SO my wife doesn't find the need to turn her friggin lights off on her Toyota minivan. She calls me at work today and says she is completely dead. Luckily she was at home so I had her sit tight until I got home. I checked it and it was dead 11.1 volts. I hooked up the the old battery charger and it is doing it's thing now, but the battery is 4 years old. The little eye is still green. You guys think it will take the charge or am I in for a trip to the auto parts store for a replacement?

 

the green eyes lie my friend... i have seen them come into our shop registering only 3 volts and green eye is still green... with 11 volts in there the battery will probably take a charge to get it running but you should have the battery checked for available amps and voltage after it has had a recharge...go ahead and take it out and runn it down to a parts store.. call ahead and make sure they have a battery tester... personaly i recomend interstate batts. have just had good luck running them.. and they have a realy good tester at most interstate dealers called the ed-18 wich i think works realy well for early detection of bad batts. hence ed-18

 

Thanks. I just got back inside from the car. The charger (automatic) said it was done charging and the bat was full. I checked it with my meter after disconnecting the charger and it read 13.0. I started the vanand got 14.+ while running. I guess tomorrow morning we'll see if it held the charge. She can walk the kids to the bus stop if it doesn't as pennance for leaving the lights on.

 

4 years. . .I'd say time is getting short for that battery. . .lead acids dont like to be discharged like that.

 

I've got one in my 1500 that will turn 8 years old in July.

 

If it holds, I just need to make one more year. The POS is a leased vehicle, and they are soooo getin it back when the lease is up.

 

quick get a relay and put inline with a switched ingnition source and the headlights.
lights go on and off as normal when the car is running but switches off automatically when the car turns off.
don't let her kill a new battery.

nm... leased vehicle

 

yeah the green eye only shows the condition of one cell in the battery. But there are 6 2.2 volt cells in a 12v battery, so that one could be good and the others bad.

 

BEEK, If you need a battery let me know, I have a buddy that is a battery dist. and he lives in P-town

 

Yeah I'd just swap it out, I ussually do it at 3 years anyways just so it don't crap out when I need it...ya never know... Thinking bout switchin to optimas next time though that might get exspensive every 3 years though...