So i hadnt driven my car for like 4-5 days and today in the morning at 10am i tried starting it and the battery was...

So i hadnt driven my car for like 4-5 days and today in the morning at 10am i tried starting it and the battery was dead. I jump started it and it worked and i drove it around the block for like 15 minutes then parked it again.

Same day but 11 hrs later at 9pm i tried starting it again and again the battery was dead and would not start. I jump started it again but this time took it farther away to boulevards and drove it for like 30min before returning.


Anyway, my question is, is driving around the block not enough to charge a battery and thats why my battery did not hold the charge or is my battery fucked and tommorrow im going to have a dead battery again?

Also whats an economical but decent battery for a shitbox?

bamp

Batteries can suffer momentary drains as they acclimate to colder temps. How old is the battery? And no, just scooting around the block isn't enough if you had to jump it to begin with.

Going around the block is even worse for the battery since the alternator can't spin fast enough to provide a charge for it since you're only going 30-45mph. Yes your battery will be dead in the morning. You need to drive it on the highway for about 30 miles at speeds above 70mph for best best results.

Go to Costco. Batteries are 71$

change your battery faget. get a good from from vatozone with good CCA(COLD CRANKING AMPS)

the more you drive it and let it die the more damaged the battery becomes.
touge the car for at least 4 hours.

everything you said is not true

Go get your battery load tested at any automotive store.

You most likely have a failing battery, and it cant keep its charge in the cold weather.

Explain. I want it detailed.
Seriously explain.

your battery is going ded but it might be cheaper to just charge it.

My battery is dead and after a few days of standing the car barely starts.
In -5c weather. I'm confident it can survive the winter.

He's kind of right, when driving, the alternator first sends jooce to the ignition and then the battery.

That said it's likely OPs battery isn't wiped out, just low enough voltage to not bang the starter.

OP should also have his alternator checked out.

Woke up a bit and realized I was stupid
If you drive 15 minutes a day and then leave the car it's just that alternator hasn't got the chance to charge your battery.

Charge it properly first if problem remains then pattery bed

>If you drive 15 minutes a day and then leave the car it's just that alternator hasn't got the chance to charge your battery.
Alternator=/=generator.

It's winter, if you let your battery go dead, then jumped it and the battery was still frozen it won't take a charge.
Only you have a real idea of its hooped or not.

but what do I know I use alternator to convert waste energy into compressing more air into the engine

Exactly, that's why OP needs to check his turbo for leaking. If it is leaking juice then the battery obv isn't getting juice.

...

Can't wait to make myself a PSL with that

>I jump started it and it worked and i drove it around the block for like 15 minutes then parked it again.

That is not enough to charge a battery. You need a battery charger that also shows the estimated charge level of the battery. Those digital display chargers made by Schumacher and sold at walmart will work. One with charge rates at 8A (normal) and 10/12A (high rate) is good. Charging at rates between 6A to 8A is reasonable. Higher amp charging rates are faster, but boil off more liquid. If you have an AGM battery, then your charger should have an AGM mode switch on it.

Use your battery charger to top off the battery. Even if you decide not to top off, the digital display can be used to check the estimated charge level of the battery.

>implying that coasting at 30mph on flat surfaces is going to do fuck all

First of all, buy a fucking battery tender and just bring your batteries inside for the night. It isn't that hard

Second, you need to RUN the engine. You're essentially cruising in neutral if you're just putzing around town at slow speeds which won't do shit.

Third, just bump start the fucking thing. You don't need to jump

>mfw these numales

A full dead lead acid battery may not be recoverable.

Each time you take one close to death you take away health points. Eventually game over.

People who regularly don't drive their car for a week (on other than short drives) will need to get a battery charger.


>So i hadnt driven my car for like 4-5 days
My car is full of electronics and Onstar which broadcasts all the time on its own private cell. If I leave the car alone for about one month, its two batteries will be dead even though they are large capacity. Pretty annoying. So that is why I have a battery charger for those times that I don't drive that car for 3 to 5 days.

There's no need to keep buying new batteries if you have a battery charger and don't let the battery go dead. If it drops too low, the plates will "sulfate". That makes the battery capacity decrease to the point of either unreliable or useless to crank the starter.

It is Veeky Forumsafter all

Get a cheap charger. Charge it.

Get a cheap multimeter. Test the battery. Test the battery with the engine on.

If its still not starting after the charge; new battery
If its starting but no change in voltage with the engine on or off; new alternator/charging fuse or relay
If its starting, charging with the engine running but it still loses massive amounts of power while just sitting; new battery

The main problem right now with OP (based upon the limited amount of info he posted) is a combination of several things. First, he doesn't run his car enough to fully charge the battery. Second is that his car is idle for multiple days after short trips, thus the parasitic loads keep on draining the battery further. Third is that it is wintertime, thus his battery's max capabilities (as with all lead acid batteries) is decreased. Fourth is that OP didn't understand prior to this thread that fifteen minutes of running the engine is _NOT_ enough to recharge a discharged battery. Fifth is that OP doesn't seem to know that deeply discharged lead acid batteries may sulphate. Sulphated batteries lose both total capacity and also have reduced ability to hold a charge. That's a double whammy. Multiple deep discharge events can cause the battery to sulphate enough to be unusable. Thus it is important to not let them reach that point. Either run the car enough or use a battery charger.

Now watch OP get a charger or battery tender and overcharge the battery. Hopefully that won't happen. AGM batteries are not to be charged with normal charger settings. The charger should have a mode for charging AGM batteries.

Picture: rock dropped from bridge crossing over the I-5 freeway

You're slightly correct, but also clinically retarded. Drink your bleach.