Jump Start in Peoria, IL: Dead Battery Help Day or Night

If your car won't start in Peoria, a jump fixes it most of the time when the engine cranks slowly or clicks fast. In a driveway or a parking lot, you can wait safely for a jump. On a river bridge or I-74, put your flashers on and stay buckled in. If the car needs a jump again the next morning, the battery is likely done. Then you need a new one or a tow to a shop.

Why does Peoria cold kill so many batteries?

Peoria winters are long on cold nights. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Peoria airport count about 118 nights a year at or below freezing. About 48 nights drop to 20 degrees or colder. About 20 reach 10 or colder, and about 6 hit zero or below.

January is the worst month. Its normal low is about 18 degrees. February's is about 21, and December's is about 23. On about 37 days a year, the high never gets above freezing. So a car can sit cold all day in a work lot and all night in the driveway.

FuelEconomy.gov, the U.S. Department of Energy site, says battery performance drops in cold weather. It also says the cold makes it harder for your alternator to keep the battery charged. A battery that worked fine in October has less to give in January.

Summer does damage too. Peoria averages about 23 days a year at 90 degrees or more, and July's normal high is about 86. That heat wears a battery down without any warning. You find out on the first hard frost.

Which cold-start habits drain a weak battery?

Most dead batteries in winter come from small habits that add up. Here are the ones to watch.

Short trips all week

Starting the engine takes a big gulp of power. The drive home puts it back. A run from Peoria Heights to the store and back may not be long enough to refill it. FuelEconomy.gov notes that short trips keep your engine cold for more of the drive. Take one longer drive each week, on Route 6 or out toward Morton, so the alternator can catch up.

Long idling to warm up

FuelEconomy.gov says most makers recommend driving off gently after about 30 seconds. The engine warms up faster when you drive it. Idling burns gas and gets you nowhere. Scrape the windows first, then start the car and go once you can see.

Leaving the car running unlocked

Illinois law has a rule for this. Under 625 ILCS 5/11-1401, you can't leave a car standing unattended without stopping the engine, locking the ignition and taking the key out. The law makes an exception for a locked car started with a remote starter. So if you warm the car up with a remote starter, keep it locked.

Heater, seat warmers and lights on at shutoff

Turn off the fan, the heated seats, the radio and the headlights before you shut the engine down. The next start then has the whole battery to itself. Also check the dome light. A door that didn't close all the way can drain a battery overnight.

Is it the battery or something else?

Turn the key once and listen. Don't crank it over and over. Each try takes more power from a weak battery.

• Slow, grinding crank: the battery is low. A jump usually works.
• Rapid clicking: there's some power, but not enough to turn the engine. Try a jump.
• Dead silence, dark dash: the battery is flat, or a cable at the post is loose or crusted.
• Strong crank, no start: the battery is fine. The trouble is somewhere else, so a jump won't help.

If you can see the battery, look at the posts. Fuzzy white or green buildup can block power. Tell your driver what you see. It saves time once they're there.

What should I do on a Peoria bridge or I-74?

A battery can quit anywhere, not only in a frozen driveway. In Peoria, the scariest place is a river crossing. Your car stalls on the Murray Baker Bridge on I-74, or at the light at the end of the Cedar Street Bridge.

Illinois law, 625 ILCS 5/11-1303, bans stopping on a bridge and on a controlled-access highway. But 625 ILCS 5/11-1301 says those rules don't apply when a car is disabled and you can't avoid stopping. Outside town, the same section says to get off the roadway when you can. So if the car still rolls, coast off the bridge or onto the shoulder. If it doesn't, stay where you are.

1. Turn on your hazard lights right away.
2. Stay in the car with your seat belt on. Don't open the hood on a bridge.
3. If you're stuck in a live lane or anyone is hurt, call 911 first.
4. Then call for help and name the bridge and your direction.

Each crossing carries a different road. I-74 and Illinois 29 share the Murray Baker Bridge. US 150 comes off the McClugage Bridge onto War Memorial Drive. I-474 crosses on the Shade-Lohmann Bridge. Knoxville Avenue leaves town over the Bob Michel Bridge. Illinois 8 and 116 take the Cedar Street Bridge into East Peoria. Saying the bridge name and which bank you're headed to tells your driver where to set up.

Illinois has Scott's Law. It tells drivers to slow down for stopped vehicles with flashing lights, and to change lanes away from them when it's safe. Tow trucks may run amber lights at a breakdown, so the rule covers your driver too. Still, never count on traffic to give anyone room.

What if the car died in a lot or garage?

This is the most common case, and the safest. Your battery dies at the airport after a cold week in long-term parking. Or it quits in a frozen lot in Dunlap after work. You're off the road, so you can wait in the car with the doors locked.

Give the lot name, the row and your car's color. If you're in a parking garage, say which level and whether the ceiling is low. A truck may not fit inside, but a jump start often needs only a portable pack carried to your car.

IDOT's winter tips say that if you're stranded, stay with your car and don't overexert yourself. Turn on your interior lights so you can be seen. If you run the engine for heat after a jump, make sure snow isn't blocking the exhaust pipe. IDOT says to run the car just enough to stay warm.

When is the battery done for good?

A jump gets the engine running. It can't bring back a battery that's worn out. Skip the next jump and plan on a shop if:

• You needed a jump two mornings in a row.
• The car dies again after a short drive.
• The battery light stays on while you drive.
• The battery case looks swollen or cracked, or smells like rotten eggs.

If the car won't stay running, a tow to a repair shop is the next step. Tell us the shop, whether it's in Pekin, Bartonville or across the river in East Peoria. Distance is part of the price.

Ready.gov suggests having a mechanic check your battery and ignition system before an emergency. In Peoria, do it in the fall, before December lows settle in the 20s. IDOT and Ready.gov both list jumper cables for your car kit. IDOT's list also has blankets, an ice scraper and traction material.

How does a Sentinel jump start work?

Sentinel Towing is a towing and roadside network, not a tow company. We own no trucks. A vetted local partner does the jump. You get your price by text before anyone is sent, and that price is the most you pay. If the jump fails and you need a tow, we text a new price first and you decide.

You get your driver's name, photo and truck by text, and you can track your truck on a map. We check on you by text until help arrives. That's our Stay-With-You Promise. For the roads and towns we cover, see the Peoria towing page.

Stuck right now? Call 1-888-TOW-1213, or request help online.

Peoria Jump Start Questions

Rules change, so check the official source before you rely on it. Sources: NOAA climate normals, Peoria, NOAA monthly normals, Peoria, FuelEconomy.gov: cold weather, 625 ILCS 5/11-1401, 625 ILCS 5/11-1301, 625 ILCS 5/11-1303, 625 ILCS 5/11-907 (Scott's Law), IDOT: winter driving tips, Ready.gov: car safety.