Whats wrong with my 1996 Toyota Corolla's battery and/or alternator?

A

Aaron

New member
I am having some bad luck with cars. Just bought this car used about 12 hours ago, and now the car won't start. I took the battery out of my now defunct Dodge Intrepid and used it to jump-start the Corolla. At first the car would not start and I noticed the terminals had a little rust on them. After moving the jumper cable clamps to different spots on the Corollas battery terminals , it finally started. I thought well I guess I need a new battery. I drove the car around for 10 minutes with the headlights on and the A/C blowing cold. I thought let me try the High-beams real quick. As soon as i switched to High-beams on the headlights, the car died instantly. I have been reading some other stuff online about this problem, and most say something about a bad ground/ or fuse that is too low amps rating. What should I check first?
 
probably new battery and cables.

A quick fix that might work is to pour Coke a Cola on the rust/gunk build up on your battery connection. Its acidic and will eat some of it away. Scrub with a brush to help remove it.
 
Battery and alternator work hand in hand. If the battery has a dead cell, it will not accept and hold charge even if the alternator is working properly. On the other hand, if the battery is okay and the alternator is failing, it will just discharge the battery even if its a new one. I suggest you check both of them. Also check cables if loose and dirty. Check also alternator belt if loose, it can also cause discharge. Hope this helps!
 
Back
Top