My 98 Corolla LE haven't start for 9 months (I just came home from my duty in Afganistan). The batery was gone dead. I made a jump start for it. It looks like the batery is holding power, however, when I turn on the key, there wasn't any light (check engine, airbag light ....) on on the dash board. The dashboard was completely dark. It just looks like there was no power, but I know the power is there (I saw the head light on, I saw the door light on). Please, the expert tell me what I should check next.
Try having someone watch your headlights WHILE trying to start the car. If they go out then you have either a dead battery or a bad connection at the battery.
First of all, thank you for serving in our armed forces!
If the battery was in a discharged state for a long time, the battery will become sulfated and lose its ability to hold a charge. I would start by replacing the battery. If you frequently have to park the vehicle for long periods without starting, then you need a way to trickle-charge the battery to prevent future occurrences.
Places like Sears Automotive or auto parts stores sell automatic on-board trickle charges that are installed in the engine compartment and hooked up to the car's battery.
On-board trickle chargers are slightly larger than a power adapter for an electronic device and automatically turn on and off, depending on the battery's state of charge. All you need is a place to plug it in to 110 volt power while the vehicle is parked.
Another option is to get a larger battery charger that has an automatic trickle charge function. You hook it up to the battery and plug it in to a
110 volt outlet. With this option, you will have more charging capacity with a larger charger but you probably will have to leave the hood open.
If the car has to be parked outside where no outlets are handy, a third option is to get the larger battery charger with an automatic trickle charge function and remove the battery from the car and hook up the charger at a friend's garage. I would not do this in the living space of a house or apartment as a charging battery gives off corrosive gases that will eat carpets and flooring.
Finally, you can get someone to start and drive the car at least once a week for a half-hour or so.
I wonder: can one obtain a photovoltaic charger whose solar panel can be left lying on (eg) the dashboard while the electrical lead plugs into the utility socket (usually disguised as the cigarette lighter socket)? For trickle charging one wouldn't much current.
Firstly you should check the acid levels and see if they are below the minimum mark, if they are, use distilled water and top them up (bottled water will do in a pinch) to the minimium level.
Next buy or borrow (buy if you can, they are worth getting) get a proper trickle charger and leave it overnight. It might be able to be saved, but also there is a chance the battery is dead (sulphated itself to death)
"billy.walf.80" wrote: > My 98 Corolla LE haven't start for 9 months (I just came home > from my > duty in Afganistan). The batery was gone dead. I made a jump > start for > it. It looks like the batery is holding power, however, when I > turn on > the key, there wasn't any light (check engine, airbag light > ....) on > on the dash board. The dashboard was completely dark. It just > looks > like there was no power, but I know the power is there (I saw > the head > light on, I saw the door light on). Please, the expert tell me > what I > should check next. > > Thank you > Vincent
Sure can. I do volunteer work in remote areas sometimes and we have an old van parked there for months without touching it. We bought a small solar panel that we leave behind the window. I think batterymart.com sells them. They plus into the cigarette lighter socket. If you do use this make sure the lighter is not switched like it is on my geo since it won't charge then. If he has access to 110v I would recommend the battery minder, also sold at this place or the battery tender. Small devices that keep the battery full. The batterminder even claims to de-sulphate batteries. I use the battery minder to keep my motorcycle battery full. Sometimes sits months without being touched. Works great.
The Batteryminder (correct spelling of the Battery Minder desulfator or battery rejuvenator) broke down, so we tried calling VDC Electronics in New Jersey, the batteryminder's manufacturer. The batteryminder has a 3-year warranty. Every extension was voicemail. Left several messages, no reply from anyone. They won't get a good review from this incident. Where do these companies get all their "good reviews", anyway?
What happened with this Batteryminder unit is that some plastic stuff inside melted and came out thru the vent holes. Now, the batteryminder doesn't work off the AC outlet, although the LEDs light up when plugged into a battery. So, its not battery-minding, shall we say that?
Does it do anything? Well, it does charge batteries, albeit very very slowly compared to a Soneil battery charger.
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