6month old CU2 battery dead!

[furythree]

Hey guys, this arvo i went to take my sister to her sport training and found that all my keys couldnt unlock my car. When i manually opened the door i found i cudnt start the car either. and after fiddling with the lights i concluded that the battery was completely flat.

Now i havent driven the car in 4 days. And when i park, i park inside the garage, so i would know whether i forgot to turn off the headlights or not (i shouldnt have to because its set to AUTO anyway). All i have plugged in the 12v socket is an adapter that gives me 3 slots. I have a gps charger that isnt connected to the GPS, and 2 adapter chargers for my cold cathode and EL wire lights. The last two should use very low power consumption and the cold cathode was always switched off. Furthermore i dont think its able to draw power from the 12v source if the keys are out of the car anyway.

so im wondering wth caused my battery to go flat!?

Luckily my neighbour/family friend is a mechanic and brought over some jumpers. Had a little trouble jump starting it. But got it started eventually.
He said 2 things i want to clarify with u guys:

1) he left the engine running in P mode, for like 20 mins. He said that as long as the engine is on, even in park mode and non moving (like i just started the engine and didnt do anything else) it will charge the battery. Is this true? because up till now i always thought the battery only charges with braking energy, he said it doesnt use braking energy at all.
He also said when ur actually driving it charges it even more, which i can understand. so i drove around the block a few times.

2) he said it might be caused by the software, in that having the lights on automatic setting will drain the battery. I dont think this is right beause the lights actually turn off. But he suggested getting a software update?

so if it wasnt my headlights...then that would probably mean that somehow my chargers and adapters are drawing power from my 12v source in my armrest cabinet even with my engine switched off and keys out?

Also if the first thing he said is true (about the engine running for a while charging the battery), then that would mean i dont need to buy a new one is that correct? I turned the engine off and restarted the car a few times and that was fine.

THe reason why i am confused is because, before i got the euro, when i used to my mums car. Once her car wudnt start in the carpark. I had to call NRMA and the dude said to me that after he jump starts my car, its only enough charge to start it once, so when i get home i need to call their battery service and get a new battery. But if what my family friend said was true, then unless the battery was faulty, the drive home wouldve been enough to recharge the battery? and nrma was just lying out of their ass to get me to pay for a new batt.

[bennjamin]

go buy a trickle charger to suit a 12v battery....from repco or super cheap auto for like $30.
disconnect the car battery , or take it out of the car and sit it on auto charge for a good 5-6 hours. Dont worry , the charger will top it up and float if its peaked in power (wont overheat). Then try it again. Should be near 100% charge.

FYI if the battery is low or dead flat , it obviously wont charge but it damages the battery the longer you leave it flat. Get it charged up. A drive wont charge the battery either enough....sit in on a charger as mentioned above.

[aaronng]

Now i havent driven the car in 4 days. And when i park, i park inside the garage, so i would know whether i forgot to turn off the headlights or not (i shouldnt have to because its set to AUTO anyway). All i have plugged in the 12v socket is an adapter that gives me 3 slots. I have a gps charger that isnt connected to the GPS, and 2 adapter chargers for my cold cathode and EL wire lights. The last two should use very low power consumption and the cold cathode was always switched off. Furthermore i dont think its able to draw power from the 12v source if the keys are out of the car anyway.

so im wondering wth caused my battery to go flat!?
Are your cold cathode/EL wire lights wired up to the 12V socket? Or is it wired straight from the battery? Have you been listening to the radio/CD while the engine was off?



Luckily my neighbour/family friend is a mechanic and brought over some jumpers. Had a little trouble jump starting it. But got it started eventually.
He said 2 things i want to clarify with u guys:

1) he left the engine running in P mode, for like 20 mins. He said that as long as the engine is on, even in park mode and non moving (like i just started the engine and didnt do anything else) it will charge the battery. Is this true? because up till now i always thought the battery only charges with braking energy, he said it doesnt use braking energy at all.
He also said when ur actually driving it charges it even more, which i can understand. so i drove around the block a few times.
He's correct. The battery is charged by the alternator, which generates electricity based on your engine RPM. So driving around does charge it more than just letting it idle. The battery is not charged using braking energy. The only cars that do that are hybrids like the Prius, Insight, Civic Hybrid etc.



so if it wasnt my headlights...then that would probably mean that somehow my chargers and adapters are drawing power from my 12v source in my armrest cabinet even with my engine switched off and keys out?
Have you tested this? Just try using your GPS charger when the keys are out. If it charges, then it could be the cause of the problem.

Do you do short trips of under 5 minutes? That can also drain your battery when you start the car often.


Also if the first thing he said is true (about the engine running for a while charging the battery), then that would mean i dont need to buy a new one is that correct? I turned the engine off and restarted the car a few times and that was fine.
Don't keep restarting it. That kills the battery since you are not letting it have a chance to recharge. I would drive it as normal and if it restarts fine without struggling the next day, then your battery is still not yet fully dead.



THe reason why i am confused is because, before i got the euro, when i used to my mums car. Once her car wudnt start in the carpark. I had to call NRMA and the dude said to me that after he jump starts my car, its only enough charge to start it once, so when i get home i need to call their battery service and get a new battery. But if what my family friend said was true, then unless the battery was faulty, the drive home wouldve been enough to recharge the battery? and nrma was just lying out of their ass to get me to pay for a new batt.
Depends. If the battery is at the end of its life (old, or the electrode plates inside the battery has cracked/broken off) then you need to change the battery. For your 6 month old battery, it should still be fine, unless you went rallying while the battery was still flat and cracked the electrode plates from the heavy bumps and vibrations.

[integral90]

When you start the car make sure the A/C, radio, and lights are off. It's not necessary, but I also make sure they're off for a few seconds before I turn off the car as well

[BE.10.WU]

Well,

There are alot of possible causes of the flat battery and it would be a process of elimination to find out the exact cause. A battery that is at its full capacity should NOT go flat in 4 days by the vehicles computer/alarm.

Your friend is partially right by saying that your alternator charges the battery whilst driving BUT if your battery is that flat that the lights will not even come on then the alternator will not be enough to bring the battery up. You will have to connect the battery to a decent battery charger and you should probably charge it slowly at about 2Amps for 8 hours (depending of course on how flat it is).

I would suggest getting the battery charged up and taking it to an auto electrician OR a battery seller (like Supercharge warehouses) and getting them to test the battery for you..

And the NRMA guy was just after an easy sale, NEVER buy one of their shit batteries!

[OMG.JAI xD]

Look at the built date of your car. Not your compliance plate.

If its at least one year old. It has had a lot of stop start trips. This will drain your battery, extensively shortening the batteries life. Sometimes it even causes a bad cell in the battery causing it not to hold charge.
If you bought your car with 20,30,40 kms. Then your car has had plenty of stop start trips.

[furythree]

Are your cold cathode/EL wire lights wired up to the 12V socket? Or is it wired straight from the battery? Have you been listening to the radio/CD while the engine was off?

they have the car charger plugs. im pretty certain theyre not the cause of it.

I think i may have switched the lights from auto to Parkers, casue i noitced that the parkers dont turn off even after u switch off the engine and take out the keys and exit the car. there was a f**ing huge spider crawling around when i was driving on wedneday night, and when i got home i dimmed the lights so it wudnt be too bright to see if i cud find it (it was hiding in the gaps of my boot...huge huntsman) because the parkers are dim yellow and my garage is bright yellow lighting, i might not have noticed it as opposed to my HIDs



He's correct. The battery is charged by the alternator, which generates electricity based on your engine RPM. So driving around does charge it more than just letting it idle. The battery is not charged using braking energy. The only cars that do that are hybrids like the Prius, Insight, Civic Hybrid etc.

I let it idle and drove around the block for 20 mins. I then left it and my mum drove about 15kms to pickup my sister in the car. i think it charged it up.

do i still need to get a car charger from super cheap auto?



Have you tested this? Just try using your GPS charger when the keys are out. If it charges, then it could be the cause of the problem.

i dont think it charges with the keys out, the light doesnt even turn on in the car charger adapter let alone the gps



Do you do short trips of under 5 minutes? That can also drain your battery when you start the car often.

i always drive long trips. From like epping to city and back 5 times a week.
thats all i ever do. i think it died because i MIGHT have switched it to parkers. im not entirely sure tho.




Don't keep restarting it. That kills the battery since you are not letting it have a chance to recharge. I would drive it as normal and if it restarts fine without struggling the next day, then your battery is still not yet fully dead.


i wont keep restarting it, but i think its recharged. it was clearly flat, because even jump starting it took a few tries. But from what u guys say, because its gone flat it will never fully recharge without a external charger?




thanks for ur comments guys

[aaronng]

I would check the parker setting first before you go out to buy the charger. The parker setting is used when you drive at least once a day. If you leave your car parked for many days, then the battery will go flat if the parker lights are left on.

It would be good to have the charger, but you should find out the cause of the flat battery first.

[furythree]

yeh sure thanks. Im pretty confident that its the parker setting.

I normally leave it on auto. This will DEFINITELY not drain the battery when i switch the car off right? only the parker setting does right, as it does not switch off, whereas the auto setting does swittch off? Or am i safer just to manually switch off when not driving and auto when driving?

[aaronng]

Auto should be fine. Just have a look at the headlights after you get out of the car and lock it. None of the lights should be on. The parker setting will drain the battery.

[tron07]

One of my friend mention to me that trickle charging the batt can sometimes fry the ECU and told me to unplug the +ve cable before plugging to charge. comments?

[Type R Positive]

I would be talking to Honda about it. 6 months out of a battery, it should be covered by warranty if it is indeed faulty.

[The X Man]

I think the batteries supplied in the Euro's are shit. Mine is 1yr old and doesn't turn over the motor like it should, especially in a cold morning. I'm just waiting for the day it too fails in my car.

[tony1234]

I think the batteries supplied in the Euro's are shit. Mine is 1yr old and doesn't turn over the motor like it should, especially in a cold morning. I'm just waiting for the day it too fails in my car.
The problem is that the OEM ones are only330CCA.Mine lasted bit over 2 yrs.Put in a 450CCA for $108.00 and it turns over well now.Even after i left it for a week.:thumbsup:

[aaronng]

The problem is that the OEM ones are only330CCA.Mine lasted bit over 2 yrs.Put in a 450CCA for $108.00 and it turns over well now.Even after i left it for a week.:thumbsup:

I've left my 330 and 420 CCA batteries in the car for 4 weeks. Both still started though.

[BE.10.WU]

CCA's mean jack shit if the battery is flat..

This guy could have had a 1500 CCA N200 and if it is flat it still wouldn't start.

A battery should last at least a month of sitting and still have enough charge to kick the car over. Of course if it is a 2 year old battery then leaving it for 4 weeks might drain it a bit much but when its fairly new it should be no problem.

[furythree]

ive driven it for about 100kms at varying speeds since i had it jump started, with no real problems. should the battery be charged yet? or do i still gotta worry about it?

[Type R Positive]

ive driven it for about 100kms at varying speeds since i had it jump started, with no real problems. should the battery be charged yet? or do i still gotta worry about it?
It should be right. You might still want to throw a charger on it.

[HunterZero]

One of my friend mention to me that trickle charging the batt can sometimes fry the ECU and told me to unplug the +ve cable before plugging to charge. comments?

Don't disconnect the +ve terminal first. That's likely to cause a spark and blow a fuse, or worse. Always disconnect the black -ve first.

And while charging the battery while it's connected shouldn't hurt anything as long as you have a charger that automatically switches back to trickle, it's no trouble to disconnect the -ve. You should at least remove the -ve. Remove the +ve as well just to be super safe.

If you jump start the car with jumper leads, you need jumper leads with spike protection, or you risk damage to the electronics in the car.

Note that when you disconnect the -ve terminal, you'll need to recalibrate your power windows auto up down, and your fuel trims and trip computer will reset. The car will take about 20 minutes of idling to re-learn how to idle.

- HZ

[BE.10.WU]

No the battery will not be correctly charged if it was dead flat. It will still need to be placed on a charger. It is perfectly safe to leave it connected to the vehicle whilst charging but only leave it alone if you have an automtaic charger otherwise keep an eye on it.

Also when disconnected always remove the Negative (-) first followed by positive (+) and when reconnecting the terminals do Negate (-) first and then positive (+).

[furythree]

argh that means i have to go to supercheap or something then. means more shopping around for stuff. Such a pain. Even worse when im getting conflicting information.

[BE.10.WU]

Im not trying make it hard on you but to provide you with enough information to make your own decision as to wether you want to be stranded with a flat battery or get the issue resolved now.

Why do you need to go to supercheap auto? Do you live anywhere near or can you get to blacktown?

[tony1234]

argh that means i have to go to supercheap or something then. means more shopping around for stuff. Such a pain. Even worse when im getting conflicting information.
If the battery is that bad get it replaced under warranty.2yr.full warranty on batteries

[Type R Positive]

argh that means i have to go to supercheap or something then. means more shopping around for stuff. Such a pain. Even worse when im getting conflicting information.
Just leave it dude. If it happens again, you know what to do. ;)