I remember there was some acid on the battery terminal, I don't know if this had to do with it. So would push starting work if both the battery and starter is dead?

 

Yeah i agree, could be the starter. But first I wanted him to make sure its not the battery. I know he said he jump started it but sometimes if the terminals are not placed right or the battery of the other car is weak might not start. I usually ground the negative to the block, that makes the best connection.

 

Yeah push starting will work if battery or started are bad. Good luck

 

If it is 'clicking' and the battery is good you are looking at a bad battery connection, this could be at your battery or starter or engine earth so it could be positive or earth but either way the current is not getting from your battery to your starter, only the starter solenoid and not enough for it to stay engaged.
You need to check (or have checked) all your battery wire connections to rule this out.

 

So I went to Autozone today and they tested my battery. It said "bad battery" and "12.4 volts", on the tech's handheld device. He said the battery is having trouble holding a charge, however, it's been starting fine since the day after it got towed. The only battery they have that'll fit the 2012 Mustang GT is the Duralast Gold 96R-DLG cold cranking amps is 590, cranking amps at 32 degrees is 735. It's for $124.99 with free installation and I get $5 for my old battery. Should I change out my battery for this or wait till my old battery completely dies and just keep a jumper cable for now?

 

I personally would go ahead and replace the battery. Even if you have jumper cables handy you still have to go through the hassle of finding someone to help you jump the car off wherever you happen to be when it dies again. Also I would shop around on the battery price. Sometimes you can get some good batteries at Wal-Mart for a good price. Perhaps even with more cold cranking amps. Of course you could go all out and get yourself an Optima battery.

http://www.optimabatteries.com/en-us/

 

Put a battery in it. Sounds like it probably has a dead cell. It might crank 25 times in a row, then catch you out somewhere remote and not hit a lick. I'd personally spend a few dollars more and get an Interstate instead of something from Idiotzone.

 

Is the Duralast Gold battery I mentioned good? said there's a 3 year warranty.

 

I think Duralast are middle of the road batteries. Interstate or most DieHard batteries have worked well for me.

 

Wow 2 pages of replies.
yet when my car blows up on the exact same day and I post about it, no one seems to care to reply or help.

I guess im not popular enough to aquire help from anyone.

 

 

Yep. That what I was saying. My 00 did it to me right after it came out of storage one year then started making a habit of it. I finally bit the bullet after being stranded once or twice.

That Battery was like 150 in Alaska. Like you, I was hesitant because of cost. Take my advice again tho...

Get the new battery asap.

P.s SAMs and wal mart are cheapest.

 

Bingo!! I knew it was the battery. Thats good news. Optima yellow or red tops are amazing but pricey. Also batteries get weaker in cold weather, I bet yours acted up on a cold night. Change it for sure man, its time for a new battery after 2-3 years

 

"Yeah i agree, could be the starter. But first I wanted him to make sure its not the battery. I know he said he jump started it but sometimes if the terminals are not placed right or the battery of the other car is weak might not start. I usually ground the negative to the block, that makes the best connection".

you were absolutely right about that. I'm going to get it swapped out tomorrow. The guy said he's also going to run the test for the alternator and the starter once the new battery is put in. Thanks for the help, appreciate it.

 

From my experience if you're trying to start a car and it's clickclickclickclick machine gun fire, then the battery doesn't have enough juice to fire up.

If it's a slower clicking, then that is a sure sign of a bad starter motor. I don't think that should be an issue on that "new" of a car, but stranger things have happened.

Also, someone mentioned the colder weather being an issue. Bingo. I think Below 0 degrees (32F) a battery loses about 50% of it's... Capacity? Maybe charge is a better word there.
Batteries that have less than a 40% State-of-Charge will freeze at 0 degrees F (-17.8 C) and fully discharged batteries will freeze at approximately 20 degrees F (-6.7 C).
That is probably why jump starting didn't work.

Maybe your battery froze too? I wouldn't recommended boosting a frozen battery. Risk of explosion. But if your stranded and it's your ONLY option, go for it.
If possible, take it inside for 4-5 hours, THEN charge it up. I bet that battery will be good to go for a few more weeks.

But usually that's a sure sign of either 1) a ****ty battery, or 2) really cold weather.

Some days here in Alberta, it gets to be -45 Celsius. Imagine trying to start ANY vehicle in that. It's brutal. Block heaters and battery warmers for the win! Usually any big gas truck will start, but she'll complain about it.

 

Weak batteries may show no signs until the temperatures drop. Winter time is a killer of weak/worn batteries. However, if the car is still under warranty, they should replace it free of charge. The one in my Focus lasted 5 years but it was getting close. Slow cranking in the winter. I just advised everyone here at work to make sure they've replaced their batteries if it needs it. Going to be in the teens tonight. I'm betting a lot of people will be late to work tomorrow.

 

I had this before with a 56 chevy. I was only 17 and had driven out of a Texas dry county to buy 3.2 beer in Hollis OK. When I went out to the car, click click click. I got help from a farmer and we tried pushing the car off but the rear wheels just skidded when in any gear. A stranger came to the rescue and offered to fix it for my tail light lenses. well ok, I was freaking out so... he crawled under the car and smacked it with a hammer took my lenses and disappeared. So I drove back to Texas with no tail light lenses and a case of cold coors. never will forget the feeling.

 

Optima's aren't what they used to be and aren't worth it.

2-3 yrs for battery? My original 08 is still going strong, but I realize it's nearing its final years. My brand X 84 mos go... 84-86 mos. like clock work.

As for the cold weather hard on batteries, just saw this: rofl

 

Cars only a couple of years old. Battery will probably have considerable pro rate warranty left on it. Most are 5 or 6 year warranties these days.


I would check for loose or corroded cables as well. Since it's a 2012, shouldn't it be under warranty anyway? (provided it's not over the mileage)


Good post on whoever asked for better details. (slow crank, no crank, etc)

 

Agree on Optima Batteries not be as good as they used to be. I went through 2 in 3 years with my previous toy... Red top Series...