Car won't start without jump sometimes

[Mark600601]

About 3 weeks ago my car wouldn't start up and had the the tale signs of a dead battery so I got a jump and took it to AutoZone
They told me the battery and alternator was fine and my car was starting up just fine without a jump after that

Since then it has happened again twice.

The car needs a jump about once a week but other than that works perfectly fine.
I've cleaned my terminals and replaced the engine air filter

It's a 14 civic ex with 90k miles
I unfortunately only have about basic knowledge when it comes to cars but I'm trying to learn
Any advice here?

 

[fahnix]

Hi Mark. Welcome!

Are the terminals tight? No play after they're tight?

 

[Mark600601]

No play on terminals. And just to make sure the last time it needed a jump ( just before I posted this) I checked the terminals and made sure they were right and tried to start the car without a jump but no dice
Sorry forgot to mention that in the OP

 

[fahnix]

Are the lights working? Do they turn off when you try to start? Any noise like it's trying to crank?

 

[Mark600601]

Are the lights working? Do they turn off when you try to start? Any noise like it's trying to crank?

The dashboard flickers like you'd expect from a dead battery and when in accessory/battery mode the lights/radio/ fan all work fine

 

[fahnix]

Sounds like it could still be the alternator to me.

 

[webby]

Do you own a multimeter?

 

[Mark600601]

Unfortunately I do not
I've got an obd2 scanner but thats about it

 

[fahnix]

I'd wanna see what kind of voltage the alternator and battery are putting out when you turn the key.

 

[Mark600601]

When I had the battery checked at AutoZone the first time this happened he also checked the alternator and had me turn the car on a couple times and on one of the times I turned the engine over he did say the voltage was really low but then it evened out afterwards

 

[webby]

I’d get a multimeter or take it to another place like autozone to have it tested a second time.

 

[freggie]

How old is your battery, what brand, and type of driving you do? - mostly city or highway driving?

You could have a battery that is about to die. I purchased the cheap AutoZone Duralast battery and it lasted 11 months, car was highway driven 40 miles to work M-F. This highway miles is what killed my battery because with Honda, low rpms and highway cruising they change the alternator to a lower charge voltage so the battery does not get "full" to save gas.

People who have a Costco Membership like their batteries. Recently I am purchasing AGM batteries from Pepboys, they are usually under $150 and I think this is a great price.

 

[fahnix]

How old is your battery, what brand, and type of driving you do? - mostly city or highway driving?

You could have a battery that is about to die. I purchased the cheap AutoZone Duralast battery and it lasted 11 months, car was highway driven 40 miles to work M-F. This highway miles is what killed my battery because with Honda, low rpms and highway cruising they change the alternator to a lower charge voltage so the battery does not get "full" to save gas.

People who have a Costco Membership like their batteries. Recently I am purchasing AGM batteries from Pepboys, they are usually under $150 and I think this is a great price.

Yep. My Costco batteries seem to outlast the warranty every time and the battery is right around $100

 

[ron v]

Yea Costco batteries are dope. They go on sale for $80 sometimes.

 

[squiggy]

How old is your battery, what brand, and type of driving you do? - mostly city or highway driving?

You could have a battery that is about to die. I purchased the cheap AutoZone Duralast battery and it lasted 11 months, car was highway driven 40 miles to work M-F. This highway miles is what killed my battery because with Honda, low rpms and highway cruising they change the alternator to a lower charge voltage so the battery does not get "full" to save gas.

People who have a Costco Membership like their batteries. Recently I am purchasing AGM batteries from Pepboys, they are usually under $150 and I think this is a great price.

I love that you are still around and pop in and out of the forum!

 

[ron v]

How old is your battery, what brand, and type of driving you do? - mostly city or highway driving?

You could have a battery that is about to die. I purchased the cheap AutoZone Duralast battery and it lasted 11 months, car was highway driven 40 miles to work M-F. This highway miles is what killed my battery because with Honda, low rpms and highway cruising they change the alternator to a lower charge voltage so the battery does not get "full" to save gas.

People who have a Costco Membership like their batteries. Recently I am purchasing AGM batteries from Pepboys, they are usually under $150 and I think this is a great price.

I love that you are still around and pop in and out of the forum!

Yea every time I see this guy pop up he’s on point with his knowledge. I think he only logs on when hes taking a **** though.

 

[squiggy]

Yea every time I see this guy pop up he’s on point with his knowledge. I think he only logs on when hes taking a **** though.

Hmmm...@freggie has my been around a long time. Before me, if I recall correctly...

Unfortunately, I have never had the opportunity to meet them.

 

[bootyluvr]

Hmmm...@freggie has my been around a long time. Before me, if I recall correctly...

Freggie - Member Since: Jul 12, 2013
Squiggy - Member Since: Oct 10, 2012

 

[freggie]

I usually spend more time reading and learning then posting on the forums, and when I do post it is usually to help someone. I read rule #1 and its to use the search function lol.

A lot has changed from 2013 to now and that’s why I am less active and it seems like this forum has less people asking questions (I usually look at the recent threads on the homepage). Since 2013 I got married, have 1 child and another one on the way! Got a 96 Cherokee and a 04 Town & Country (family car), so other projects too, especially the Jeep, and remodeled our house. You should see how the Van forums are like, people argue and if you have 1 little piece of information wrong they are all over your a**, and people just have so many opinions. Those people don't have any lives, there would be 150 posts on this thread if this was on the Van forums and most of the time its junk posts.

I usually stay on forums until I don’t have the car anymore, and I don’t plan on selling my civic lol. Don’t get married and have babies because the civic would be the way I would have liked it to be - not stock lol. Just kidding, I love my wife and child. I think wifey's civic has more things done to it then mine... Wonder how that happens....

I wish I can take the time to go on the forums when I am taking a sh*t, that's probably the only time I get alone time from my 2 year old and wifey.