Car is dead again after jump...?

Question

My car died earlier tonight and someone jumped it for me. After driving 4 miles home and letting it run for 20 more minutes, I assumed it would have charged fine. I turned it off and tried to re-start it. It is dead again. My dash is all digital and it flashes quickly and dimly, and I hear a fast clicking noise. Will jumping it again help or is there a bigger problem?

This is an 2006 Honda Civic. It just got serviced yesterday to fix a leak in the power steering and the rear passenger window would not work. I didn't notice any doors left open or lights on.

Please help! Thanks!

(To make matters worse - our other car overheated this morning and had to be towed home. I can't even drive it anywhere! What a day!)

Answer 1

I think your alternator is bad.If you jump the car and get it running,drive it to your nearest auto parts store and ask them to test your battery and alternator..If your alternator went bad and you jump the car it will run ,but will eventually died again do to the battery not being charge by the alternator..

Answer 2

It sounds like it is the alternator.

Answer 3

It sounds like you toasted your alternator! you can have it tested to see if it bit the dust

Answer 4

clean the battery terminals if no luck get alternator and battery checked

Answer 5

If you had an OBD II code reader you could get the car to tell you what is wrong. Those things are worth having:

It sounds very much like a dead alternator, but since somebody just worked on the car, it could be that a  terminal was left loose such as a ground or the main battery cable. Make sure you cannot twist either of the battery cables on their posts. If no warning lights came on on the dash, there is a chance the alternator is still good and its circuit is secure. Look again before you start spending out money for stuff that won't fix the problem. The car is too new for the battery to be used up, unless it was no good from the fatory- not too likely.

If you live close to an Autozone, they use OBD II code readers free to help you determine what parts you should buy from them. If you have a spare $100, buy a code reader too.

Answer 6

Sounds like you need a new battery.  When jumping I use this PPNG (p**s poor n**** girl)  I am not racist by any means, but it's stuck in my head.  Pos, Pos, Neg, Ground (not neg-GROUND.  It charges faster)  Sorry.  Remember to turn the old one in for a core charge.

Answer 7

Just out of curiosity have you ever checked the battery cells to see if they had water in them. I checked mine last month just for the fun of it and they were all dry, the battery was looking for a place to die. You should have the charging system checked

Answer 8

More tests would need to be done to determine what it is, but from what you stated I would say its the battery cause it cant hold a charge thats why your lights are dim. You should take the battery to an auto parts store and have them test it for you its usually free and that will give you at least a starting point for diagnosing the problem.  Good Luck