Winter and stupidity killed my battery
 

Yes I now realize the value of a battery tender.
I didn't start her up all winter and she won't turn over.
Buy a new battery, or charge this one up? Will it matter? Just need some suggestions. Hardly any use on this one, seems a shame I may have ruined it.
Thanks again, and I know I can search it, but whats a stellar battery tender for cars that hibernate in the winter?:)
I promise not to be stupid and abuse my Z again.
I didn't get to hear it roar either today, and the weather is perfect:(

I'd say charge it up for a week with one of these then you're good to go http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15...9030f11cae.jpg

Battery
 

Charge this one up and see what you get. I wouldn't replace it unless I knew it was shot.....and get yourself a BT for next year.

104

I doubt that the battery is shot. It simply (... and gradually) lost charge over the course of the winter storage. Hook it up to a battery charger for a few hours and it should be good to go. Note that the alternative to using a BT for winter storage is simply to disconnect the negative terminal of the battery.

keeping all this in mind for the future, Im about to get a battery tender off amazon, like the one above and see what I get from it...Thanks for all the input so far...

The "junior" is cheaper and won't charge as quickly but its good for storage. Just fyi

CTEK multi 7002

http://www.amazon.com/CTEK-56-353-12.../dp/B000FRLO9Y

edit: comes w/ accessories. I have the quick disconnects setup.

when i bought my z, the first thing i did when i got her in my garage was plug her into my battery tender. it took over 18hours for the battery to float.

typically after a drive, it takes no more than a few min before the charger floats.

the amount of battery drain just sitting on the boat, dock, and 2-3wks at the dealer = :shakes head:

I splurged and got the Deltran Battery Tender Plus. Had it hooked up for probably 4 months, and my Z started right up this spring.

yep thats the way it is for me every year. cars put away mid-october, never started.

Instead of using a battery tender, I just let mine die out and recharge it the night before I take her out. This spring, I just replaced it. Didn't really have much faith in a 5yr old battery.

:iagree:

Auto Zone charges your battery for free!

Put mine in storage first of December, started it once a month let it idle for 5 minutes or so and it still starts right up. Hoping to get it out this weekend since temps are supposed to stay above 30 after that.

I know some people remove their battery during storage. Keep the temperature regulated

Got the battery tender plus on the way to me tomorrow. Hopefully it resurrects this battery!

There's also a time factor to consider: if your battery is six years or older, it's likely ready for replacement. After a long winter, I look at that before deciding whether to just recharge the battery. It's no fun having electrical problems caused by a weak battery in the summertime.

Good choice not getting the cheaper JR version, as the plus is the one to get , but if it went completely flat, It probably won't bring it back. If it does great, if it doesn't, at lest your ready for next time ;)

Best of luck to you.

good choice. when it's fully charged (if it charges), check the water level while you're at it.

11yr old factory battery in my G. only maintenance i do is battery tender while not in use, and add water every other yr.

This battery has less than 3k miles on it and my car is 2012, I just neglected to start it all winter. Hoping it has a lot of life left!

I have never even given a second thought to my battery...I just usually swap it out if it has a problem, but whats this water level shenanigans you speak of.

What he said.

there are 6 caps (knobs) at the top of the battery. wear safety goggles and disposable gloves btw.. clean the top of the battery and turn the knobs to uncap one of the 6, make sure not to drip the fluid on the tip of the cap because it is extremely acidic. place cap on a clean paper towel away from the car.

flashlight down the hole to check your water level. if the reflection of the surface of the water looks like ( ) then you're fine. if there is no such reflection, add distill water using a tatoo bottle until it does. dont over fill though..

then cap it back, and repeat for the other 5.

if you're in a hot climate do this every year after your battery floats on the battery tender. :D

i dont remember the last time i bought a battery to replace the factory one...

awesome thanks Ken, I checked and it looks good, its a garage queen and hardly used to the top of the battery is spotless. What is with this large red cap over the positive post. Is it fuses? or just some over engineered design thing. I removed it and the negative hookup to expose the bare posts to hook up the clamps. The charging light is on, and it looks like it is charging. How long until I should try and turn the car over?

Wait until it gets a full charge, if it will. If it does not fully charge to green light (can be up to 2 days), your battery is toast.

Best of luck

Reconnected, and tried to start it after charging about 15 hours. The light did not say it was complete, but it started right up. I let it run about a half hour. Thanks for all the help guys.

sounds good. keep it plugged in again over night until it floats. 15hrs and 1/2hr drive is not enough.

ah, ok, I will reconnect the tender for a little. Thanks Ken

:tup:

Boy, you guys overspend on the float chargers.......... they can be had for alot less than that.
I have several that I got at harbor freight for $6...Use them on my Lawn tractor, and both atv's had one for over 10 years, no issues. Used a battery tender plus on my marine battery for the boat, lasted 4 years, then tender went kaput. Now it gets the $6 unit as well.
Good advise on the water level check, though ken.... Many don't even realize the factory battery is not maintenance-free.

:icon18:

you can haz 4 for the price of one!

my tenders are like 10yrs old. still works fine.

FYI: Tried a Battery Tender 800mA and it did not charge my battery. In fact, when I left it on for a few days the battery drained really low. The Battery Tender PLUS works great and charged it back up!

See if you could use this one cause if it works then you save yourself money from buying a new battery