Battery charging question

[LCOX]

I have a battery that has been sitting for a long period of time and is dead.

I have a battery charger and have been using a low volt trickle charge full time for a couple days now.

Now when I put a test load on the battery it drops down to around 5 volts which is better than 0 volts before a long slow charge.

Can this battery be fully resurrected and recharged or is it too far gone. Thanx L

[Joe Bob]

You have to 'shock' a completely flat battery. High amps, low amps, alternating every 20-30 minutes. Not a sure thing but I've brought my Optima back 3-4 times like that.

If it's a flooded battery pull the caps and/or make sure the vent is clear. Wear eye protection.

[HawgRyder]

The question you have to ask yourself is...what happens if the car won't start in an emergency?
I had a neighbour one time that bragged about never changing his oil...just added some once in a while...and the night his daughter got sick and he tried to rush her to the hospital...you get the idea.
It might let you down in an intersection with a big truck bearing down on you!
A new good quality battery is cheap insurance.
But....your choice.
Bob

[boyt911sc]

Originally Posted by LCOX

I have a battery that has been sitting for a long period of time and is dead.

I have a battery charger and have been using a low volt trickle charge full time for a couple days now.

Now when I put a test load on the battery it drops down to around 5 volts which is better than 0 volts before a long slow charge.

Can this battery be fully resurrected and recharged or is it too far gone. Thanx L

LCOX,

The battery you have is ready to retire (dumpster). Try to re-charge the battery using higher charging amperage for several hours. Test it again and repeat the test after a day or two. See if it still holds 12.50 plus volts. If you decide to use this old battery, make sure you carry a back-up battery booster in your car.

Tony

[Big Jon Jacobs]

Get a new battery, otherwise it will let you down when you need it most. My own experience!

[Joe Bob]

Speaking of batteries what besides the size is the advantages of the small size Odyssey batteries over Optimas? I don't need the Optima failure rate rant either....

[aoncurly]

If the battery is still under it's warranty period, you can probably bring it back to life. I had a brand new battery die on me - my hood light was on as I did not latch my hood and drained the battery in about two weeks. I hooked up my battery charger, but it would not accept a charge it was drained so low. I jumped the battery, ran the car for about 10-minutes to get enough juice in the battery so my charger would work, and charged it overnight, and now it works great. I then put my trickle-charger on it and disconnected my hood light.

[Neel]

Originally Posted by HawgRyder

The question you have to ask yourself is...what happens if the car won't start in an emergency?
I had a neighbour one time that bragged about never changing his oil...just added some once in a while...and the night his daughter got sick and he tried to rush her to the hospital...you get the idea.
It might let you down in an intersection with a big truck bearing down on you!
A new good quality battery is cheap insurance.
But....your choice.
Bob

Very good advice...

[scarceller]

+1 on get a new battery.

But if you must insist on trying then charge it with a good 20amp charger. Take it out of the car put it in well ventilated area (like outdoors) and remove filler caps (if you can). Hit it with 20AMP charge. A smart charger that can tell how charging is going is preferred.