Bloody flat battery!

[RichB]

OK chaps, returned from holiday last night and found the battery in the Griff' was a bit flat. I tried to start the car, fuel pump came on ok, but it just turned over a few times, relutently, then died. This morning, I've had the battery on charge for a couple of hours and it's as if the immobiliser has cut in. Some power has got into the battery 'cause the headlights come on brightly but I can't get the fuel pump or starter motor work.

So... do I need to properly disconnect the battery to charge it or do I just wait for more charge to go in or what? Anyone got any ideas what I am doing wrong?

Cheers Rich...

[GreenV8S]

I assume you have disarmed the alarm, but do you have to do anything special to reset it after the battery has gone flat? Otherwise, perhaps you've got another alarm or immobiliser you don't know about which also needs to be disarmed.

[RichB]

GreenV8S said:

I assume you have disarmed the alarm

No I didn't do anything other thasn try to start it last night (when the alarm all worked ok) and this morning when I stuck it on charge. Think I'll go an ddisconnect the terminals properly and let it continue charging for a few hours. I also think this re-sets the alarm as the battery is reconnected? Rich...

[snarfy]

RIch,

Yup, if you disconnect then reconnect, you must activate the blipper within about 10secs(completely made up figure but its not a very large window !). If not I don't think the alarm allows the blipper to resync.

[ASM]

On my previous car when the same thing happened the immobilser needed to be freed by disconnecting the battery and then at exact point of reconnection I needed to blip the key fob and it disengaged. Prior to that everything worked but it wouldn't turn over.
The alarm/Imm was a Sigma system if that helps?

[david beer]

I got back last week to a very very low battery. Unfortunately the battery never recovered, new one now fitted.Its the first time my grif has not gone two & half weeks so, maybe the battery was ready for a change.Having said that,its only 18 months old so i will take it back and see what they say, four year warranty !

[RichB]

All sorted, think I was just being a bit optimistic in hoping my charger would do the job in 3 hours Just been for a nice blast round Windsor Great park and back roads - nice to be in the Griff again after 2 weeks with a 1.3 Suzuki Jeep Rich...

p.s. David I sent you an e-mail. R...

[GreenV8S]

I recently fitted a Priority Start battery protector (as advertised in the back of Sprint), basically a clever electronic gizmo that isolates the battery if the charge gets below 65% while the engine is switched off. Should save you from lights left on, or current leakage while laid up. Battery conditioner would be better if you have one, but this isn't always possible ...

[david beer]

I thought of those but shirley once the battery is isolated the alarm is inop? and also if its isolated you cant unlock the doors and the ECU would need to do its stuff again. Or am i missing something. On a TVR it would be 65% after a few days! Iam doing two jobs in the next few days, slow windows and who is draining the battery.

[GreenV8S]

Yes, the alarm is disabled once the battery isolator kicks in (to be fair, having a flat battery is going to disable it anyway!). It reconnects when anything is switched on, for example on mine, it reconnects when I open the door and the interior light comes on. Think it could be awkward if the door had to be opened electrically though, because it wouldn't!