Battery keeps dying if not started every few days
12-12-2007, 07:10 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 16
Battery keeps dying if not started every few days
My car have been sitting in the parking lot for about two years.. At first I'd just go out and start it, drive it a mile maybe sometimes, about twice or three times a week... Then recently I stopped checking it out that often, only once a week, sometimes even longer..
After a week of not starting car up battery doesn't have enough juice to start. I have to take it out and charge it before I can start my car up..
However, if I check on the car every 3 or 4 days it is just fine..
Nothing has been done to a car to cause electrical leak, unless meliciously and without my knowledge.. Cables are cleaned, no oxidation..
Is this due to a slow electrical leak or the fact that I'm not driving it for so long?
By the way, I can't drive it because my driver license is no good and will be that way for another several months.. I used to check on it very often, just to see there was no new dents or nicks, but I stopped doing that lately.. As a result my battery died on me twice already.. I charge it back up with home made charger and it starts just fine, as long as I start it every few days... Let it sit longer and it goes dead again.... Around the time this started to happen I pissed someone off, so this could be something melicious... But then again, that's around the same time I stopped checking on it that often....
What do I do??
After a week of not starting car up battery doesn't have enough juice to start. I have to take it out and charge it before I can start my car up..
However, if I check on the car every 3 or 4 days it is just fine..
Nothing has been done to a car to cause electrical leak, unless meliciously and without my knowledge.. Cables are cleaned, no oxidation..
Is this due to a slow electrical leak or the fact that I'm not driving it for so long?
By the way, I can't drive it because my driver license is no good and will be that way for another several months.. I used to check on it very often, just to see there was no new dents or nicks, but I stopped doing that lately.. As a result my battery died on me twice already.. I charge it back up with home made charger and it starts just fine, as long as I start it every few days... Let it sit longer and it goes dead again.... Around the time this started to happen I pissed someone off, so this could be something melicious... But then again, that's around the same time I stopped checking on it that often....
What do I do??
12-12-2007, 07:54 AM
#2
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location:
Posts: 267
RE: Battery keeps dying if not started every few days
How old is the battery?? also when you charge the battery with your charger are you letting the battery get a full charge or just enough to get the car started??
Sounds to me like it is just the battery its either getting a little old or it has been awhile sence it has had a good charge, is it possible for you to hook up a trickle charger to it for a few days? that may solve your problem.
Sounds to me like it is just the battery its either getting a little old or it has been awhile sence it has had a good charge, is it possible for you to hook up a trickle charger to it for a few days? that may solve your problem.
12-12-2007, 07:58 AM
#3
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 16
RE: Battery keeps dying if not started every few days
Car is 01, 25,000 miles, battery original.. I'm just letting it to charge enough to start.. I have a cheap home made charger.. Power supply, and small resistor to limit current.. I'll let it charge until the evening, possibly a few days..
How long do I have to run my car without driving it to charge the battery fully?
How long do I have to run my car without driving it to charge the battery fully?
12-12-2007, 08:07 AM
#4
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location:
Posts: 267
RE: Battery keeps dying if not started every few days
So your battery is almost 7 years old. I would say that is an indicator right there. as for your home made charge I laugh at only because i made one like that a long time ago and it worked pretty good. I also at one time had to take the altinator off my chevelle and bolt it to my gas edger to charge my battery once lol it worked.
Anyway it depends on the condition of the battery to determine how long it takes to fully charge or if it even can hold a charge that will last as long as it used to. over time the plates in the battery to deteriorate and it wont hold a charge as long as it used to.
Im suprised you got almost 7 years out of your battery, Here in the desert 3 to for years is lucky.
Anyway it depends on the condition of the battery to determine how long it takes to fully charge or if it even can hold a charge that will last as long as it used to. over time the plates in the battery to deteriorate and it wont hold a charge as long as it used to.
Im suprised you got almost 7 years out of your battery, Here in the desert 3 to for years is lucky.
12-12-2007, 09:59 AM
#6
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 16
RE: Battery keeps dying if not started every few days
One more piece of information that you guys might find useful...
Right when I stopped starting it I had some ants in the car, and I got rid of them by using a smoke ant killing fog bomb, I spray it inside car, and also under the hood, almost inside right fender, where computer is.. When this fog is sprayed onto surface, mouisture accumulates..
Then I didn't touch it for a week.. I come back, battery is dead.
Can this do anything?
How can I check for small battery leaks? I have a multimeter.
Right when I stopped starting it I had some ants in the car, and I got rid of them by using a smoke ant killing fog bomb, I spray it inside car, and also under the hood, almost inside right fender, where computer is.. When this fog is sprayed onto surface, mouisture accumulates..
Then I didn't touch it for a week.. I come back, battery is dead.
Can this do anything?
How can I check for small battery leaks? I have a multimeter.
12-12-2007, 11:31 AM
#8
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: May 2007
Location: jersey
Posts: 287
RE: Battery keeps dying if not started every few days
you'd be surprised at how much your battery drains when the car sits. disconnect it if you're gonna do that. the fact that it's 6 years old though says it all. you should replace it after 5-6 years no matter what the mileage on it is.
12-12-2007, 06:29 PM
#10
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location:
Posts: 2,028
RE: Battery keeps dying if not started every few days
Here's a long tutorial dealing with lead-acid batteries.
http://www.vdcelectronics.com/press_...%20Battery.pdf
I have one of the desulphating chargers and it does actually work.
http://www.batterymart.com/p-battery...y-charger.html
http://www.vdcelectronics.com/press_...%20Battery.pdf
I have one of the desulphating chargers and it does actually work.
http://www.batterymart.com/p-battery...y-charger.html