Charged Flat Battery Now Car Won't Start

[davo23]

Hi Guys

Don't know if anyones had this before, i'll explain what happened.

Went to go for a drive the other day after leaving for a few days

Door won't open, alarm light not flashing - Suspect Battery is dead.

Get into car - turn ignition - nothing - yep definitely think the battery is dead.

Charge battery - notice the alarm light works - ignition lights come on - all good.

Try to start car - fuel pump primes, ignition lights on, turn over - it starts to turn over and then the ignition lights just start to flicker on and off and then it stops turning over after a second - it won't actually start.

At the moment i'm not hundred percent sure on this - i suppose it could be that although the battery is charged there is not enough life in it to start it properly. I can hear the car start to turn over and then just stop - i did think it might be immobiliser but i thought the fuel gauge reads as empty if this is the case and i guess it wouldn't start to turn over at all.

Anyway - any ideas or suggestions would help. Cheers.

I've only had the car a few weeks and not a mechanical expert at all.

[wuckfitracing]

Sounds like battery is not fully charged. How long did you have it on the charger.

[Chuffmeister]

How old is the battery? If it was fully charged and has lost that charge since, it sounds like the battery could be duff. It may be worth having it tested.

[EGB]

Battery should have at least 12.5 volts to start. Test with an ammeter. A can full of fuel in tank .

[davo23]

Cheers - I thought i had charged the battery - but maybe it weren't long enough - it was on for 2 hours. Suspect there's not enough juice in it then.

[davo23]

Battery is a year or two old i believe.

[EGB]

Christian, how did you enhance the silvery look on your Chim at sunset. Or is it a secret?

[QBee]

Two hours from pancaked is not long enough - its a car, not an iPhone!!
Try overnight.
Better to use a charger than jump start and drive it.
Weather forecast today is rubbish anyway!

[Alun450]

Give it a good 24 hrs trickle charge. That will confirm if the battery needs changing or you have another issue!
Best to be sure before touching anything.

[Chuffmeister]

EGB said:

Christian, how did you enhance the silvery look on your Chim at sunset. Or is it a secret?

No secret at all, it is all explained here: http://bowens.co.uk/litebook/lb2013e2/#/50/

[Dungman]

I did exactly the same recently and it took 2 days to fully charge, and my battery is only 6 months old.

[V8 GRF]

Once you've recharged the battery you also need to reset the immobiliser/alarm if you still have the standard Meta system.

Remove the +ive lead for about 10 seconds then as you reattach the terminal press the button on your fob and you should hear a few beeps as the system resets. You might need a couple of goes.

[davo23]

V8 GRF said:

Once you've recharged the battery you also need to reset the immobiliser/alarm if you still have the standard Meta system.

Remove the +ive lead for about 10 seconds then as you reattach the terminal press the button on your fob and you should hear a few beeps as the system resets. You might need a couple of goes.

Cheers - my car is a 94 and doesn't have a fob - just the keys to arm/disarm the immobiliser/alarm. Any ideas on how to reset this type?

[Chilliman]

I'd say do what V8 GRF has suggested, I flattened mine a few weeks back, I think the last attempt to turn it over sucked the last bit of juice out of the battery... It made all sorts of odd noises then went dead. After charging for a few hours the fuel pump wouldn't fire, everything still dead. Disconnected the battery for a few seconds, reconnected and everything worked.... It's worth a go...

[EGB]

Chuffmeister said:

No secret at all, it is all explained here: http://bowens.co.uk/litebook/lb2013e2/#/50/

Brilliant. One of the best Chim photos. Atmospheric.

[EGB]

Chuffmeister said:

No secret at all, it is all explained here: http://bowens.co.uk/litebook/lb2013e2/#/50/

Brilliant. One of the best Chim photos. Atmospheric.

[Chuffmeister]

EGB said:

Brilliant. One of the best Chim photos. Atmospheric.

Thanks

[davo23]

All sorted now. The battery has been replaced. Rac man was not happy, his words were "well I've learnt that I'm never doing one of them again".

[Bassfiend229hp]

At least he didn't turn up already knowing that they were a bh to work on ...

[davo23]

Bassfiend229hp said:

At least he didn't turn up already knowing that they were a bh to work on ...

I now know the importance of marking the battery box position before removing!