How often must I start this car to maintain an adequate charge, and for what period of time must I run it?
2000 toyota corolla, battery 2 years old now. I’m in NE Ohio, the car is never garaged (don’t have one). I’m now semi-retired, and we have a single car driveway, very steep and prone to drifting in winter, so use the last car in the drive instead. Last winter (my fault), I stupidly went 2 weeks during bitter weather, and it went dead. Put it on a home charger, and it’s been fine this summer, even with 90+ for weeks, if I start it once a week or so, and let it idle 20 mins. in the drive. This compares to my normal road travel, when I do use it. I’m wondering what’s recommended for such a car exposed to extreme elements all the time, with rare use, and short trips when it is used. It’s very difficult in winter, due to such a steep drive, and maneuvering cars in and out. Money is very much an issue, or we’d pay somebody to plow us out, and use both cars, if driving rather than idleing is better to keep it charged. Thanks for any advice!
This type of use is pretty rough on a battery. When a car is not running the battery sulfates and this is a gradual process that is never fully corrected.
Your best bet is to buy a Battery Tender like these.
http://www.accwhse.com/batteryt.htm
A small, inexpensive one should work.
Leaving a regular battery charger connected all of the time will lead to the battery being ruined as the charger will basically cook it.
Considering the battery has been discharged, is several years old, etc. it may be a good idea to also think about a new battery.
That battery tender is also much cheaper than gasoline.
Oh,no, you misunderstood. I don’t keep a charger attached to it, only used that the one time to recharge it. Plus, the keeper you mentioned would more than cover the cost of a new one. I thought a battery could go dead at least once and continue to live on, unless there was a dead/defective cell or parts, or something…
you can get a battery maintainer for less than $20 at walmart.
I don’t keep a charger attached to it, only used that the one time to recharge it. Plus, the keeper you mentioned would more than cover the cost of a new one.
The point is you should keep it attached. It will be much cheaper in the long run.
Letting a battery run down totally, even once can seriously damage the battery. It can easily cause a defective cell. Starting and running a car, just to charge the battery is both expensive in terms of gas, but is very hard on the car.
if car is not to be used for 3-4 weeks, disconnect the negative battery terminal, to avoid discharge.
I understand that it is impractical to constantly keep a charger hooked up to it outdoors in the winter. In the winter since you will rarely use it, remove the battery from the car and bring it inside. A battery will slowly lose it’s charge just sitting there even if it is disconnected. Hook up the charger to it every week or two. It will always be charged in case you need it and it will be protected from the extreme temperatures outdoors.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I never considered removing it completely before for winter, but that seems to make the most sense at this point. I guess I don’t fully understand a “battery keeper” either, but I will investigate.
I heard on the radio that cars in extreme heat in summer discharge as quickly as in winter with non-use. I’m not sure how much that applies, as this is the first summer we’ve had 90+ heat for weeks on end. Can someone validate that or not? Obviously, it’s not nearly as big a deal running a cord out the window in summer to charge a battery, as it is in winter. And I do consider 90+ extreme heat for us…especially with infrequent use.
Am I wrong to think that the only thing draining it is the alarm system, and blinking lights on the door that show it is armed?
The difference between a battery charger and a battery tender is that the charger will keep applying current to the battery all the time, day after day. This is bad on the battery.
A battery tender applies a very small current and is designed to shut itself on and off depending on battery voltage.
What’s rough on your battery is allowing it to sit for a week, 2 weeks, etc. without any charge at all. As I mentioned, when a current is not being applied (charger, alternator, etc.) the battery is sulfating, whether it’s a day, week, or month. Sulfating is a way of saying the battery is going stale if you want to look at it that way.
An alarm system could drain it over a period of weeks, especially if the battery is marginal. With winter coming on I would have the battery load tested since cold weather requires more current to crank and start the car.
A proper load test means at least 30 minutes (preferably an hour) on the charger followed by application of a high current load with a carbon pile. Battery voltage at the end of the test should be at least 10.2.
If you’re not very mechanically inclined you may not understand that part, but if someone is doing a proper load test they SHOULD be familiar with it.
The trouble with that is the adaptive information in the PCM will be lost. The car will not run as well and get poor gas mileage.