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31 days no driving = dead battery. time for new one?

Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 10:37 am
by iskyfly
away for a month.
very cold weather. rarely above freezing.
car wouldnt start after returning. click click click click.
gonna jump it.

time to get a new battery or just need to recharge?

anything else i need to do before driving it? extended warm up time?

Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 10:45 am
by racer12306
It depends on how old the battery is.

My car has been sitting since a week or so before Thanksgiving and it is dead. I bought the battery around Feb 2009 or so. I am just going to jump it and drive it for a while to get the battery charged up. If you have a battery charger that wouldn't be a bad idea.

There is a little thingy that has a small solar panel on it and plugs into your cig lighter, I don't know how effective they are but it may be worth a shot. I never thought about doing that until now I might have to search around for something like that.

There are battery tenders if you park the car near an outlet.

I wouldn't worry about an extended warm up, just make sure it's not knocking when you give it gas. These engines can get a little pissy if they sit for too long, depending on the oil used and the temp outside.

Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 10:48 am
by iskyfly
thank you!

Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:00 am
by racer12306
This looks like something that is worth it. It has a controller to prevent overcharging.

Solar Battery Tender with controller, $99.00

Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:38 am
by iskyfly
many thanks again.
jumped it and warming it up now. going to drive it for about an hour before this snow storm gets worse.