dead battery

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May 3, 2002 | 02:30 PM

Justin1984

Thread Starter

Drifting

Joined: Dec 2001

Posts: 1,677

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From: South Main St, GhettoLand USA

dead battery

I keep my car in a rented garage, and don't always have the time to go get it and drive around. I was down there this morning, however, and the battery was dead. Over the winter, I left the battery dis-connected and it held it's caharge. I last drove it probably 3 weeks ago and it's been sitting ever since with the battery hooked up. Is the alarm draining the battery or is there something more sinister going on? :confused:

May 3, 2002 | 03:17 PM

rubyred93

Drifting

Joined: Jul 2001

Posts: 1,683

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From: NY

Re: dead battery (Justin1984)

Until I hooked my battery up to a trickle charger, I had the same problem. If the car sat with the battery hooked up for extended periods of time, forget it...dead battery.

If your car is left unattended while in storage, you may want to remove the battery from the car and keep in on a charger at your home. Even while the car sits, the battery has to maintain the onboard computer systems(s), and without driving the car, the battery dies out. It would be a pain to have to reinstall the battery everytime, and you'd have to reset the clock and radio as well. If someone is around the car while it's in storage, maybe they could keep an eye on it for you if you want to hook it up to a trickle charger.

I had checked my car with a multimeter to look for excessive draw, and there was none. A trickle charger may be the answer for your situation as well.

May 3, 2002 | 03:36 PM

MARKRUBYRED

Race Director

Joined: Jan 2000

Posts: 16,872

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From: Owings Mills, MD 21117

Re: dead battery (rubyred93)

Justin:
I am in total agreement with rubyred93. Further, to save your alternator from excessive wear and tear do not use it to charge the battery, but buy a good battery charger. If you continue to drive on a marginal battery you will eventually get a flashing code on the dash that you have a charging problem.
Mark :seeya

May 3, 2002 | 07:46 PM

Sharky Guam

Safety Car

Joined: Feb 2002

Posts: 4,286

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From: Guam

Re: dead battery (MARKRUBYRED)

yes, you need to keep it trickle charged. But the added benefit about having the battery removed is that it is harder for thieves to steal your valued possesion. :D

May 3, 2002 | 11:57 PM

lspalding

Burning Brakes

Joined: Dec 2001

Posts: 901

Likes: 15

From: Punta Gorda, FL

Re: dead battery (Justin1984)

You said the battery held a charge over the winter disconnected, so it must be good. Have heard that leaving the auto climate control in 'on' mode drains the battery. Always turn mine to off, which has worked for me.

May 4, 2002 | 02:35 AM

jfb

Team Owner

Joined: Mar 2001

Posts: 54,124

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From: Cincinnati, Oh USA

Re: dead battery (Justin1984)

Lead acid batteries even disconnected lose about 1% of their charge every 24 hours. Lead acid batteries do not like sitting doing nothing, they collect lead sulfate on their plates which is an insulator and then you have a world class paper weight. If you already have a battery charger, then buy a timer and set it to its lowest interval (usually 15 min) and have the charger charge the battery each day. Trickle chargers are ok if they shut off when the battery is charged. Trickle chargers that don't can cause water loss through overcharging.

May 4, 2002 | 02:19 PM

_Nomad_

Team Owner

Joined: Apr 2002

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From: Frankenstein never scared me. Marsupials do, because they're fassst…and they DART, THAT'S crazy!

St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26

Re: dead battery (Justin1984)

Also, you might want to look into getting an Optima Yellow Top battery. They are deep cycle batteries and are designed to loose charge then gain it back again. With regular lead acid batteries once the thing dies or gets low once, it is damaged. The Optima is designed to have its charge depleted and replaced with a charging. My Vette’s sit in the garage for long periods of time as well and even with disconnecting the battery they die constantly. I now use the Optima Yellow Top and haven’t had to replace it yet even when sitting for a long time. The Optima will cost you about $150.00 USD but is well worth it IMHO. Still disconnect it when you let it sit for longer than a couple weeks.

Just a thought for you, good luck. :seeya

May 4, 2002 | 10:32 PM

Delta

Instructor

Joined: Jan 2002

Posts: 225

Likes: 0

From: Regina Sask

Re: dead battery (The^Nomad)

hey dont know if this will help you or not but i have one on the bike and LOVE it great for keeping the thing ready to go at all times.
www.batterytender.com

most of there stuff is for small batterie's like motorcycles and golf carts but i think they also carry a few automotive chargers as well.

[Modified by Delta, 2:44 AM 5/5/2002]