I have been having some issues with my starter...it's been replaced a few times...and i think the current one isn't 100%....it acted up once...but never since...would a faulty starter zap the power from my battery? Thanks for the info!!

 

Do you have an alarm system. I know I could never leave my car for 2 months without the battery going dead due to the alarm. Also just having the wires hooked up to the battery will cause some drain. I unhooked the battery on my car this year when I put it into storage to see if that helps.

Also check to make sure that your battery is fastened firmly in the car. My battery needs to be replaced because my mount broke and the extra vibration and jarring of the battery caused the battery to not output as much amps due to some internal damage to the cells.

I wouldn't believe that your starter would cause a drain in your battery since it only receives juice when your selenoid/relay fires. But I am by far no expert on vehicle electronics.

Aaron

 

With all the parasitic electrical drain I have on my Z, I have to start it up and let it run for a while every 5-7 days or it will be dead.

If you have to leave your car couped up for that long, I would buy one of those small, cheap little battery chargers that you can plug into the wall and leave it on your battery for long peroids of time so that it won't die. I'm not talking about a trickle charger, but this is a smaller device that is used for exactly what you're talking about; leaving your car parked in the same place for long periods of time.

 

http://www.wamiltons.com/fr_index.ht..._battplus.html

I know of a few people that use these that store their cars. They supposedly work well and save on your batteries. I have thought about getting one, but store my car at a friends house and don't want to use their electric.

 

Just starting your car up once in awhile will not charge the battery.

As suggested, get one of those small trickle chargers made for motorcycles, snowmobiles, etc.

Get the auto shutoff model. It will keep your battery charged up and shut off when not needed.JMHO

 

Starting up you car and running it for a while WILL charge your battery as long as your alternator and electrical system is working properly. That's the job of the alternator, to charge the battery and supply power to the car while the pulley is being turned.

 

That is exactly what I was talking about, thanks Akrott1

 

I am not sure where you are going with starting your car not charging the battery, but I somewhat agree. The key is not starting your car every once in awhile, but allowing your car to run for an extended period of time every once in awhile, which is what I think he meant by saying starting your car every once in awhile. I am not sure how much your battery gets charged by just allowing the car to idle....seems like you have to get the R's up to really help.

Make sure that you get something similiar to my earlier post and not a trickle charge, there is a difference. The one I posted, I believe put some load across the battery and then makes sure that it stays at a minimum charge level, so it somewhat simulates use. A trickle charger does not do that and will decrease the life of the battery.

 

your typical alternator will be fully charging a battery by about 2000 RPM, so no you don't have to get the RPM's up really high.

Just about anything can drain a battery if it sits for that long...if its a borderline battery to begin with, just the charge to keep the PCM + stereo alive will drain it. Personally, my stereo has a little red blinking light, so I know if I every have to leave it for a long time that light will drain the battery. I just unplug the battery, and when I get back in I reset my stereo options (only takes like 5 minutes)

 

The real reason I love this site,
Is because, when I say "black" you say "white".

 

Basically.

 

Just remember that the single most thing you can do to suck energy from your battery is start the car. That is the battery's main purpose. So if you don't leave the car running long enough, you are actually making it worse. You will not even replenish what you just lost starting the car, much less any parasitic loss from when the car sat.

 

My car sat outside for 7 months and started up with no prob..

Just so you know....I did disconnect the negitive side though.....

93Z Will