Rookie question - battery flat - unable to jump start
Discussion
Car maintenance rookie here. Thanks in advance for your help.
I went to start my 2004 Honda CRV on Sunday, and the battery was completely dead. No dashboard lights when I turned the key, no nothing.
The car was last used 6 days previous to this, and showed no signs of the battery running down when I last drove it.
Multimeter reading across the battery terminals says 0.2V, so it's properly dead. Have tried jump starting the car, using my 2007 BMW (tried connecting to the battery in the boot, as well as to the terminals under the bonnet) but am unable to revive the battery, even when leaving the two cars connected for a long time.
My questions are:
Is it common to not be able to revive the battery, even when jump starting? The battery in the CRV doesn't look original, but I don't know how long ago it was fitted. Is it just simply a case of the battery being dead, and needing replacement?
Are there any other possible causes of the sudden loss of battery power, besides the cold weather and being left inactive for nearly a week? All lights were off and doors closed etc. Obviously I don't want the same thing to happen again, after I've fitted a new battery.
I went to start my 2004 Honda CRV on Sunday, and the battery was completely dead. No dashboard lights when I turned the key, no nothing.
The car was last used 6 days previous to this, and showed no signs of the battery running down when I last drove it.
Multimeter reading across the battery terminals says 0.2V, so it's properly dead. Have tried jump starting the car, using my 2007 BMW (tried connecting to the battery in the boot, as well as to the terminals under the bonnet) but am unable to revive the battery, even when leaving the two cars connected for a long time.
My questions are:
Is it common to not be able to revive the battery, even when jump starting? The battery in the CRV doesn't look original, but I don't know how long ago it was fitted. Is it just simply a case of the battery being dead, and needing replacement?
Are there any other possible causes of the sudden loss of battery power, besides the cold weather and being left inactive for nearly a week? All lights were off and doors closed etc. Obviously I don't want the same thing to happen again, after I've fitted a new battery.
You should be able to start the CRV from another car if you have a good connection with the jump leads. I would highly recommend using a jump pack though. Modern cars, particularly BMW (and this is from first hand experience!) have sensitive electrics, and if you get a surge back down the jump leads to the BMW, you can cause all sorts of problems.
I was called to a freind's a couple of years ago to assist with the jump starting of his GF's car. When I got there he'd already given it a go, and managed to blow the light control unit and a headlight ballast pack on his BMW! Cost a few hundred pounds to start his GF's car that day! Lol.
If you get the car started, check the voltage across the battery terminals. It should be around 14.4 volts. If not, the alternator is likely to be suspect.
Do you know how old the battery is?
I was called to a freind's a couple of years ago to assist with the jump starting of his GF's car. When I got there he'd already given it a go, and managed to blow the light control unit and a headlight ballast pack on his BMW! Cost a few hundred pounds to start his GF's car that day! Lol.
If you get the car started, check the voltage across the battery terminals. It should be around 14.4 volts. If not, the alternator is likely to be suspect.
Do you know how old the battery is?
Thanks for the advice.
New battery ordered from Carparts4Less website. Hoping it's just the battery that's dead, not the alternator or anything like that.
Obviously it's not a big deal to replace the battery on an old car, but what concerns me is the way the battery went from OK to dead in such a short space of time. The car showed no signs of a weak battery the last time I used it, then 6 days later it was completely dead.
I'm sure I didn't do anything stupid like leave the lights on, but maybe there was something draining the battery that I didn't notice.
New battery ordered from Carparts4Less website. Hoping it's just the battery that's dead, not the alternator or anything like that.
Obviously it's not a big deal to replace the battery on an old car, but what concerns me is the way the battery went from OK to dead in such a short space of time. The car showed no signs of a weak battery the last time I used it, then 6 days later it was completely dead.
I'm sure I didn't do anything stupid like leave the lights on, but maybe there was something draining the battery that I didn't notice.
Most common is a interior light in the boot that is left on,or if water has got into the fuses and shorted them out draining the battery.
Or any other electrical items, that are not reliant on the ignition being on to work that may have been left on, radio, phone charger in cigarette lighter socket, brake lights stuck on etc.
Best to check the simple things first.
Or any other electrical items, that are not reliant on the ignition being on to work that may have been left on, radio, phone charger in cigarette lighter socket, brake lights stuck on etc.
Best to check the simple things first.
S2Mike said:
Most common is a interior light in the boot that is left on
Gold star for that man! The boot opens in two sections, and I had failed to close the glass hatch properly, leaving the boot light on.Fitted a new battery and the car runs fine.
The old battery doesn't look all that old to me. I don't recognise the make, but it's probably not the original battery fitted to the car when it left the showroom in 2004. Maybe I could have charged/reconditioned it if I had a mains battery charger, but as I don't have one, I'll never know.
S2Mike said:
Glad to be able to help, now go down the scrapyard and get £5 for the old battery.
Please tell me you didn't just chuck it away....?
No, I didn't chuck it away. Was going to drop it off at the council dump the next time I went there.Please tell me you didn't just chuck it away....?
Taking it to a scrappy is probably less hassle, and if I get a couple of quid back for it, all the better.
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