Our team at Longview Alternator & Starter Co., has extensive experience in the automotive industry. We specialize in diagnosing issues and replacing components within the electrical systems in your vehicle, including not only the alternator and starter, but also the battery and battery cables. In this article, we will focus on the battery cables, going over a few ways to tell if something is wrong with these essential components.
- Difficulty Starting the Vehicle – One sign you may have problems with your battery cable is difficulty in starting your engine. Of course, there are several reasons why your vehicle might not start up, including a bad starter or alternator, but faulty battery cables are one such possibility. If you are having trouble getting your engine to start consistently, or at all, then we encourage you to bring your vehicle to our shop to have us check it out.
- No Power at All – You may also have faulty battery cables if you can’t start your vehicle at all. The battery cables are what transfer power from the battery into the other electrical components in your vehicle, including the starter, so if something is wrong with these cables, then your engine won’t get the power it needs to start.
- Corroded Terminals – A third sign you may have a problem with your battery cables is corrosion on the battery terminals. If the corrosion is severe enough, it may have spread into the cables and damaged them, and it may completely block the flow of electricity from the battery to the rest of your vehicle’s electrical systems.