Dead Car Battery
Sep 22, 2023 14:29:12 #
Desert Gecko wrote:
Very true, but what of the added expense of extra ... (show quote)
It’s the norm on Mercedes and many Volvos - I can’t speak for other brands. It’s the cost of 8’ of copper cable vs 2-3’. It’s just a better design plus the placement in the right rear behind the rear wheel helps counterbalance the weight of the driver. Subtle, but true. Mercedes also has used a charge controller for decades that will not let the battery do a deep discharge if lights or the accessories are left on - it will shed that load leaving enough power to start the car and then make high current accessories (such as seat heaters) unavailable until the battery is charged back above a safe level. Good engineering.
I had not known that a window was weakest at the edge or thought about hitting it before my arm was under water. Good points - I’ll try to remember that if I’m ever unfortunate to be in that situation.
Sep 22, 2023 15:08:17 #
jerryc41 wrote:
Someone online was driving a relative's car, and the battery went completely dead. He couldn't close the windows or lock the car, so he had to stay with it. He called AAA, and the guy said the battery was beyond help, so he bought a new one. I had never thought about a dead battery preventing the windows to close or the doors to lock.
I carry one of those little ni-cad battery jumpers in my car.
I carry one of those little ni-cad battery jumpers in my car.
I swap out auto batteries on the 4th year whether they load test ok or not as a JIC. Same should be done for whole house generators, where 90% of the no starts are due to bad batteries.
Sep 22, 2023 15:17:11 #
Timmers
Loc: San Antonio Texas.
fourlocks wrote:
Agreed. Not that it's happened to me yet, but you read about people trapped in their car after plunging into a river or lake and they can't get out because the power windows wouldn't open. Less dangerous is how many times a quick burst of rain caused me to run outside to close my windows, only to find I'd forgotten my key.
This is why I have a hammer under the front drivers seat, best is a ball peen hammer but the regular type will work. No one should have a car without a hammer to escape a modern car's windows.
Sep 22, 2023 15:29:54 #
Sep 23, 2023 08:56:04 #
Desert Gecko wrote:
Automotive electrical is odd at times. I once had ... (show quote)
That certainly was an odd situation.
I read that in the early days of cars, the batteries weould die from overcharging because they lacked regulators.
Sep 25, 2023 15:26:28 #
Harry02
Loc: Gardena, CA
This place is full of old people, but
nobody remembers pushing the car in Neutral, hopping in, popping the clutch?
SOP for some of us in the '60s.
nobody remembers pushing the car in Neutral, hopping in, popping the clutch?
SOP for some of us in the '60s.
Sep 25, 2023 15:33:14 #
Harry02
Loc: Gardena, CA
ABJanes wrote:
I swap out auto batteries on the 4th year whether they load test ok or not as a JIC. Same should be done for whole house generators, where 90% of the no starts are due to bad batteries.
I was the IT guy.
One Corps spent $$$$ to make sure every office had a battery backup for their PCs.
Two years later we get called back in and I'm in trouble for laughing.
On top of each one is the directions for checking/replacing the battery.
You got it! Every one was bone dry- and dead. Nobody checked.
Sep 25, 2023 15:39:50 #
Harry02 wrote:
I was the IT guy.
One Corps spent $$$$ to make sure every office had a battery backup for their PCs.
Two years later we get called back in and I'm in trouble for laughing.
On top of each one is the directions for checking/replacing the battery.
You got it! Every one was bone dry- and dead. Nobody checked.
One Corps spent $$$$ to make sure every office had a battery backup for their PCs.
Two years later we get called back in and I'm in trouble for laughing.
On top of each one is the directions for checking/replacing the battery.
You got it! Every one was bone dry- and dead. Nobody checked.
Before the days of sealed lead acid batteries used in modern UPSs I’m guessing.
Sep 25, 2023 18:56:45 #
therwol
Loc: USA
Harry02 wrote:
This place is full of old people, but
nobody remembers pushing the car in Neutral, hopping in, popping the clutch?
SOP for some of us in the '60s.
nobody remembers pushing the car in Neutral, hopping in, popping the clutch?
SOP for some of us in the '60s.
I watched my father do that. I watched a friend in the UK do that no more than 5 years ago. I never did it.
Sep 25, 2023 19:06:20 #
Harry02 wrote:
This place is full of old people, but
nobody remembers pushing the car in Neutral, hopping in, popping the clutch?
SOP for some of us in the '60s.
nobody remembers pushing the car in Neutral, hopping in, popping the clutch?
SOP for some of us in the '60s.
Who are you calling old?
I learned to drive on a stick and most of my vehicles have been stick, by my choosing. I've push-started my dead-battery vehicle more times than I care to remember. Many times I did so by myself. A vehicle that's generally easy to start will easily start with the pop of the clutch at a speed of only a couple of miles per hour.
Sep 26, 2023 09:09:06 #
When I wind up with a dead lead/acid battery, I make sure I keep at least one on hand. When buying a new one, I've sometimes had to give them the old one - or pay a fee.
Speaking of batteries, I remember the days when car batteries didn't last long, and we'd go to Sears and buy a new one for $10.
Speaking of batteries, I remember the days when car batteries didn't last long, and we'd go to Sears and buy a new one for $10.
Sep 26, 2023 09:36:36 #
Desert Gecko wrote:
Who are you calling old?
I learned to drive on a stick and most of my vehicles have been stick, by my choosing. I've push-started my dead-battery vehicle more times than I care to remember. Many times I did so by myself. A vehicle that's generally easy to start will easily start with the pop of the clutch at a speed of only a couple of miles per hour.
I learned to drive on a stick and most of my vehicles have been stick, by my choosing. I've push-started my dead-battery vehicle more times than I care to remember. Many times I did so by myself. A vehicle that's generally easy to start will easily start with the pop of the clutch at a speed of only a couple of miles per hour.
Back in the late 80's I had a VW Scrirocco and it had a bad starter (the battery is OK though) so before I got it fixed I have to park it on an incline drive way then I let it roll down and pop the clutch.
Sep 26, 2023 10:17:56 #
BebuLamar wrote:
Back in the late 80's I had a VW Scrirocco and it had a bad starter (the battery is OK though) so before I got it fixed I have to park it on an incline drive way then I let it roll down and pop the clutch.
My buddy had a Scirocco, and I had a VW Rabbit in the mid-80s, a car I probably push-started at some point. I don't remember for sure, but I do remember that I always used second gear to smoothly start a car. First gear was too rough.
Sep 26, 2023 10:34:00 #
Desert Gecko wrote:
My buddy had a Scirocco, and I had a VW Rabbit in the mid-80s, a car I probably push-started at some point. I don't remember for sure, but I do remember that I always used second gear to smoothly start a car. First gear was too rough.
Yeah I think second gear is good but in my case I had to start it in reverse because the way I park it.
Sep 26, 2023 11:16:39 #
BebuLamar wrote:
Yeah I think second gear is good but in my case I had to start it in reverse because the way I park it.
That's tough. Reverse is usually very low.
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