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I've been complaining a lot about the weather and the salty roads. Today, I decided I'd drive the car to work, even on the white roads.
I used the Ctek tender all winter. I checked it and the light was on. Well, I guess I should have been more careful last Fall. I didn't push the button that selects the mode.
Anyways, the car is dead. Luckily, I stored it in a heated garage so the battery never froze.
Does anybody have a suggestion on how to properly bring my battery back? Should I put my old school WalMart charger on it? I don't want to cause any damage.
BTW, how do I get to the battery? I looked...
This car has 38 miles on it! I want to drive the dang thing!! Tired of waiting.
Thanks
If I were you, I would just buy a new battery and not worry about if you have ruined that one. You can open the hatch with the key in the fob from above the rear license plate.
The battery is under the carpet in the rear corner.. The carpet rips easily so I just remove the side trim panel to get it out of the way.
Once you let the battery go completely dead, you have shortened the life anyway, so it is probably not reliable.
Don't buy a new battery unless you have too. I am sure you lost some life letting it completely drain and sit for probably a few months, but that doesn't mean you need to rush out and buy a new one. You will know soon enough. The battery is basically for starting the car and keeping all the settings in your computer. Worst case scenario you will have to jump your car again if the battery is dead. Best case, you can put off buying a new battery for several more years.
To get back to life, just put the charger back on. It will do the job for you. It won't take too long (couple of hours) for it to give the battery enough juice to start the car and then your alternator will charge it for you.
The battery is under the carpet in the rear corner.. The carpet rips easily so I just remove the side trim panel to get it out of the way.
Is there a trick to getting the trim piece off from the area where the roof holder is? I tried pulling my trim panel out and it seemed to get hung up there.
I believe the battery is covered under the 3/36 warranty so if you can't get it to come back to life you should be able to get it replaced by GM. Free towing to your nearest dealership as well.
Ctek won't revive a totally dead battery. You will need a regular battery charger to bring it back into use. Ctek is a battery maintainer. It holds a good battery at peak level of charge.
Is there a trick to getting the trim piece off from the area where the roof holder is? I tried pulling my trim panel out and it seemed to get hung up there.
Here are where all the fasteners are. I did have to remove the insert where the top hold down attaches.
The hardest part was getting the little insert out...It fits really tight. I had to use a plastic trim tool, but they are all just push in clips..I think after they have been removed once or twice, they may loosen up a bit.
Ctek won't revive a totally dead battery. You will need a regular battery charger to bring it back into use. Ctek is a battery maintainer. It holds a good battery at peak level of charge.
Just a helpful tip. What I do is put my battery tender on for one day a month. This way the battery will never get over charged and gassed out. I have never had a battery go dead during winter storage, one day out of 30 is all you need.
Here are where all the fasteners are. I did have to remove the insert where the top hold down attaches.
The hardest part was getting the little insert out...It fits really tight. I had to use a plastic trim tool, but they are all just push in clips..I think after they have been removed once or twice, they may loosen up a bit.
Just a helpful tip. What I do is put my battery tender on for one day a month. This way the battery will never get over charged and gassed out. I have never had a battery go dead during winter storage, one day out of 30 is all you need.
You don't need to do that. Most battery tenders (Ctek) etc. read the amps and adjust appropriately You will not over charge the battery.
With a completely dead battery you need to start with a trickle charge that puts no more than 2 amps into the battery. Run that for 5 hours and then switch to a 10 amp charge rate. Use a charger that can works like a maintainer and it won't over charge the battery. My charger has three selections: 2A, 10A and 50A starting boost. Once it gets close to having the battery charged in the 2A or 10A positions it only charges when the battery level drops.
If you throw a set of jumper cables on a completely dead battery the power surge the donor car's alternator can dump into the battery can ruin the battery.
Just a helpful tip. What I do is put my battery tender on for one day a month. This way the battery will never get over charged and gassed out. I have never had a battery go dead during winter storage, one day out of 30 is all you need.
While this ok, you don't need to do that. As long as your charger has float mode, which most good ones do (including battery tender and ctek), it will not over charge your battery. It is specifically designed to be left on for months at a time, like winter storage. I have done this with my 1980 vette for 7 years on the same battery and it has not failed yet.
I use a battery tender junior. I use a second battery tender on my motocycle.
Here are where all the fasteners are. I did have to remove the insert where the top hold down attaches.
The hardest part was getting the little insert out...It fits really tight. I had to use a plastic trim tool, but they are all just push in clips..I think after they have been removed once or twice, they may loosen up a bit.
03-22-2018, 08:41 AM
I Screwed Up-Car is Dead (Battery) Need Advice
