Q: Battery not charging?
Lights were left on in car over night causing the battery to die. Got a jump the next morning and the car was fine. Drove it on an errand (about a 30 minute drive) and it started up just fine after being parked for a bit. Went to another location and parked it and this time when I returned to drive it home the battery would not start. The car is a manual so I had some help getting it pushed so it would start up again; however, I stalled it while on my way home and the car wouldn't start again and I had to receive another jump. This happened once again until I managed to get my car home. It now won't start again and I am not sure if this is due to a dead battery, or alternator, or something else. When I go to try and start the car it makes lots of fast clicking noises and all the lights on the dashboard light up. I can also still turn the lights and the hazards on without any issues.
My car has 106000 miles.
My car has a manual transmission.
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It sounds like you may have a weak battery, a failing voltage regulator or failing alternator. As you may know, the alternator charges the battery while the engine runs by generating amperage and recharging the battery while the engine turns the alternator pulley. The voltage regulator is a unit that regulates the charging of the battery by the alternator and maintaining a certain amperage while the engine runs. When the alternator is not working properly, this may result in the battery quickly losing charge and the car losing all power. You may also notice a whining sound as a result of the bearings inside the alternator begin to fail. I would recommend having an expert from YourMechanic come to your location to diagnose and inspect your charging system.
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