Just got out of the dentist and the truck is not starting. All I heard was a kind of creaking noise for a half second and then the accessory power went off. So I'm assuming the battery is dead. But I hooked it up to my car with jumper cables and it still wouldn't start. Do I need to wait awhile for it to charge or something? I thought that with the car supplying 14.4 volts it would start right up.

As to why the battery is dead, I'm thinking/hoping that it might have been that I didn't shut the door quite all the way and the dome light stayed on. Or I've been messing with the power windows so maybe something is going on there. Sigh.

Thanks

 

Update: It seems to have been the battery. No idea how old that thing was. Put in a new one and it started immediately.

 

When the battery is dead it draws the charge from the alternator or jumpers to try to recharge. If the battery is really low you have to give it some time to build a charge. An alternator doesn't provide the amperage needed to start a car. If the battery is real dead it won't recharge. A dead battery puts a strain on the charging system. I would have your system tested with the new battery to be safe.

 

Thanks, this is helpful. I will take it to O'Reilly's to get it tested.

I waited like 10 minutes for the old battery to charge up via the jumpers before I tried to start it, and it still didn't even come close to cranking over the engine. The engine wouldn't start even with the jumpers hooked up and the other car running. Are you saying that the battery still might have been fine and just needed more time to charge?

Also I can't think of a reason for how the battery could have run so low in the 2 hours or so I was at the dentist, other than that it was on the way out anyway. It got unseasonably cold the night before so I'm thinking that may have brought about the battery's demise.

 

If a cell inside the battery shorted, it will die instantly and won't charge, the alternator can't keep. Thats why when I load test batteries and charging systems I pop the caps off and looks for bubbling cells. It can also indicate an overcharging problem if batteries keep boiling over.

 

It's likely the battery was completely dead but you won't get enough power through cables to start the car. The dead battery is still pulling power.