2012 V8V Not Starting
Discussion
I was away for a week but I did leave the battery tender plugged in. Indicator lights on the battery had indicated a full charge, though I haven't started the car in two weeks.
I just tried starting it today upon my return, and no joy. The car made a bit of a clicking sound and didn't get anywhere near turning. And after a few tries, the battery was done.
I let the tender charge it up again for a few hours, but still no progress on getting the car to start.
Also noted that the brake lights stayed on, and even after I had stopped trying to start the car, it would continue with a faint clicking and the door lights would flicker slightly. And that the analogue clock would spin and cycle through a full 12 hours.
I tried starting it with a jumper battery pack, the car turned a few times but didn't fully start. The battery pack should be as strong as a normal car battery/jumper cable.
I also note that the T1 trip meter has zeroed itself out.
Going to give the dealership a call tomorrow, but let me know if anyone has come across this.
Thanks
I just tried starting it today upon my return, and no joy. The car made a bit of a clicking sound and didn't get anywhere near turning. And after a few tries, the battery was done.
I let the tender charge it up again for a few hours, but still no progress on getting the car to start.
Also noted that the brake lights stayed on, and even after I had stopped trying to start the car, it would continue with a faint clicking and the door lights would flicker slightly. And that the analogue clock would spin and cycle through a full 12 hours.
I tried starting it with a jumper battery pack, the car turned a few times but didn't fully start. The battery pack should be as strong as a normal car battery/jumper cable.
I also note that the T1 trip meter has zeroed itself out.
Going to give the dealership a call tomorrow, but let me know if anyone has come across this.
Thanks
Edited by carlol on Thursday 8th March 05:36
Thanks for the reply. Actually I think maybe the battery jump start pack I used may have been under powered.
Late night here now (west coast US), so I'm going to try to jump start just using a normal car / jump cables and see how that goes first.
I was also using the CTEK MUS 4.3, so not the official Aston Martin battery tender, even though all the posts say they're the same.
This seems to indicate that the battery if fully charged, but obviously, it's not. So the battery tender also seems like it hasn't done its job.
Late night here now (west coast US), so I'm going to try to jump start just using a normal car / jump cables and see how that goes first.
I was also using the CTEK MUS 4.3, so not the official Aston Martin battery tender, even though all the posts say they're the same.
This seems to indicate that the battery if fully charged, but obviously, it's not. So the battery tender also seems like it hasn't done its job.
Btw, would anyone know the recommended amps for a jump starter? Or is it possible to go too high?
I was thinking of getting something like this, 1000 AMP or higher?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015TKUPIC/ref=sxbs_sxwd...
I was thinking of getting something like this, 1000 AMP or higher?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015TKUPIC/ref=sxbs_sxwd...
Thanks for the advice. So here's the update.
The originally battery jump start pack was under-powered, 300a.
A jump start expert suggested min 600a for my engine, and I used a 1,000a and got it started.
Drove for 40 mins and dropped off the car at the Aston Martin dealer.
Upon arrival, the car again wouldn't start. So definitely seems like the battery is gone.
A bit disappointed, I thought that's what the battery tender was intended to prevent. The car just had full inspection in December. All-in, the car was not started for 2 weeks, with the tender plugged in.
In full disclosure, I plugged in the tender to the port in the center console. Indicator lights on the tender were lit and indicating battery was fully charged, so I figured it was fine, and I read other posts saying other owners had done the same. I used the center console port because a previous owner had installed an after market amp which was blocking the panel covering rear port. I also figured out today that the amp cover slides off, but only in a certain way, so going forward not an issue.
Also the light switch was on. But the lights turn off automatically when the car is off, so I don't think that should have drained the battery.
So a few lessons learned there. I only got the car at the beginning of February, so still figuring things out, obviously.
Anyways, was as good a time as any to visit the dealer. Also having them order a mechanical master key. After this experience, have some anxiety about the battery dying and not being able to unlock the doors. Although once they sort out the battery, hopefully that's not something that should come up for a while.
The originally battery jump start pack was under-powered, 300a.
A jump start expert suggested min 600a for my engine, and I used a 1,000a and got it started.
Drove for 40 mins and dropped off the car at the Aston Martin dealer.
Upon arrival, the car again wouldn't start. So definitely seems like the battery is gone.
A bit disappointed, I thought that's what the battery tender was intended to prevent. The car just had full inspection in December. All-in, the car was not started for 2 weeks, with the tender plugged in.
In full disclosure, I plugged in the tender to the port in the center console. Indicator lights on the tender were lit and indicating battery was fully charged, so I figured it was fine, and I read other posts saying other owners had done the same. I used the center console port because a previous owner had installed an after market amp which was blocking the panel covering rear port. I also figured out today that the amp cover slides off, but only in a certain way, so going forward not an issue.
Also the light switch was on. But the lights turn off automatically when the car is off, so I don't think that should have drained the battery.
So a few lessons learned there. I only got the car at the beginning of February, so still figuring things out, obviously.
Anyways, was as good a time as any to visit the dealer. Also having them order a mechanical master key. After this experience, have some anxiety about the battery dying and not being able to unlock the doors. Although once they sort out the battery, hopefully that's not something that should come up for a while.
Edited by carlol on Friday 9th March 19:42
bogie said:
Yeah thats what I use to keep my battery topped up over winter - just plug charger in the boot 12v socket
Yes, the boot socket is recommended. I incorrectly assumed that the tender lights being on when I used the cabin socket meant it was ok, even after a few days. It could also be that the battery wasn't in the best shape to begin with, when I started charging.Will use the boot socket going forward, and see what happens.
Also the car has an after market stereo which seems to draw some battery power even when the car is off. There is 60A of draw when the car is off, vs the usual 20A. Still, this should not have drained the battery since the tender puts out way more charge than that.
Another reason for the higher service costs, seems like the stereo install has covered up the battery compartment, so there was extra labor since that also had to be disassembled and reinstalled.
Going forward, if this happens again, I'll look into seeing if I can do it myself.
embdenb said:
This is the reason that I have installed a voltmeter in parallel with my battery maintainer.
This allows me to see not only if the battery maintainer is working, but the battery voltage as well. For those interested you can see the project on my website at.
http://bernardembden.com/am/battender/index.htm
Great idea @embdenb. So the voltmeter is connected to the battery maintainer, does that also allow you to see the current voltage in the battery itself? (for example, by unplugging the battery maintainer?)This allows me to see not only if the battery maintainer is working, but the battery voltage as well. For those interested you can see the project on my website at.
http://bernardembden.com/am/battender/index.htm
So the folks at Aston Martin were able to test out the battery tender also and confirmed the battery was getting charge from it.
I worry that the battery tender is charging, all lights, but the battery for whatever reason is not charged properly (as in my previous attempt to charge through the cabin port -- which was misleading)
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