I was back in the UK on holiday for a couple of weeks over Christmas and New Year. Got back, and (thanks to alarms, tracking systems etc) the battery's too flat to start the car

Normally I'd just jump start it, but where it's parked, there's no space for another car

So, I went out and bought a brand new battery, and some nasty liquid stuff to put in it However, it being 11pm I can't find anywhere that sells a charger.

So here's the important bit... it dawned on me that this new battery is, basically, completely flat. Will a normal, off-the-shelf (Halfords-type) car battery charger be ok for this first charge, so that I can then take the battery to the car and use it to jump-start the car? The car is in an underground garage where there's no access to the mains Or should I connect it in parallel with a good car battery and use that car to charge it, then take it to mine to start it?

(Feeling stupid about something so basic )

All help appreciated... I hate being Scoobless!

Thanks
Richard

 

A new battery should come fully charged,but if not ,cant you tow the car out ,even if it's backwards to a place you can tow it forwards

 

This battery was empty (no liquid inside) so it must be discharged, right?

No space to tow - no space to get a car in to tow it... and having sat there for two weeks, the brakes have stuck a tiny bit - just enough to stop me pushing it backwards. How things conspire against me!

Thanks anyway
Richard

 

I would have thought a normal battery charger will do the trick ok.
Might be a good idea to read the manual regarding jumping as some ecu's in modern cars don't like it if leads arn't connected in proper sequence(i believe)

 

Can you swop the battery of another car to get it going and move it?

 

I was away for a couple of weeks too before Xmas and my battery was dead when I got home (glad I didn't leave it at the airport). It wouldn't jump start, so I had to remove the battery completely and charge it for a full day using my Halfords charger (bought about 3 years ago).

Jump start sequence I've used (MY99 UK RB5) in the past was:-

1. connect positive & negative leads to dead battery (careful not to touch both leads together or you'll instantly vapourise )
2. connect positive to working car
3. connect negative to working car (it should give a little spark as you complete the circuit)
4. Start good car and get someone to rev it just a little
5. Start dead car (if you can)
6. Disconnect leads in reverse order

Stefan

 

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm trying to avoid swapping the battery completely as I'm concerned about what happens if the ECU, alarm, sat-tracking etc has no power for a while - for instance, knowing my luck, the keys would need re-programming or something

So my big question is now: will my new battery (when it has all the solvent in it - they didn't sell me enough) be completely live or completely dead?

Thanks
Richard

 

Rich,

Welcome back to Blighty m8

I believe that once you put the acid in the battery and leave it for 24 hours, it will have something like 75% of it's full charge (well that's what the guy in the shop once told me ). I don't think you should need to charge it. This should be enough to get the car started and then the car will do the rest of the charging.

Good Luck,

Matt

 

Rich,

Oh yes - wanna see it?

Matt

 

Fantastic! Glad to see some things don't change!

Go on... post a little piccy... I want to admire the handiwork

Richard

 

Haven't got one at the mo but I can take a piccie tonight for ya

 

I always connect black to black and then do the red lead. Thought this was the right way as it stops you accidently touching red and black and also stops you earthing by touching the black by accident on the car(s)- if you had connected red to red first?

 

Yeah, go on Matt, I want to see

It should be red (live) to red (dead) as if it touches anything else on the dead car it won't matter. Then black (live) to black (earthed point on engine on dead car) to complete the circuit.

Will try tonight...
Richard

 

Rich, tell Neal to get of his **** and help you push it

 

Yeah, Molds is right, it is correct to connect the black, (earth lead) to both batteries first. Also, a standard charger will be fine, but the first charge on a fully discharged battery, ie one with no electrolite in it, will take a full day at least, in my experience. Set the charger for a trickle charge, rather than a fast one, and leave overnight.

 

Wurz:

Sir Impret: I'd be surprised if you had to do it that way round, as I thought the whole idea was to minimise the possibility of you dropping a cable in an engine bay and it all going BANG. In which case, the last thing to connect is the engine bay - i.e. the ground connection. I'll follow the instructions on the jump leads bag I think . Also it helps if you connect the ground lead on the dead vehicle directly to the engine block as it slightly reduces the distance the current has to go, which is useful if the electrics are weak (i.e. dead battery).

Cheers
Richard

 

Most new batterys which are sold dry are what is called 'Dry Charged' - as soon as you put the sulphuric acid in (and not dripping it on your clothes!) within a minute or so it should have enough current to start the car.

Yes it is recommended to trickle charge for an hour or so, just to top it up, but I have fitted loads which I just banged in the acid & fired it up.

Have you actually tried it with the new dry cahrged battery?

 

Nope, cos they didn't sell me enough acid Will get some more on the way home tonight, then I'll try it. Sounds hopeful now then!

Cheers
Richard

 

ok peeps connect cables as the dude above me has said, making sure to connect earth cable to metal lump on block to help stop melting any elecky components, but you should put your lights on before you start your car as this will reduce the risk further of any surges. you should also allow the battery to stabilise. Ok mateys !!!!

Jay

 

Hey Richard I could've told you all this, if only you'd asked Those years I spent running a car parts shop had their uses you know

Glad you're up and running again

Sal

 

Wotcha Sal,

Just sent you an e-mail and then checked this thread Typical! Should've known you would know

Cheers
Richard

 

Rich,

Will do it tonight m8

Matt

 

Richard - Don't worry about taking the battery out and re-connecting. I had to do it last night on my MY99 saloon.

Ensure your alarm is dis-armed (as normal with keyfob).

Upon re-connection, the only things I'd lost were the correct clock time and my running trip-count. Everything else is secured.

Squizz.

Edited to add - The b*st*rd new battery had the terminals the wrong way round, and consequently couldn't be fitted. (Cables too short to reach!). I had to charge my existing battery for a bit to keep me going.

Anyone else had trouble with those clamping rods and hooking them into the bodywork correctly round the back of the battery again??!? [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

[Edited by Squizz - 1/8/2003 8:25:35 AM]

 

Hi Matt!

Sounds good. Certainly it made some nice fizzing sounds when I added the first batch of acid Hopefully when I add the rest, it will have enough to get me started...

Cheers
Richard

ps New jumper for Christmas?

[Edited by Re-Bitten Hero - 1/8/2003 8:56:05 AM]

 

GOOD NEWS - the Scoob is back

Ok, for reference (in case anyone does a search on flat battery...):

- if you buy a new battery (ready-filled, or empty and then you fill it with solvent yourself), it seems to be about 75% charged - i.e. enough to start a virtually completely flat car

- the correct procedure for jump-starting (either from another car or an external, live battery) is:
- red (live battery) to red (dead battery), in that order
- black (live battery) to a hefty piece of metal on the engine block itself. The Scoob has a handy loop of metal at the front of the engine that's perfect.
- start the car with the live battery, and leave running for a minute
- rev this car up a bit (just to, say, 1500rpm) while starting the dead car
- leave like this for a minute or so
- disconnect the leads in the reverse order (black dead, black live, red dead, red live)
- and that's it!

So now I have a spare battery which I'll keep topping up from time to time to cope with this situations in future

Thanks for the support and advice guys,
Richard


ps Matt - come on, where's the picture of your jumper

[Edited by Re-Bitten Hero - 1/8/2003 9:28:56 PM]