Dead battery, winter storage info needed
Thread Starter
8th Gear
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
From: Philomath OR
Dead battery, winter storage info needed
I've read a lot of posts on here about battery issues. I am a 1st time 99 C5 vert owner. Bought it in August and it had a new battery in it. I garaged it on about November 1st for winter. Tried to start it last week and cabin lights were on but it wouldn't turn over. Got busy over Christmas but tried to charge the battery today. I put it on my regular charger and it said it was at 100% after a couple hours. This was with the battery cables still hooked up to the car. Tried starting it and got nothing. No lights anywhere, no sounds, dead as a doornail. Also, lots of clicking going on in the car while charging. There is also a 1.5 amp Napa charger installed next to the battery that was not plugged in, but was attached to the battery terminals during my attempt at charging. I removed my normal charger( which has worked great for other cars), and tried the little Napa charger. It's been several hours now and when I open the door I do see some interior and radio lights starting to work. Under the hood light is off.
So my questions are: Is my car going to come back to life? And what is the best way to store my beautiful red convertible for winter.
So my questions are: Is my car going to come back to life? And what is the best way to store my beautiful red convertible for winter.
Pro
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 572
Likes: 101
Winter Storage Answers
Sounds like the battery's gone. What type of weather temps are you looking at? I would just get a new battery when you're ready to take it out of storage for the peace of mind. Walmart winter EverStart rated very well in Consumer Reports testing and cost $120ish with good warranties. I got one in Oct and plan on removing it during storage since -20 is common here. The CarStuff Podcast (HowStuffWorks.com) episode "Why do batteries die in winter", 30 Dec 2014, may help. In terms of storage, I've read previous threads on the forum; look for those. I also recommend you listen to CarStuff "How to store a car," 3 Jun 2010, and "Taking a Car out of Storage," 8 June 2010. These run for 20 minutes and are very detailed.
-Big picture, fuel in the tank with stabilizer, higher tire pressure or remove them, cover exhaust pipes to prevent critters (do not use something they can create a nest with), moth *****, clean car, etc.
-Big picture, fuel in the tank with stabilizer, higher tire pressure or remove them, cover exhaust pipes to prevent critters (do not use something they can create a nest with), moth *****, clean car, etc.
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,960
Likes: 342
From: Shell Point (Crawfordville) Florida
The battery has to be fully charged first before load testing. If it won't accept a charge it may have a dead cell or a short in it. You can measure the voltage or specific gravity of each cell to see. Disconnect it from the car, measure the voltage, and try to charge it up again and if not - take it to a battery place. They will most likely sell you a new one so be prepared for that advice.
How cold did it get where you stored the car? 60 days doesn't sound really that long to totally kill a new fully charged up battery unless it froze (highly unlikely) or unless you have some hidden current draw in the car that drained it down to 0 and then it died and won't accept a charge any longer.
And why was there a new battery in the car when you bought it? - was there a similar problem with the car back then?
Also make sure your battery connections are clean and tight because if you don't have a good connection, even with a fully charged battery, you may not have enough current passing through to start the car.
Lastly, do you have any idea where the clicking was coming from when you had the charger connected? That is not normal.
How cold did it get where you stored the car? 60 days doesn't sound really that long to totally kill a new fully charged up battery unless it froze (highly unlikely) or unless you have some hidden current draw in the car that drained it down to 0 and then it died and won't accept a charge any longer.
And why was there a new battery in the car when you bought it? - was there a similar problem with the car back then?
Also make sure your battery connections are clean and tight because if you don't have a good connection, even with a fully charged battery, you may not have enough current passing through to start the car.
Lastly, do you have any idea where the clicking was coming from when you had the charger connected? That is not normal.
Thread Starter
8th Gear
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
From: Philomath OR
The battery has to be fully charged first before load testing. If it won't accept a charge it may have a dead cell or a short in it. You can measure the voltage or specific gravity of each cell to see. Disconnect it from the car, measure the voltage, and try to charge it up again and if not - take it to a battery place. They will most likely sell you a new one so be prepared for that advice.
How cold did it get where you stored the car? 60 days doesn't sound really that long to totally kill a new fully charged up battery unless it froze (highly unlikely) or unless you have some hidden current draw in the car that drained it down to 0 and then it died and won't accept a charge any longer.
And why was there a new battery in the car when you bought it? - was there a similar problem with the car back then?
Also make sure your battery connections are clean and tight because if you don't have a good connection, even with a fully charged battery, you may not have enough current passing through to start the car.
Lastly, do you have any idea where the clicking was coming from when you had the charger connected? That is not normal.
How cold did it get where you stored the car? 60 days doesn't sound really that long to totally kill a new fully charged up battery unless it froze (highly unlikely) or unless you have some hidden current draw in the car that drained it down to 0 and then it died and won't accept a charge any longer.
And why was there a new battery in the car when you bought it? - was there a similar problem with the car back then?
Also make sure your battery connections are clean and tight because if you don't have a good connection, even with a fully charged battery, you may not have enough current passing through to start the car.
Lastly, do you have any idea where the clicking was coming from when you had the charger connected? That is not normal.
So if I disconnect the battery, what will I have to do to reteach the different systems in the car? Don't know about Vettes but in my Mercedes there are several teaching procedures to perform when installing a new battery.
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 1,320
Likes: 204
From: Calabash, NC
It has not been that cold here, usually in the 40's but it did freeze last night. It's in my garage so it's not below freeing in here. The guy I bought it from said he had only driven it twice last year. There could have been a problem before I bought it, but I don't know. The fact that there is a trickle charger installed in the car could be a clue. It's still on the trickle charger now and there is still intermittent clicking, but not to extent of yesterday. One post in a previous thread suggested all the clicking yesterday could be relays being re-energized. It was clicking from several different places yesterday, from the front and back of the car. As of now still no lights or signs of life when I open the door.
So if I disconnect the battery, what will I have to do to reteach the different systems in the car? Don't know about Vettes but in my Mercedes there are several teaching procedures to perform when installing a new battery.
So if I disconnect the battery, what will I have to do to reteach the different systems in the car? Don't know about Vettes but in my Mercedes there are several teaching procedures to perform when installing a new battery.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 6,835
Likes: 302
From: Columbia SC
Something to remember, NEVER charge a dead battery in a C5 with the battery fully connected to the car.
If you charge a dead battery in the car DISCONNECT the negative cable first. Chargers produce DC square waves that can pound the electronics and damage them. A really dead battery cannot filter these. If a battery is just a little low there is no concern.
If you charge a dead battery in the car DISCONNECT the negative cable first. Chargers produce DC square waves that can pound the electronics and damage them. A really dead battery cannot filter these. If a battery is just a little low there is no concern.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 22,025
Likes: 192
From: At the beach in little Rhody
I pull my battery every year and store it in the basement along with the lawn mower, motorcycle and other batteries. Once a month the CTEK charger makes the rounds and charges each battery. Never had an issue. Only spring start-up thing is to re-program the fobs and do an idle relearn.
