What to Do When the Car Won't Start Due to Dead Battery?
2 Answers
You can call your insurance company for roadside assistance. A technician will arrive with the necessary tools to charge the battery, allowing the vehicle to start. The battery is an essential component of a car and can be categorized into traditional lead-acid batteries and maintenance-free batteries. Here are some additional details: 1. Lead-Acid Battery: A lead-acid battery consists of positive and negative plates, separators, a casing, electrolyte, and terminal posts. The discharge chemical reaction relies on the active materials of the positive and negative plates interacting with the electrolyte (dilute sulfuric acid solution). The grid framework of the plates is made of lead-antimony alloy. Traditional batteries experience electrolyte loss during use because the antimony in the grid contaminates the lead on the negative plate, leading to excessive water decomposition. This causes significant amounts of oxygen and hydrogen to escape from the positive and negative plates, respectively, reducing the electrolyte level. 2. Maintenance-Free Battery: Maintenance-free batteries are made with lead-calcium alloy. Since these batteries use lead-calcium alloy for the grid framework, they produce less water decomposition during charging and have lower water evaporation. Additionally, their sealed structure minimizes the release of sulfuric acid gas. Compared to traditional batteries, maintenance-free batteries offer advantages such as no need to add any liquid, reduced corrosion on terminal posts, wiring, and the car body, better resistance to overcharging, higher starting current, and longer charge retention. In recent years, they have become highly popular in China.
I have encountered situations where the car battery was dead and couldn't start the engine multiple times, usually caused by forgetting to turn off the headlights or battery aging. In such cases, I first stay calm, check if the car key is properly inserted, and then seek help from a friend or a vehicle with jump-start service. The specific operation involves preparing the positive and negative terminal cables, safely connecting them to another car's battery, and letting the engine run for half an hour to charge after starting. If that doesn't work, I would contact roadside assistance or insurance company services, as many auto insurance policies provide this for free. For prevention, I make it a habit to check the battery fluid level monthly to ensure it's normal, avoid using electrical devices after parking, and replace the battery every 2-3 years. Battery life is greatly affected by temperature, so extra attention is needed in winter. Keeping a portable charger in the glove compartment and regularly starting the car to charge can help prevent such issues.
