borrowed trickle-charger, I took it to Autozone and they confirmed it was bad: 11.83 volts, only 2% charged. With a new battery installed, she started right up. I was shocked!

If someone would like to summarize the answers/suggestions in the comments above and post them here, I'll mark your answer correct.

Jeff
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