OP
OP
glasgowcyclist
Charming but somewhat feckless
- Location
- Scotland
Like I said to YukonBoy, that is what I would normally have done but I still hadn't been given the all-clear to drive again.
Dead car battery - advice please
- Thread starter glasgowcyclist
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Like I said to YukonBoy, that is what I would normally have done but I still hadn't been given the all-clear to drive again.
OP
OP
glasgowcyclist
Charming but somewhat feckless
- Location
- Scotland
I tried the Arteck jumper pack and that didn't work. All the dash lights came on and the glow plug turned off after a few seconds but when I turned the key I only got a rapid clicking sound and the dash lights flashed at the same rate as the clicking.
A point to note if you buy one of these Arteck packs is that the battery leads that come with it, sturdy though they are, are only long enough to reach the terminals of the battery, say 35cm apart, maximum. This won't be a problem unless your car is like mine, with stop/start, and the negative post on the battery must not be used for a jump start. There is instead an earthing cable fixed to the nearside engine mount a good 70cm away. I made an extension with a hefty crocodile clip on the end and attached that to the negative lead of the jumper.
Next I bought a set of jump leads rated for my engine size and type and tried a jump from my brother's new 530D. A little better response initially but quickly back to the rapid clicking and no cranking. The leads were very, very hot after two short goes.
After that I took the battery out and stuck it on reconditioning mode with a smart charger and left it for 24 hours. Nada, nothing. Just an error message that indicated the battery was deeply discharged and sulphated to the point where it was irreparable.
So I fitted a new battery this morning and al is well, including the radio code.
All I need to do now is get the winter tyres off and the summer ones back on. Yes, it's been that long since I've driven!
P.S. I'm sure the Arteck power pack would have done the job on a recently flat battery but it's clear that nothing was going to revitalise a battery as deeply discharged as mine.
A point to note if you buy one of these Arteck packs is that the battery leads that come with it, sturdy though they are, are only long enough to reach the terminals of the battery, say 35cm apart, maximum. This won't be a problem unless your car is like mine, with stop/start, and the negative post on the battery must not be used for a jump start. There is instead an earthing cable fixed to the nearside engine mount a good 70cm away. I made an extension with a hefty crocodile clip on the end and attached that to the negative lead of the jumper.
Next I bought a set of jump leads rated for my engine size and type and tried a jump from my brother's new 530D. A little better response initially but quickly back to the rapid clicking and no cranking. The leads were very, very hot after two short goes.
After that I took the battery out and stuck it on reconditioning mode with a smart charger and left it for 24 hours. Nada, nothing. Just an error message that indicated the battery was deeply discharged and sulphated to the point where it was irreparable.
So I fitted a new battery this morning and al is well, including the radio code.
All I need to do now is get the winter tyres off and the summer ones back on. Yes, it's been that long since I've driven!
P.S. I'm sure the Arteck power pack would have done the job on a recently flat battery but it's clear that nothing was going to revitalise a battery as deeply discharged as mine.
