Tedd Thompson

This is non Old' s but could have been if it was the Oldsmobile.

Seems I have this problem of not getting the seat belt retracted all the way in the Miata and getting it between the door and the sill, curtsy lights stays on and battery goes dead, next day car doesn't start. Not usual, no problem just get the battery charger out and charge it up, I've done it about 4 or 5 times in the past couple years. Ya I'm a bone head and don't learn fast.

So I whip the charger on (the one I've used for years) the next day and give it a few extra hours and try to start it up. It starts up but is turning over very very slow. Second try and nothing, she is dead again. Maybe battery has gone bad, it's pretty new but who knows. So I get out the multi meter to check it and it's got a dead battery. Some fool has left the switch on for a month or two and it's as dead as everything I've touched so far today. Found a 9 volt battery in a catch all drawer but I have no idea if it is good or bad and beings it was going into the multi meter I can't check it to see if it has voltage.,Doesn't light the display. My backup was a Jump box but it read only 13% full I'm running out of options.

Off I go to town It's only 50 miles round trip and I'm driving the Durango which gets 13 miles to the gallon on a good day and so far this isn't the day. Took the battery with me. Auto zone says battery is good but low on juice, I buy a box of 9 volt batteries and stop by the Old Man's house and take him to lunch while I charge the battery with his charger.

Back home and I install the battery in the trunk of the tiny car, It's a hands and knee job dogie style and not my favorite way to work. IT STARTS AND RUNS,IT'S A EUREKA MOMENT!

Now why didn't it work the first time? The battery charger died, looked sounded hummed like it always did but was dead as three day old beer. I'm beat and I only got one car started and running. Night All I need a beer and a nap.... Tedd

Jamesbo

Tedd, I'm glad I;m not the only one

11971four4two

So the electrician is running wire
pulling breakers and so what

But the fridge has a light so we knew when you opened the door
AOK electric fridge safe cold venison beer and sundry...

Well
panic light stays off and can not have beer cooler NOT running......
no melt down just need refer for the groceries chop / chop

turns out the dang bulb decided to go gone... frosty fire drill 4 *** sakes

could have been worse


All the best to you
brian

Lonnies Performance

I'v been in battery hell also. My Yukon has been sitting in the garage since April. Battery was fine in August, after sitting 4 months, but I put it on a trickle charge for a while to make sure it was up to full capacity. Now Friday night after only 2 additional months, I open the door & no dome light....

I grab the charger & hook it up. It started taking a charge & I throttled it back to a lower setting to let it charge for a while. just under an hour later, I walk over & the battery is so hot I cannot hold my hand on it. After disconnecting it, I can still hear it bubble. Concerned that it may have an internal short, I removed it & set it outside. In the morning I go over to the battery & it is still warm to the touch.(it got into the low 50's overnight). Checked it for charge & it was almost dead even though the fluid level was OK inside.

I've bought 4 batteries this year.

Tedd Thompson

Generally pretty good on diagnostic issues but sometimes I get tunnel vision so bad that I can't get past my first guess.. I could have just jumped the little Miata with another car and been done with it but I got bad battery (bought it on line ) stuck in my head and didn't try anything related to the juice source. Oh well Live and never learn....Tedd

redoldsman

Tedd, I bet most of us would have done the same thing and never thought about the charger. I know would not have. Some the days the boogey man wins. Sound like he visited you yesterday.

Glenn