Dead Battery

[LotusGTR]

One of my 32 GTRs sits around a little - say 6 months since last started. Tried to fire it up the other day using jumper leads from GTR II and she wouldn't turn over. Ended up swapping batteries in the end. I grabbed the dead battery and hooked her up to a jigger I've got that maintains the batteries charge, and it won't charge. If I hook the jigger to any other battery I've got either the red light comes on the charger indicating it needs a top up or the green light comes on telling me the battery is 'full'. So the battery from my oft not used GTR seems to be stuffed. I didn't disconnect it whilst it was sitting around, which in hindsight I probably should have done. So my questions are:

Is my battery stuffed or do I need to hook it up to a proper trickle charger to breath some life into it?

What stuffed the battery? It just sat there after all. Why can't I charge it up? It was new a couple of years ago and gets little use.

How should you store your battery in a car with very infrequent use? (this car is not parked where the jigger can be used). Out of car hooked up to the jigger? Just disconnect and charge up the night before you need to use it?

Thanks.

[Piggaz]

Is my battery stuffed or do I need to hook it up to a proper trickle charger to breath some life into it?

What stuffed the battery? It just sat there after all. Why can't I charge it up? It was new a couple of years ago and gets little use.

Thanks.

Thats what killed it... not using it. Get yourself a trickle charger plug it in and leave it. I have one on mine. If I dont put it on charge my car will not start after one week of sitting in the garage!

[LotusGTR]

Yeah, I know lack of use killed it, but killed it for good? I'd have thought I could bring it back from the dead but it doesn't look that way as it won't charge on my charger / charge maintenance jigger. Is it a chuck out job?

[StevenCJR31]

Thats what killed it... not using it. Get yourself a trickle charger plug it in and leave it. I have one on mine. If I dont put it on charge my car will not start after one week of sitting in the garage!

+ 1. . .batterys that are allowed to go flat frequently will shit themselves and wont recharge, suggest you get a new battery and when its not in use take it out of the car and put it on charge (away from the car) once every couple of weeks, also makes it harder if some f@#ker is trying to steal your car

[Piggaz]

How long have you had it on charge for? Have you got a trickle charger... It wont hurt to try I suppose. Leave it for a week and see what happens. If it wont take charge by then bin it!

[StevenCJR31]

OR you could throw the "other" GTR my way and i will make sure the battery doesnt go flat !

[r32-25t]

If the battery was left discharged for a long period of time, then it will never hold a charge again and will need to be replaced

[t_revz]

your charger may not kick in if the charge in the battery has fallen below a certain voltage. but then if your batt voltage is that low and has been sitting for a while its prob not recoverable.

a sitting battery usually wont die if it still has a charge but a flat battery will die quickly if left sitting

[our12]

Hi.

If you take your battery out of the car never put it on concrete it pulls the charge out of the battery. Always put on something between the battery and concrete.

[LotusGTR]

your charger may not kick in if the charge in the battery has fallen below a certain voltage. but then if your batt voltage is that low and has been sitting for a while its prob not recoverable.

a sitting battery usually wont die if it still has a charge but a flat battery will die quickly if left sitting

Prolly should have said there is a voltage leak somewhere and the battery normally goes dead after 2 weeks. It sat in the car subject to the leak for 6-8 months. Sounds like I've killed it. So new battery needed and this time I'll keep it out of the car (not on concrete) and on a top up charger.

[Iron Chef]

Why take it out of the car? You can run a trickle charger on it still hooked up, just make sure you get a charger with an auto cut-out.

[LotusGTR]

Currently the car is not stored in range of a power point, otherwise yes, this would be the go.

Recommendations of good batteries? Or call RACV and have them drop one off?

[SargeRX8]

Change the water in the battery see if that helps... But seriously it cost no more than $60 for a good century battery, just get a new one.

My battery goes shit after a week or two of not driving. Turns over very slowly, not fast enough to fire the engine so needs to be jumped.

Edited June 7, 2011 by SargeRX8

[89CAL]

Change the water in the battery see if that helps... But seriously it cost no more than $60 for a good century battery, just get a new one.

My battery goes shit after a week or two of not driving. Turns over very slowly, not fast enough to fire the engine so needs to be jumped.

You should never "change" the water In a battery. Just buy some distiller water and top it up with that

[SargeRX8]

You should never "change" the water In a battery. Just buy some distiller water and top it up with that

Ah lol should have phrased my self a little better but yeah, just get that distilled water from woolies or kmart or something and top her up.

Cheers for pointing it out!