My 05 Cavi sat for 1 month without being driven. When I started it, it barely turned over but did start. I drove it for about 20 mins, for the month since, it is only driven for about 5-7 mins a day. If it seats for over a day, the battery is sluggish. Is this from lack of driving and being fully charged? Nothing electrical has been changed or add.
It's possible that short-tripping is making it difficult for the battery to fully charge between starts, however I have a similar driving pattern and it doesn't cause me any problems. I'd suspect a weak battery (most likely) or possibly even a problem with the charging system / alternator. Many places will load-test the battery for free or a minimal cost -- that's where I would start if I were you.
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Get a trickle charger from sears and keep it hooked up. I got one for $30.00 and just leave it plugged in if the car is going to sit. It automatically shuts off when its charged and tops it off when it starts to drop.
-Chris
If the battery's become sulfated from sitting too long, then it may be too late for it. A trickle charger works great if you're parked indoors - but may not be overly convenient if left outside.
A drive of approximately 40 minutes should sufficiently charge your battery to full capacity if it is rather weak. A cheaper way to do this is to plug in a proper charger for the time prescribed on it. Make sure to have the battery fully charged before trying a load test, or it's guaranteed to fail.
You also may have a parasitic drain in the car that's running it down on you. Typical drain shouldn't exceed about 30mA.
I bought a small solar charger last year (provides about 180mA charging current) and left it in my Sunfire when I went away for a month. When I came home, I checked the battery and it was still fully charged (around 12.7V), so that seemed to do the trick just fine. Best of all - once you've paid for it, using it is FREE! I would strongly recommend this if you're parked outside. It may not be enough to keep your current battery alive if it's on its way out, but it should certainly extend the life of a new one.
John
Quote:
Get a trickle charger from sears and keep it hooked up. I got one for $30.00 and just leave it plugged in if the car is going to sit. It automatically shuts off when its charged and tops it off when it starts to drop.
That's not a trickle charger, that's a float charger.
2002 Cavalier 2200 5spd
