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Just wondering how long my battery will last without starting my car. Its been sitting under a car cover for about six weeks now. I dont want to drive it because of all of the snow in my area.
------------------ 2000 camaro ss convertible #6961 onyx black,ebony leather M6,hurst,asr,500 watt monsoon stereo, mods: k&n filter,slp air lid
Posts: 44 | From: malverne ny | Registered: Nov 2000
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My SS is a 99. My battery started to not hold a charge for very long after about a year. I had it to the dealers a couple of times. They did a load test and found no trouble. When I would go to start the car, the guages would go to the extreme right and the trip OD. would reset and it didn't have enough power to start. After they finally found someone at GM who knew of the problem, the solution was to use a charger that would give a high enough charge to warm the battery in about 4 hours. It turns out that our cars use so much battery that the battery won't get enough of a re-charge when we run the car if they would sit for a long period or we use our accessories like the CD player without running the car. I would run my CD while I Zaino'd the SS and raise or lower my top and windows in the acc. mode. If I did this over a couple of weeks and not run the car, I had the starting trouble. I now charge the battery if I do the above or like now because the car is stored for the winter. This could be a problem for you as well. Good luck.
------------------ 99SS, C221, Black Convertible, Neutral top and neutral leather, 6spd.,B/M shifter, all power, CD/radio, traction control
Posts: 57 | From: Port Elgin, Ontario< Canada | Registered: Feb 2000
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I have what is called a Battery Tender charger. The charger is made for vehicles that sit for some time, the output is only 1.25 amps and automatically switches to float charge. Check out www.eastwoodcompany.com or Northern Tool& Eguipment Co. the cost is about $60.00 plus s&h but worth it.
Posts: 55 | From: DeWitt,Mi. | Registered: Jan 2001
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You don't say if you've got an (after-market) alarm system in the car or not.
My experience with after-market alarm systems is that they can drain your battery fairly quickly - some of them in as short a period of a week. I don't know (yet) if the factory systems for our cars have the same characteristic or not.
I'd advise you to either disconnect the battery while the car is in storage and/or put it on a trickle charger. If the battery gets discharged too deeply - it's a goner.
Posts: 64 | From: Houston, Tx USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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Each person, of course, has his or her own method. I talked with Paul Brand, a race driver and nationally syndicated radio and newspaper auto expert, and he advised not disconnecting the battery during storage because of all the electronics involved. I check the battery once a month and find that it is depleted some; I charge it for about half an hour with an automatic shutoff charger. A trickle charge would be best, but my car is stored away from home. I doubt that mine would go five months without charging, even though the battery is new.
Posts: 97 | From: Cottage Grove, MN 55016 USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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