Car Won’t Start With Jump? Let’s Fix It!

Have you ever turned the key in your car’s ignition and instead of hearing that sweet sound of the engine revving to life, you get nothing? Just depressing silence or even worse – a sad little click-click-click noise? I feel your pain. Annoying doesn’t even begin to describe it, especially when you’re already running late.

You give the key another hopeful try and still – nothing. So you call your helpful neighbor over to give your battery a jump start. They connect the jumper cables, and you turn the key expecting your sweet ride to miraculously roar to life. But nope – still nothing. What gives? This is so frustrating! Why won’t your car start even after jumping the battery?

The short answer is – there are a number of potential culprits that could be preventing your car from starting even after a jump. The battery might seem fine, but the underlying issue could be with the alternator, starter motor, fuel delivery system, ignition system, or even compression problems from mechanical damage.

Don’t worry – in this post, we’ll walk through the most common reasons a car won’t start even after jumping it, plus how to diagnose and fix the issues. You’ll be prepped with knowledge so you can troubleshoot the problem yourself or at least give your mechanic a heads up on where to start looking. Let’s dive in and get your wheels turning again!

Why Does My Car Need Jumping in the First Place?

First, let’s quickly cover why a car battery can die and need jumping. The battery is essentially the heart of your car’s electrical system – it provides the initial power to start the engine and run accessories, plus stores energy to start it again later.

Without a charged battery, you’ve got no chance of starting the car. Some common reasons for a dead battery include:

• Natural discharge over time – Batteries slowly self-discharge when the car sits unused for weeks. Eventually it loses enough power that it can’t start the engine.
• Lights/accessories left on – Leaving lights, radio, or other accessories on overnight drains the battery.
• Faulty alternator – The alternator recharges the battery as you drive. If it fails, the battery loses juice and dies.
• Short circuit – Damaged wiring or electrical components can draw current and drain battery.
• Old battery – Over several years, batteries lose their ability to hold a full charge.
• Cold weather – Low temps sap life from a weak battery.

Jumping the battery with cables replenishes its charge just enough to attempt starting the engine again. Which brings us to the core question…

Why Doesn’t My Car Start Even After Jumping The Battery?

When your car won’t start even after connecting jumper cables and your battery to a running car, it indicates the problem goes deeper than just a dead battery. Here are the most common culprits:

Dead Battery

I know – seems illogical right? But just because your battery has enough juice to turn the lights/electronics on doesn’t necessarily mean it can deliver the several hundred amps required to crank the starter.

• If your battery is more than 3 years old, it may not be capable of its rated cranking amps due to age.
• The battery terminals could be corroded, preventing full power flow.
• One or more dead cells in the battery can leave it weak.
• Some batteries die permanently if left discharged too long.

Troubleshoot by checking battery voltage both when idle and while trying to crank the engine. Load test to check actual vs rated cranking amps too.

If it fails these tests, your battery is likely unable to deliver enough power to start the engine – even if it seems otherwise fine.

Faulty Alternator

The alternator charges the battery while you drive and powers the electrical system. If it goes bad, your battery won’t get recharged.

You may notice some signs before it leaves you stranded:

• Dim or flickering headlights at idle hint at a struggling alternator.
• The battery needs more frequent jumps, since it’s not getting recharged.
• Battery tester shows steadily dropping charge level after starting.

Have your alternator tested – if it’s not delivering proper amperage, replacement is required. Don’t put it off, or you’ll just get stranded again!

Corroded Battery Terminals

It may seem trivial, but corrosion on the battery terminals can mean your battery isn’t getting fully charged and won’t have the power needed to start your engine.

The same goes for the ground cable connection. Super easy fix – just scrub the terminals and cable connectors to remove corrosion buildup until they’re shiny metal again.

Be sure to reattach tightly so there’s a solid connection. This simple cleaning can get your car starting again in many cases!

Bad Starter Motor

The starter motor is responsible for the grunt work of getting your engine spinning on start up. It engages a gear with the flywheel to begin cranking the engine.

If the starter motor is worn out or damaged, it won’t be able to physically turn over the engine. Symptoms include:

• All you hear is clicking or silence when trying to start.
• The starter doesn’t spin or spins slower than normal.
• Hitting the starter motor sometimes makes it work temporarily.
• You can hear the starter solenoid activating but the motor doesn’t turn.

This typically requires physically removing and testing the starter motor. They can get worn brushes, fried windings, stuck bearings and other internal damage over time. If confirmed bad, replacement is the fix.

Broken Timing Belt

In engines with an interference design, the timing belt keeps the camshaft and crankshaft perfectly aligned. If the belt breaks, the valves and pistons collide, causing serious internal damage.

The result can be bent valves that prevent proper compression needed to start the engine. Check under the hood for obvious timing belt damage. In many cases, the belt failure is catastrophic enough that the engine requires extensive repairs.

No Fuel

Another obvious one, but running your tank totally dry or having a fuel delivery issue can easily leave you with a no-start situation.

Make sure you’ve got ample gas in the tank first. Also check that the fuel pump comes on when the key is turned. Listen near the rear fuel tank – you should hear a momentary whirring sound if it’s operating.

No fuel pump noise could indicate the pump relay, wiring or pump itself is bad. And if the pump is noisy but your car won’t start, the fuel filter could be clogged. An easy test is to spray starting fluid in the air intake while cranking to see if the engine briefly starts up.

No Spark

Your engine needs a good spark to ignite the air/fuel mixture. Without it, combustion can’t occur and the engine won’t start. Some potential issues include:

• Faulty ignition coil – won’t generate adequate spark voltage
• Bad spark plugs – improper gap, cracked insulator, worn out electrode
• Broken spark plug wires – cracked wire insulation leaks voltage
• Failed distributor cap – corrosion inside prevents spark
• Rotor and distributor shaft – worn bearing scrapes spark away
• Crank/cam sensors – provide ignition timing input, if bad there’s no spark
• ECU failure – computer controls ignition timing, if it dies there’s no spark

Testing is needed to pinpoint the exact problem component, then it’s just a matter of replacing the faulty part.

Bad Solenoid

On modern cars, a starter solenoid relays the power from the battery to the starter motor when you turn the key. It sends a powerful jolt of current to the motor to get it cranking.

If this solenoid is damaged or worn internally, it won’t be able to engage the starter even if the battery has sufficient charge. The solenoid will usually make a rapid clicking noise as its internal switch chatters on and off unsuccessfully.

Replacement of the starter solenoid would be needed to get your engine cranking again in this situation. Thankfully they are relatively inexpensive.

Damaged Flywheel Ring Gear

When you turn the key to start the car, a gear on the starter motor extends to mesh with a ring gear on the engine flywheel. This engagement allows the starter to spin the flywheel and crank the engine.

If either the starter gear or flywheel ring gear get worn, chipped or damaged, they won’t align and engage properly. All you’ll get is an awful grinding or clacking noise when you try starting.

Replacing damaged ring gear teeth or the whole flywheel may be required. Thankfully this is not a common issue.

Other Less Common Causes:

While the above covers the most likely culprits, here are a few other oddball things that could potentially leave your car lifeless even after a jump:

• Weak battery-to-chassis ground – Clean any corrosion on the negative battery cable attachment point to ensure a solid ground.
• Faulty neutral safety switch – Only allows starter activation when shifter is in Park/Neutral. If bad, it thinks car is in gear.
• Clutch pedal position switch – On manual cars, prevents starting in gear. Failure leaves car thinking clutch isn’t depressed.
• Defective ignition switch – Won’t send power to starter when key is turned. Usually other electrical issues too.
• Immobilizer system issues – Security system that disables engine if key chip not recognized. Can sometimes misbehave.
• Low engine compression – Severely worn pistons/rings reduce compression enough to prevent starting. Uncommon unless engine is very high mileage or has mechanical damage.

Diagnosing No Start After Jump Issues:

Alright, hopefully you now have a broader understanding of what can potentially leave your car lifeless even after attempting a jump start. But how do you pinpoint the exact problem? Here are some tips:

• Battery Testing – Load test battery with a tester to confirm it can deliver sufficient cranking amps. Check voltage at rest and while trying to start.
• Starter Test – Remove starter and have it bench tested at the parts store. Confirms if the issue is with the starter itself.
• Alternator Check – Use voltmeter to check alternator output while idling. Should be 13-15 volts or around battery voltage. Too low indicates bad alternator.
• Fuel Pressure Test – Install a fuel pressure gauge to check that pump and injectors are delivering adequate fuel pressure for starting.
• Spark Check – Use spark tester tool to confirm spark plug has good blue spark while cranking engine. No spark points to ignition system problem.
• Compression Test – Measures compression in each cylinder. Helps identify low compression issues. Requires removing spark plugs one at a time and testing.

Armed with these diagnostic checks, you can methodically test each system and hopefully identify the real culprit. The specific tests required depend on the age/type of your car and symptoms during cranking.

Work through them one at a time, starting with easier stuff like battery, terminals, starter – before diving into specialized engine tests like compression or electrical debugging. With some patience you’ll get to the bottom of it.

Getting Professional Help:

Alright, it’s always smart to know your limits. If you’ve worked through all the checks but just can’t seem to pinpoint why your car won’t start, it may be time to hand it over to a professional.

At the very least, you can provide the automotive technician details on everything you’ve tested and ruled out. That gives them a helpful head start on diagnosing rather than just poking around blindly.

Be prepared to provide background info like:

• When/how the no start problem began occurring. After specific event? Intermittently or permanent?
• Exact symptoms when trying to start – no crank, slow crank, clicking noise, etc.
• What you’ve tested so far – battery, starter, fuel pressure, spark, etc.
• Any other unusual symptoms or related issues noticed recently.

This background will help the mechanic narrow down culprits and speed up troubleshooting. Expect them to methodically re-test systems using professional grade diagnostic tools and lifts/pits to access components.

Thankfully with today’s modern engine computers and sensors, auto technicians can rapidly gather huge amounts of data to identify problems. The “check engine” light and OBD-II scanner codes provide a wealth of clues as well.

With some perseverance and the right tools, most no-start causes can be tracked down fairly quickly. Before you know it, you’ll be back on the road again!

Let’s Rev Up That Engine:

Few things are more annoying than turning the key and getting nothing but silence from your car – especially after you just charged the battery!

Hopefully this deep dive has prepped you to understand the most likely reasons a car won’t start even after a jump. Plus given you tips on troubleshooting and diagnosing the root cause.

Armed with this knowledge, you can have an intelligent conversation with your mechanic to solve the no-start mystery faster. Or crack it yourself and save some cash by replacing only the failed component.

Now grab your toolbox, crank up the tunes, and let’s get busy reviving your engine. Don’t let this challenge get you down. With smart, methodical testing we’ll get your ride cranked up and running smoothly in no time.

Your wheels want to hit the open road again – and I know you do too! So hang in there, we got this. Before long you’ll be cruising along in your trusty chariot like this never happened. Just try not to take it for granted next time 😉

So if you run into any other automotive trouble, you know where to find us. We love solving pesky car issues almost as much as we love helping stranded motorists get back on the road. Hopefully those days are behind you now. But if not, we’re here!