Q: Bad starter or bad battery?

asked by on January 16, 2017

My car won't start and I'm not sure if it's the battery or starter. When I pumped gas the past couple of times it wouldn't start right away it would make a humming noise for a while then start up. This would only happen when I would pump gas. I tried turning my car on and now it won't start but when I turned the key everything in the car would turn on on its own(whipers, radio, heater/AC and then the car alarm sound would go off too). I tried jump starting it too and it wouldn't work. Also when this happened the ABS, traction light and engine light turned on. Any help would be great.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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Be sure any engine immobilizer system (security system) is not activated, thus preventing the car from starting. The battery should be load tested by a professional. Load testing can only be reliably performed on a fully charged battery. If the battery passes a load test be sure it is NOT a marginal pass in which case you should install a new battery to reduce diagnostic headaches. If the battery is good and all connections to the battery test good, then broadly either the starter motor/solenoid assembly is faulty or the electrical circuit supplying the motor has a fault. That circuit begins at the battery and includes grounds, wiring (some of which is very heavy cabling), fuses, relays, the ignition switch and terminations. Basically, with the key held in the "start" position, the starter is either getting power or it isn’t. With the key in the "start" position, if the starter motor is getting power but it doesn’t work, the starter is condemned and replaced. On the other hand, with the key in the "start" position, if there is no power to the starter, then the circuit is traced until the fault in the circuit is found. In addition to a faulty ignition switch, faults can include high resistances, due to corrosion, wire strand breaks, or loose terminals, which can only be diagnosed using a voltage drop test. If you desire that a certified mechanic resolve this, please simply request a no start diagnostic and the responding certified mechanic will get the problem diagnosed and repaired for you. Please let us know if you have further concerns or questions as we are always here to help you.

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