Help! Car won't start!!
 

I've got a 2005 Vert (Z51/MN6) that sat for about a month and a half without driving it. Battery drained (battery new in Nov-Dec 2010) but it looks like it has been sufficiently recharged as the voltomer reads @ 11 when turned on. But, the engine won't crank over. Just a quick initial jump, and nothing else. I am getting the "service - column lock" but it does'nt stay on and the radio just says "CD Initialising" (Yep, that's how THEY spelled it!), and all other electronics seem to work. I just have to assume I'm in for a tow job to the dealership at this point. Any thoughts?!!!

11 on the volt meter isn't going to get it done.

Try either a jump or a new battery first before you have it towed.

On initialising, how would you have liked them to spell it?

initialising: present participle of in·i·tial·ize (Verb)
1. Set to the value or put in the condition appropriate to the start of an operation.
2. Format (a computer disk).

My bet is on the battery being bad...try putting the charger on it longer....11 on the DIC is not enough and they are very sensitive to low voltage...:thumbs:

I've always seen it spelled with a "Z". but I guess I'm wrong! I'll check with the dealership who put the battery in and see if there is any warranty on my semi-new battery! Thanks :thumbs:

Put the charger back on it, it isn't fully charged at 11 volts. If it won't take the charge then you can start thinking about the warranty. I'd put it on a charger for 24 hrs and then see where it's at.

"It's dead, Jim"

Replace the battery.
Once modern batteries have been dicharged they're rarely if ever reliable again. :yesnod:

Concur with comments above. 11 volts won't cut it. Also, and there are plenty of threads addressing bad batteries, consider using a Battery Tender Plus if you don't drive the car for days or weeks at a time.

P-Car enthusiast sent me a version that costs $120 (dash plug in) but you can get them very reasonably from other sources. These tenders are very sophisticated and very reliable.

:salute:

Thanks for the input guys. I'm going to let it recharge for 24 hours. If "no go" at that point, it's off to the dealership to inquire about another battery!

Remove one of the battery cables before you put a charger on it.

Why is that necessary? I've been charging auto's, boat's, motorhome, and bikes for years and never found that necessary. :cheers:

UPDATE: Thanks for the advice...all is well now (I think!). I got it jump started with my Black & Decker Portable Jumpstarter. That is, after I let IT get properly recharged which I guess I did'nt do before. Evidently it loses it's charge too when not used for awhile (I know, read the instructions ;o) ) Anyways, I've connected it to my battery tender so it can get/stay fully charged when not in use. Thanks again!

:iagree: