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i_am_jim
New User
May 31, 2012, 11:51 PM
Post #1 of 8
(408 views)
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Baffling Battery
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I have a widow lady friend who keeps her deceased husband's car. The problem is she doesn't drive it for a month or two or three. When she tries to start it, it won't. It appears to be the battery. I say this because if you jump-start it, it will run fine and recharge the battery, and soon after it is turned off it will restart.
Tonight, after a month or so, it wouldn't start again. When I first tried it everything was completely dead -- the dome light and the dash lights would not come on and trying to crank it gave nothing. I hooked up my battery charger. (It's a pretty good home charger -- I paid about $60-$80 for it.) It has two charge modes. A 2 amp and a 10 amp. I started off in the 10 amp mode, but it could only deliver 2 amps. Because I was going to leave it on her car for a couple of days, I switched it to the 2 amp mode and it went to zero -- it wouldn't charge at all. I'd never seen anything like this, so I went in the house to cool off and think about it (In a garage in Houston at sundown it's 90-100 and it had been raining.). After about 10 minutes of no ideas I went back to stare at it. Still in the 2A mode it was now charging at a little over 2A. I decided to try to crank again. The dome light came on, the dash lights came on, the head, tail and brake lights worked. I tried to crank it an it gave a ugg, like it was trying but didn't have enough battery. Ten or less minutes of charging at 2 amps could not possibly have given enough charge to do everything it did?
So, my questions are:
Why wouldn't it take a charge at first?
Why did it begin charging?
Why did a completely dead battery suddenly start delivering low levels of juice?
PS I left it charging and will see what things are like day after tomorrow.
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jun 1, 2012, 6:23 AM
Post #2 of 8
(369 views)
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It was too dead to take a charge right away. This battery may be junk by this time anyway. You can't keep killing them that way or they will stop recovering. If she's not going to drive the car at least once a week, you're just wasting your time because this problem isn't going away.
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jun 1, 2012, 6:59 AM
Post #3 of 8
(364 views)
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Ditto. If this vehicle is to continue long times without use a simple automatic battery maintainer if possible where it is parked would solve this with a new battery charged up first before putting it in.
Common lead/acid batteries don't do well with age and can only recover from dead so much as HT said,
T
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Long retired now
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i_am_jim
New User
Jun 1, 2012, 9:48 AM
Post #4 of 8
(352 views)
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Thanks for your replies.
So, a battery too dead to operate the dash panel lamps can, after it "wakes up," power the headlights and other lamps and stir the engine? 
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jun 1, 2012, 10:49 AM
Post #5 of 8
(346 views)
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Sometimes
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jun 1, 2012, 11:29 AM
Post #6 of 8
(338 views)
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The biggest load by far on a battery is the starter motor. They are sold and say CCA = Cold Cranking Amps pretty much exceeds all other electrical item if used all at once! Think of "Amps" as the Horse power electrically. And say it began new at 100% it might be down to as low as 10% Dash lights take nothing in comparison,
T
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Long retired now
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