Battery, FWIW Stuff
11-30-2007, 01:31 PM
#1
3rd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: New Bern, NC
Posts: 701
Battery, FWIW Stuff
I generally take really good care of my "toys". When I first got the '05 Screaming Yellow GT I looked at the "weird" looking connection Ford dreamed up, figured maybe it was pretty cool and corrosion resistant. I appeared to be correct, I'd look at the connection and the battery fluid over the last couple of years, never an issue.
Flash Forward, I've moved to NC from CA in July '07. Same deal, battery terminals always OK, car starting, running on the money, and with the change in weather from hot and muggy to cool and humid the car was running like a champ!
I went to CA for Thanksgiving leaving on the 20th returning on the 27th, last driving the car on the 17th or 18th. Trotted out to the garage yesterday afternoon to go do errands, key into ignition, turned key, was greeted with SILENCE! Absolutely no joy from the car at all! [:@]
Popped hood, dismayed to find corrosion on my baby! Checked voltage across terminals, was only six/seven volts. Due to recent move had to obtain cleaning stuff and protector stuff, and couldn't find my terminal brush, so a new brush also. Attached my Sears Automatic "Smart" charger which is new enough to be "smart" but old enough that it gives "beeps" to announce how it is doing. (Just looked, it was TEN years old YESTERDAY) It didn't charge, recalled a previous time where it doesn't do its thing under 8 volts of battery charge. Hooked up my "Battery Tender" seemed "iffy" for maybe a minute before red charge light kicked in. A while later I put on the Sears charger, and it went to work. It is now charged, and indications are that it is OK. All cells were full before and after the maintenance.
I used "CRC" battery cleaner and protectant products. Cleaner worked well, stuff turns red where the acid is and is white where it is not, time will tell on the protectant.
I have a brilliant buddy back in CA, so I reached out to him, asking if my GT's battery was attempting to tell me anything, he says not, says it should be OK, blames it on NC humidity and the colder temps.
FWIW
Flash Forward, I've moved to NC from CA in July '07. Same deal, battery terminals always OK, car starting, running on the money, and with the change in weather from hot and muggy to cool and humid the car was running like a champ!
I went to CA for Thanksgiving leaving on the 20th returning on the 27th, last driving the car on the 17th or 18th. Trotted out to the garage yesterday afternoon to go do errands, key into ignition, turned key, was greeted with SILENCE! Absolutely no joy from the car at all! [:@]
Popped hood, dismayed to find corrosion on my baby! Checked voltage across terminals, was only six/seven volts. Due to recent move had to obtain cleaning stuff and protector stuff, and couldn't find my terminal brush, so a new brush also. Attached my Sears Automatic "Smart" charger which is new enough to be "smart" but old enough that it gives "beeps" to announce how it is doing. (Just looked, it was TEN years old YESTERDAY) It didn't charge, recalled a previous time where it doesn't do its thing under 8 volts of battery charge. Hooked up my "Battery Tender" seemed "iffy" for maybe a minute before red charge light kicked in. A while later I put on the Sears charger, and it went to work. It is now charged, and indications are that it is OK. All cells were full before and after the maintenance.
I used "CRC" battery cleaner and protectant products. Cleaner worked well, stuff turns red where the acid is and is white where it is not, time will tell on the protectant.
I have a brilliant buddy back in CA, so I reached out to him, asking if my GT's battery was attempting to tell me anything, he says not, says it should be OK, blames it on NC humidity and the colder temps.
FWIW
11-30-2007, 04:11 PM
#2
3rd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: New Bern, NC
Posts: 701
RE: Battery, FWIW Stuff
Car/Battery exonerated. My fault.
Took car out for errands. Didn't notice till I got home that the passenger side interior light was on. [:@]
Recalled almost at that moment. I mentioned that I just moved to NC. Night before we left for Thanksgiving trip back to CA my wife called, crying, wanting me to come get her, she was lost. I went. At some point of that excursion, and having a little "fun" I had to hit the brakes pretty hard, garage door opener left passenger seat and flew all the way forward to rest atop the edge of the floor mat. When I searched for it in the dark wanting to open the garage door I needed to turn on the interior light to see it. So that light as making like a drain on the battery for the week. [:@]
Good thing is that now I KNOW what happened and I can back burner that thought for awhile, but, will need to keep an eye on those interior lights!
Took car out for errands. Didn't notice till I got home that the passenger side interior light was on. [:@]
Recalled almost at that moment. I mentioned that I just moved to NC. Night before we left for Thanksgiving trip back to CA my wife called, crying, wanting me to come get her, she was lost. I went. At some point of that excursion, and having a little "fun" I had to hit the brakes pretty hard, garage door opener left passenger seat and flew all the way forward to rest atop the edge of the floor mat. When I searched for it in the dark wanting to open the garage door I needed to turn on the interior light to see it. So that light as making like a drain on the battery for the week. [:@]
Good thing is that now I KNOW what happened and I can back burner that thought for awhile, but, will need to keep an eye on those interior lights!
