Battery replacement?
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,424
Likes: 21
From: Placitas New Mexico
Battery replacement?
I have an 09 with 9500 miles. My battery went dead 2 years ago while sitting for a month in the winter. I then got a battery charger for the winter. A couple of weeks ago the battery went dead after sitting about 5 days. I may have inadvertantly popped the rear hatch open and not noticed or ?. Last night it was dead after sitting just 2 days. I threw the charger on. This morning ...no green light on charger. Does this mean the battery is gone?
Thanks for the help
Thanks for the help
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 20,352
Likes: 568
From: Ventura County, Calif
Very likely yes. These batteries are not designed for deep cycling, discharge/recharge. Once it has happened the battery is never 100% afterward. Some batteries can take more than others but it certainly sounds like yours is done. 
Invest in a Battery Tender, battery maintainer, NOT a trickle charger, for times when you know you won't be driving the car more than a week.
Invest in a Battery Tender, battery maintainer, NOT a trickle charger, for times when you know you won't be driving the car more than a week.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,424
Likes: 21
From: Placitas New Mexico
I have a Battery Tender (I forgot the name). The car did start right up, then the tender showed green. Maybe it needed longer to get a complete charge up? I will have the battery tested
Team Owner
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 21,136
Likes: 212
From: Long Island New York
My 06 still has the battery it was born with. Its a NY car and sits at times for a couple weeks in a very cold unheadted garage in the winter without starting or ever having a charger touched to it. The Vette also has a high powered after market sound system with two large amps. The engine lights off everytime I touch the button. A new OEM GM battery will be going in when the old one finally gives out.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 6,714
Likes: 6
From: Providence RI
The battery issue for the C6 seems to be a hit-or-miss proposition. My 05' coupe sits outside in the cold during the winter months and lasted almost 6 years. My 07' Z had it's battery replaced after two years and constantly needs charging while it sits INDOORS.
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Race Director
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 14,555
Likes: 1,255
From: Saint Albans, WV
I've got a Battery Tender Plus and I can take the car out for a daily drive, put it back in the garage, hook up the tender and it usually stays red unitil the next day. If yours went green right away I would supspect a problem with the tender.
Racer
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 318
Likes: 29
Yeah it's funny (or not) that as soon as I bought my car I started having starting problems. First thing ya do check your battery right? I had it checked at Oreillys and they say the battery is good. So I start thinking about the alternator and regulator and the guy at OR tests that too. He gives me kind of this (maybe) response. My charging output gauge is reading perfectly the whole time. I finally call our local Vette shop and run it by him. He says it "really" sounds like a bad battery. I bought a new Interstate from Costco and everything has been fine since. I think it was just the draw down of several hours with all the interior lights on.
Racer
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 427
Likes: 121
Yeah it's funny (or not) that as soon as I bought my car I started having starting problems. First thing ya do check your battery right? I had it checked at Oreillys and they say the battery is good. So I start thinking about the alternator and regulator and the guy at OR tests that too. He gives me kind of this (maybe) response. My charging output gauge is reading perfectly the whole time. I finally call our local Vette shop and run it by him. He says it "really" sounds like a bad battery. I bought a new Interstate from Costco and everything has been fine since. I think it was just the draw down of several hours with all the interior lights on.
Racer
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 318
Likes: 29
If you have a advance auto parts store near you, give them a call and see if they have a midtronics electrical system tester. starter alternator and battery all in one test. Pop the tops off the battery and see if there is any water in it. 15vdc is really high the regulator should be about 14.4vdc max. Check the voltage with a volt meter at the battery with the car off, then check it with the car running. Make sure it does not go above 14.4vdc.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 6,391
Likes: 1,453
From: South Dakota
If properly maintained, a battery can last more than 5-6 years. A happy battery is a fully charged battery. That is why I use a battery tender if the car is going to sit more than a week. Its easy to hook up and takes hardly any time.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 4,268
Likes: 559
From: Macedonia Ohio
[QUOTE=RicK T Invest in a Battery Tender, battery maintainer, NOT a trickle charger, for times when you know you won't be driving the car more than a week.[/QUOTE]
So, what is the difference between a tender and a trickle charger
So, what is the difference between a tender and a trickle charger
