How do you know if it’s the alternator or the car battery causing your car problems?

When it comes to maintain a properly functioning car, your battery plays an important role in being able to sustain forward mobility. Often times, if you happen to get inside of your car and try to start the ignition but get no response, it can be easy to automatically assume the worst. While a non-starting ignition can indicate may serious issues, often times it is a simple fix like replacing your battery or alternator. Before you can be sure of what is causing the problem with your vehicle, you need to know some of the key factors to look for.

One of the easiest ways to confirm that your car battery is indeed the cause of your car not starting, is by checking the lights on your dashboard. When you turn your key into the first notch of your car’s ignition switch, your dashboard lights should come on at full brightness. If you notice that your headlights do not react to any key twists or insertions, you likely have an issue with your battery. You can also confirm that it’s your battery causing your issues by attempting to turn on your lights and windshield wipers while the ignition is engaged but not fully turned on.

If you get no response from either of these actions, it’s likely a bad battery that is causing your car not to start. The final test that you should perform to confirm that your car battery is the source of your issues is a jumpstart. Completely turn your car off and wipe off any corrosive residue from the terminals of your battery, once that’s complete, attempt starting your car using the connection from another vehicle. If your vehicle starts up, continue to let the motor run for a short while.

After you’ve left the motor on for a few moments, turn your vehicle off. Form the off position, attempt to restart your vehicle without using a jump. If your car does not restart, that is a tale tell sign that your battery is in fact drained and not capable of holding the charge provided to it by your alternator. While most battery caused issues will affect your vehicle before being turned on and after being turned off, alternator problems can affect your ability to operate your vehicle safely.

If you happen to notice that your headlights switch their brightness depending on your speed, this is a sign that your alternator is likely the main cause of your problems. If you think that your battery is dead in your vehicle and need assistance, we offer high-quality car battery replacement services that are affordable and reliable.

By using the information in this article, you’ll be able to diagnose whether or not your battery or alternator needs to be replaced when you are faced with car trouble. As long as you follow all of these steps, you’ll be back on the road in no time.