Dead Battery Help
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 724
Likes: 192
Dead Battery Help
Move about a month ago and forgot to put the Z on the trickle charger. Tried to jump with a NOCO GB40 and couldn’t even get the starter to click, lights and radio did come on.
Next tried to jump with a vehicle, let it charge for about 20 mins and again nothing except a bunch of warning lights which I expected
So then decided to put it on the trickle charger. I go back out about an hour later and the parking lights will not shut off but the car is dead as a door nail otherwise
Is the battery toast or can it be saved?
How the hell do I get the parking lights off?!
Next tried to jump with a vehicle, let it charge for about 20 mins and again nothing except a bunch of warning lights which I expected
So then decided to put it on the trickle charger. I go back out about an hour later and the parking lights will not shut off but the car is dead as a door nail otherwise
Is the battery toast or can it be saved?
How the hell do I get the parking lights off?!
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 164
Likes: 42
From: Bozeman/Livingston MT Sometimes Texas
Disconnect the negative battery terminal at the battery. Connect a charger, correctly polarized to the battery and allow it to slow charge for 24 hours. This charger needs to be of the type that does NOT need residual battery voltage to work. Disconnect charger from power source (unplug it) then disconnect the charger from the battery. Check the charge with a multimeter before reconnecting the battery after charging.Voltage should be above 12.6 VDC after charge. Reconnect battery to the negative cable and have fun with the resets.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 849
Likes: 112
Anecdotal - but sometimes batteries die dead. They can float the needs of the car when the alternator is juicing but the min it's not - it's dead. New batteries have a nice fast crank speed as well which the DI needs.
Racer
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 371
Likes: 55
From: Cleveland, OH
Had the same issue with a gb20, wasnt big enough. I replaced it with a gbx55. Had the use that twice now & worked perfectly with no issues. Luckily i found and fixed the source of my battery draw since & keep the new boost box in my car for peace of mind in the future.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 41,063
Likes: 9,826
From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
Disconnect the negative battery terminal at the battery. Connect a charger, correctly polarized to the battery and allow it to slow charge for 24 hours. This charger needs to be of the type that does NOT need residual battery voltage to work. Disconnect charger from power source (unplug it) then disconnect the charger from the battery. Check the charge with a multimeter before reconnecting the battery after charging.Voltage should be above 12.6 VDC after charge. Reconnect battery to the negative cable and have fun with the resets.
It is always better on a battery to start charging a deeply discharged battery with a limited current for a few hours and then switch the charger to higher current charging.
Bill
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 724
Likes: 192
It seems the GB 40 isn’t enough to start a dead battery on its own.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,271
Likes: 182
From: Manassas VA
There are some battery chargers which have a recondition mode. It takes 24 hours to do this. The charger simply sends high voltage pulses an attempt to get the lead sulfate off the plates. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. My original battery which I had for almost 6 years kind of came back from the dead using this technique. I put in a new battery to be safe this winter. The original battery will now charge to 12.6 volts after it got to the point it would only hold about 12.2. That said if your battery became completely discharged to the point a switcher type battery charger wouldn't even start charging you are living on borrowed time even if you can bring it back from the dead. There is quite a bit of buildup on the plates from the complete discharge and it will be prone to failure in the near future, usually in the worst possible situation. Of all the battery failures I've had over the years only once did this happen in my driveway. on a sunny warm day. The rest were somewhere else in the rain or snow, usually at night.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 982
Likes: 804
As stated above, buy a smart-charger, and it will charge your battery properly and can even rescue it from the dead if not too damaged.
Google to find a highly recommended one - they are worth the money.
If you know your car will sit for awhile, either connect a smart trickle-charger, or, disconnect the battery.
Google to find a highly recommended one - they are worth the money.
If you know your car will sit for awhile, either connect a smart trickle-charger, or, disconnect the battery.