Q: New battery. Car won't start until minutes later when attempted again.
I got Firestone to put in a new battery, before the installation, car turned fine.
After the switch, suddenly the car will not start. Wait 5-10 minutes later only for the battery to work again. I've been doing this for the past few weeks. I went back to Firestone to check if I didn't get a faulty battery and it passed their voltage test. I even asked them to check the alternator and they said it was working fine. I ask, what could be causing this?
My car has 159000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
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A voltage test will not reveal whether the battery is defective or not. A different test, referred to as a "load test", is required. During these no start incidents, check to see if the engine immobilizer system (security system) is activated thus preventing the car from starting. If the immobilizer system is on, you may see a security warning light. To temporarily override the immobilizer system, please see these instructions.
If the battery is new and full charged, and the immobilizer system off, if the starter motor does not operate, there are ONLY two possibilities: 1) either there is no power to the starter motor, or an excessive voltage drop, hence the starter circuit would have to be diagnosed; or 2) there is power but the starter itself is bad and that includes the not uncommon possibility of intermittent operation. If you desire that a specialist from YourMechanic resolve this, please request a no start diagnostic. If you have further questions or concerns, do not hesitate to re-contact YourMechanic as we are always here to help you.
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