Dead Battery???
 

So last night i left my car's hazards on because i was taking care of a girl who was extremely sick. So this mourning i wake up and go out to my car and i turn off the hazards. I assume that my battery is dead but i turn the ignition to position right before u start it and my radio and everything comes on. Proceed to try to start it and all i hear is click click click and my dash lights start flickering like crazy. So now im sitting at my friend's house trying to figure out whats going on while i wait for some jumper cables.

yep dead battery. Jump start it and you will be fine.

then go drive it for 15-20 miles or more on freeway to recharge it.

before you ask

its got enough juice left in it to run the radio.. but not enough to start the car

mmm. 7amps - radio , 350-400 cranking amps.

Alot of people don't realize but its not good to run your car off a dead battery. Even with a boost..your battery is so dead your alternator is pushing at 100% of current trying to recharge and run car at the same time. This is the worst for your alternator and kills it in no time.


I worked at a canadian tire (long time ago) and if someone came in with a dead battery and alternator we told them we would have to give them a loaner battery while we charged overnight. If they refused not we would have them sign a waiver and often we got them back in the next day, or an upset call cause they broke down 20 miles up the road and the alternator was dead.

If you have to drive the car right when the battery is dead, try to only drive 3-5 minutes and shut off car for at leat 15. There will be enough to restart you car and getting going. Its best to place a trickle/slow charge on the battery for at least 4 hours.

Also for those of you who get a dead battery like Alpine EM2, one of the things that happens on a battery is that under load, is the chemical reactions in the battery slow due to all the changes that already happen. kind of like oil and vinegar salad dressing not being mixed up.

When you try to start, the load of the starter makes the voltage drops below 10V,which causes the solenoise to open which allows the battery to come back up above 10V, which starts the process over again (click click click)

Like the salad dressing, if you turn off the hazards and all drains (interior lights, radio, etc) wait about 5 mins (this equalizes the reacation )and the battery gains some strength (what they call recovery voltage). Often this is enough to turn the car over a few times and get it started.

Hope this helps anyone out there!

battery master.