Can a Bad Battery Cause a Misfire? (Answered)

Nnamdi Arthur

September 17, 2022
8 min read

Engine misfire is one of the most frustrating things you may experience as a car owner. It can make driving not as fun as it is supposed to be. Since there are various reasons why a car can misfire, is having a bad battery among them? Can a bad battery cause a misfire?

Yes, a bad battery can cause a misfire if the battery is not good enough to power the spark plugs and other electrical components of the car. It will cause a weak spark from the plug which can make the engine misfire.

What Is A Bad Battery?

A bad battery is a weak battery. A battery that cannot give enough power to the electrical parts of a car.

Whenever you notice that your battery has plenty of fluids in its cell with a dark or brownish color, it’s a good observable reason to conclude the battery is bad.

Also, a lead battery about to give up the ghost completely has an awkward smell like that of a rotten egg or a sewer.

Can a Bad Battery Cause a Misfire?

Yes, a bad battery can cause a misfire.

A low battery or a bad battery affects many parts of your engine and car simultaneously. Aside from the electrical components of your car, a bad battery also has effects on the fuel pump.

A low or damaged battery can affect the effectiveness of a fuel pump which means that when the battery isn’t in a good condition, it affects the rate at which the fuel pumps which in turn affects the rate at which the engine gets fuel to function. This can lead to an engine misfire.

Aside from this, a low battery or damaged battery can lead to an unusual opening of different injectors. It can also cause the spark plugs to misbehave which can lead to a misfire.

However, it’s important to note that a bad battery does not cause a direct misfire, rather the conditions or problems which the battery creates are what will cause the misfire.

So, directly a bad battery may not cause an engine misfire but it’s a good influencer and since it has a role to play in the misfire of your engine, we can allegedly call it the “culprit”.

What to Do If a Bad Battery Causes a Misfire

Here are what to do when a bad battery causes an engine to misfire:

Confirm if the Battery is the Problem

Though a bad battery plays a role in causing your engine to misfire, we can’t simply give it all the credit for the misfiring that happens all the time.

You should also have your focus on cases like a broken distribution cap, a faulty sensor, wiring, fuel delivery, or an ignition system.

Though a bad battery may have one or two contributions to make to a misfiring but be sure you’re not blaming the wrong device. Once you’re sure of this, then you can possibly head on to the next step.

Have Your Car Checked

Misfiring doesn’t just happen; it gives clear signals before it finally gives you a shocker. You should pay closer attention to your vehicle as a car owner to detect cases like- a much slower acceleration or when your fuel injector isn’t pumping the right way.

Being attentive enough can help you prevent the worst case but if in the end, your bad battery caused your engine to misfire, you should call your technician for further instructions on what to do.

Your technicians are in their best place to tell you what to do with specific instructions.

Replace the Battery

If after confirming that the battery is the cause of the misfire, you should replace the battery immediately. It is never a good idea to be driving with a bad battery.

What Are The Signs Of A Bad Battery?

The following are simple ways you can tell if your car battery is bad. They are:

1. When Your Engine Is Slow To Start

Another way to detect a faulty battery is when the engine doesn’t pick up as quickly as it is supposed to. Most times, it produces some whirring sounds in the most sluggish way before the engine finally comes up. It’s time-consuming to wait for the engine to pick up. What if there’s an urgent need for the car?

2. When Your Dash Light Works But Still Can’t Power The Engine

This also is a point you should consider. It is possible your battery has enough power to lighten up your dashboard and other electrical components of the car but can’t fully start up the car. In cases like this, you want to do a jumpstart or keep trying to start the car until it starts.

3. A Frequent Jumpstart

When you have to jumpstart your battery at all times before it picks up, it points to the fact that it’s probably damaged.

If the battery is still new, yet you get to jumpstart before it picks up, you’ll need to do some diagnosis, whether there are appliances in the car that have gone haywire or not.

There could be appliances that consume more power so they could cause your battery to drain up quickly.

It could also be that the battery is wearing out prematurely or a faulty alternator. Whichever one it’s, you should see a technician for the best advice.

Why Does Car Battery Go Bad?

We can generally categorize a bad battery going bad as a result of either a leak which eventually leads to corrosion or it’s too old to hold a charge.

If any of these happens, you can tell by the way your engine performs. Sometimes your engine doesn’t come up without having to jumpstart it and many other observable signs. For more clarification, check this out.

It Could Be That The Battery Is Old

As stated earlier, nothing lasts forever. If your battery is some years old, it will gradually wear out. An old battery becomes vulnerable to attacks.

See it as a human body; it needs medication to live because it’s weak and easy to contain diseases.

The same is true with your battery; it becomes vulnerable and causes your engine a lot of problems like – A quick drain of power, not starting up your car, and many others.

Your battery is probably not looking old even after many years because you are a car owner who cares about cleanliness.

To be sure the problem is because of age; find a round sticker around your battery that shows the month and year. If you find out it’s beyond the time for it to be replaced, then you have your answer. Simply have it replaced.

Possibly There’s A Corrosion Problem

Corrosion is a result of escaping gas from your battery which affects the battery terminals. When this happens, your battery begins to wear out in its ability to hold a charge for a long time. You should have it checked if cases like this come up.

Can a Bad Battery Affect Spark Plug?

Yes, a bad battery can affect your spark plug. A bad battery tends to cause a weak or non-existent spark which at the very end causes your engine to misfire.