Security problems

Tiny
MICAHH
  • MEMBER
  • 1999 CHRYSLER CIRRUS
  • 2.5L
  • 6 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 500,000 MILES
I had someone jump my car. I went to my destination and my car has not started since. What would be the problem or cause this to do this?
Saturday, September 1st, 2018 AT 10:17 PM

2 Replies

Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,916 POSTS
You will need to add a lot more detail. For example, why did the battery need a jump-start? Was it something obvious like the lights were left on? If so, it can take running the engine at driving speed, (not just idling), a good fifteen minutes before the battery really begins to recharge. Most typically it will take about five to ten minutes to get enough charge into the battery so it will crank the engine next time. If it was not head lights left on, the battery could have a dead cell. The engine could start and run with that after a jump-start, but the battery would not be able to restart the engine once it was turned off again. You may have nothing more than a bad battery. Here are links to some related articles:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/symptoms-of-a-bad-car-battery

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-battery-dead-overnight

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-charge-your-car-battery

If quick testing with a voltmeter shows the battery is okay, it still can be discharged due a problem with the alternator. That is what recharges the battery while you are driving. Think of a perfectly good glass, but it can be empty. A battery can be perfectly good too, but fully-discharged. For that, use a small portable charger to recharge the battery at a slow rate for a couple of hours. If the engine starts and runs okay for a little while after that, we will need to look further at the alternator.

Also understand when you said the engine does not start, that includes multiple symptoms that are very different with different causes and diagnostics. You can have a starter that spins the engine just fine, at normal speed, but the engine does not run; similar to being out of gas. You could also have a starter that does not do anything when you turn the ignition switch to "crank". Even more extreme, you might even have a totally dark instrument cluster when you turn on the ignition switch, and maybe even the power windows, power locks, and head lights don't work. That would be typical of a loose or corroded battery cable connection. That is one of the easier things to fix but it causes the most severe symptoms. Here is a dandy guide related to that problem:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/everything-goes-dead-when-engine-is-cranked

It is unlikely the anti-theft system has engaged to prevent the engine from starting. You would see the running lights flashing, and the engine would start and run for about two seconds. It also would not have run right after the jump-start. The exception here is if the battery has a shorted cell or it has a loose cable connection, the Engine Computer can see the catastrophic drop in voltage when you try to crank the engine as the battery was disconnected, for whatever reason. Once reconnected, it is going to be in anti-theft mode. You will need to unlock the doors with the remote key fob, or use the key to unlock either front door to deactivate the system which will let the engine start and keep running. In this case of a bad cable connection, the anti-theft system kicking in is really not the problem. It is one of the symptoms.

Add as much detail as you can so we can get on the right diagnostic path.
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Saturday, September 1st, 2018 AT 11:22 PM
Tiny
MICAHH
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
  • 1999 CHRYSLER CIRRUS
  • 3.5L
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • 50,000 MILES
After receiving a jump, car horn became stuck on the way home, next day car stalled on me driving seventy mph on the highway. Now car will not start. What should I do?
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Thursday, September 6th, 2018 AT 2:09 PM (Merged)

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