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Can a bad car battery cause electrical problems? The answer is quite obvious, and it’s YES. The battery is meant to power most electrical appliances in a vehicle, from the dashboard lights to the center console and pigeonholes with charging ports.
Modern cars are well-advanced compared with older vehicles manufactured in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. That said, the components in modern cars are connected altogether; they kind of work simultaneously. Hence, when one component fails, it can directly or indirectly affect other ones.
Basically, a weak/bad battery can prevent your car from starting up because the engine needs some sort of electrical charge to start. This charge is basically going to come from the battery, and after the engine starts up, the battery becomes practically idle and charges while you drive.
This article explains how a weak or bad battery can cause electrical problems in modern cars.
What Are the Functions of Car Batteries?
Understanding the major functions of car batteries would help us to clearly understand what could happen if a car battery fails to do its functions. The main reason why automobiles come with a battery is that the engine needs an electrical charge to start up after a stop.
Batteries contain chemical elements that transform into electrical energy to power devices. A car battery is there to provide the engine with a substantial amount of electrical energy to push it to start working. Without a battery, there’s practically no way to start an automobile engine.
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This is the reason why drivers typically keep jumpstarter kits in their trunk; just in case they are driving and their battery dies off, they can get out the jumpstart kit and plead with other drivers on the road to help them jumpstart their car which has a weak/dead battery.
A car battery, along with the starter and alternator are the primary components that make up the electrical system in every car.
So, it is safe to assume that if any of these components becomes weak and unable to carry out its function, your car’s electrical system won’t work well.
Can a Bad Car Battery Cause Electrical Problems?
Put simply, yes, a bad car battery can cause electrical problems. First, a bad battery would cause you to experience hard starting – a situation whereby your car doesn’t start immediately when you turn the key to ignition.
Also, a bad battery can cause your dashboard lights not to come on.
If you use external appliances and devices such as mini-refrigerators, they won’t power when you’ve got a bad battery. There are just pretty different uncomfortable situations you may experience when your car battery is weak or bad. The situations include:
- Dimmed Lights: A bad batter would reduce the brightness of your lights, you’d notice that they don’t shine as bright as supposed; this includes dashboard light and headlamps
- Blinking Warning Lights: If the warning lights on your dashboard keeps blinking inconsistently, that could be a sign of a bad battery
- Power Parts Not Working: When your power mirror, power seats, and other power-assistance parts of your car isn’t working anymore, that’s a sign of a bad battery
- Car Won’t Start: In worst scenarios, a car with a bad battery won’t start, you will need to manually charge the battery in a charging station or get a new one before the car can start
What To Do When You Have a Bad Battery
If you confirm that your battery is no longer good, you need to buy a new one. However, before coming to that conclusion, check the alternator. It is the alternator that charges the battery while you drive.
When the alternator is not doing this, your car battery won’t charge, and when the battery power is low, it can cause these anomalies to occur. So, check the alternator first, and if it is working fine, get a new battery for your car.
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What More?
In summary, a bad car battery can cause electrical problems because it is one of the main components that make up a vehicle’s electrical system.
You can always get another car to jumpstart yours when your batteries die too suddenly in the middle of a trip. However, it is advisable that you see signs that your car battery is failing, you should fix or replace the battery as soon as possible.