Can lightning strike twice, Battery drain.

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So, as you all know I had a battery drain problem that was (I thought) rectified with the purchase of a new alt and battery.
This morning I went to start the car, BINGO!!!!!!!!! stone dead battery!!!!! Thankfully I have a NOCO. But could a brand new (not recon) start to exhibit the same issue with F-ed up diodes, draining the battery? Full disclosure here, on Friday I used my 12V air compressor to top off the tires, could that have completely drained the battery dead??.........I doubt it, but now I will have to start bringing the NOCO with me every time I want to use the car.
Thoughts?? The battery and alt were changed back in May 2023

[friskyfrankie]

So, as you all know I had a battery drain problem that was (I thought) rectified with the purchase of a new alt and battery.
This morning I went to start the car, BINGO!!!!!!!!! stone dead battery!!!!! Thankfully I have a NOCO. But could a brand new (not recon) start to exhibit the same issue with F-ed up diodes, draining the battery? Full disclosure here, on Friday I used my 12V air compressor to top off the tires, could that have completely drained the battery dead??.........I doubt it, but now I will have to start bringing the NOCO with me every time I want to use the car.
Thoughts?? The battery and alt were changed back in May 2023

I doubt airing up the tires drained the battery to be stone dead but that is dependent upon the outside temps and how long you were doing it. Perhaps, running the car while airing up the tires is an alternative. As for your other issues, if the battery and alternator are testing to be good (assuming the tests are accurate), then you may have a parasitic draw and have to go through procedures to locate it.

[Tiggie]

How long had it been since the car was driven prior to finding the battery like this today?

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How long had it been since the car was driven prior to finding the battery like this today?

Tig the car was last "driven" end of November 100 miles. But here in NYC we have to move the parked cars to allow for street cleaning two times per week, the car is started and moved, actual start and move, one week ago.

[Toploader]

I doubt airing up the tires drained the battery to be stone dead but that is dependent upon the outside temps and how long you were doing it. Perhaps, running the car while airing up the tires is an alternative. As for your other issues, if the battery and alternator are testing to be good (assuming the tests are accurate), then you may have a parasitic draw and have to go through procedures to locate it.

Frank, the air compressor company clearly states not to run the car with the compressor hooked up, the alt output will destroy the air pump in short order, which is why the car is never running when I hook up the 12V alligator clips to the battery terminals.

[friskyfrankie]

Frank, the air compressor company clearly states not to run the car with the compressor hooked up, the alt output will destroy the air pump in short order, which is why the car is never running when I hook up the 12V alligator clips to the battery terminals.

OK. I have NEVER seen an air pump that says that so that is why I suggested it. Been doing it that way on numerous cars and have never had an issue. You can always get a lithium battery air compressor and avoid that possibility entirely.

[jaywish]

I must say I always run the car when using a 12V compressor.
Good thing I have never RTFM!

[gadget73]

A start and move won't recharge the battery if its not run long enough to get up to temp. Several months of that plus the cold plus the drain from the charger probably didn't do you any favors. The Continental sat about 6 weeks without being touched and the battery was so dead the interior lights wouldn't even come on. That car doesn't have battery drain issues, but the battery is 5 or 6 years old now. can't remember if I got it in 2018 or 2019.

Maybe consider one of those little solar panel charger things that lays on the dash and plugs into the cig lighter. Its not much power but it might be just enough to keep it topped up. the 10 watt ones put out less than an amp and its only going to do that under direct sun.

[sly]

yeah... move and run it for about 10-15 minutes and it should be good though. The occasional 30 minute run to help reduce condensation.

[Toploader]

A start and move won't recharge the battery if its not run long enough to get up to temp. Several months of that plus the cold plus the drain from the charger probably didn't do you any favors. The Continental sat about 6 weeks without being touched and the battery was so dead the interior lights wouldn't even come on. That car doesn't have battery drain issues, but the battery is 5 or 6 years old now. can't remember if I got it in 2018 or 2019.

Maybe consider one of those little solar panel charger things that lays on the dash and plugs into the cig lighter. Its not much power but it might be just enough to keep it topped up. the 10 watt ones put out less than an amp and its only going to do that under direct sun.

Thain, today was the day to move the car. As I said Monday NOCO started the car and I ran it for 90 minutes. This morning before I attempted to start the car I tossed my FLUKE MM on the battery for grins. The battery showed 12.50 volts, and showed 14.70 running. The point is I need to let the car sit for long periods of time to be able to see if I do have a parasitic drain. My tech bud says (and he is correct) the only true way to charge a battery is with a battery charger, not the cars alt. But the point is I want to see if my new REMY alt which is 5 months old suffers from bad diodes as the old alt did. Btw, the plain jane rocker switch I put in for the rear defog grid works great, in the spring I will have to find where one of the grid wires is open, as only half of the window "heats" up.

[Toploader]

A start and move won't recharge the battery if its not run long enough to get up to temp. Several months of that plus the cold plus the drain from the charger probably didn't do you any favors. The Continental sat about 6 weeks without being touched and the battery was so dead the interior lights wouldn't even come on. That car doesn't have battery drain issues, but the battery is 5 or 6 years old now. can't remember if I got it in 2018 or 2019.

Maybe consider one of those little solar panel charger things that lays on the dash and plugs into the cig lighter. Its not much power but it might be just enough to keep it topped up. the 10 watt ones put out less than an amp and its only going to do that under direct sun.

Thain back in the day I used to go out to the garage where my Avanti is stored for the winter and start and let it run. No more, when I put the car to sleep at the end of Nov or early Dec, I fill the gas, toss in stabilizer, and "fog" the engine, She is only re-started in the spring to get ready for the good weather driving season.

[gadget73]

I normally don't start things in the winter either, but the air suspension had gone flat and I don't like letting it sit that way. I was planning to just turn the key on and let it pump up. Thats what I did once the battery was fully charged.

[DerekTheGreat]

I keep my garage queens on battery tenders in the winter. I sometimes drive them, but I find starting them just to let them sit & idle or fogging the cylinders to be unnecessary. If dudes can go into junkyards, pull a car that's been sitting some 20+ years and fire that turd's engine up no problem, you can rest assured your engine will be ok if it sits for even a year. I've done that as well. Firebird sat for two or three years before I had enough scratch to throw at it. Fired right up. My '69 Plymouth too. Hell, that thing sat for at least five years, the last two being outside. And why wouldn't they start without issue? Are you storing your car in a humidity chamber which is maintained at 100%? Fuel stabilizer is BS too. I used to use it religiously as well. Started with an empty or nearly empty tank, put twice the amount in that was called for and then topped the tank off. Then I just stopped using it to see what happened. Nothing. The key is to top the gas tank off. If it's got a carburetor, empty the float bowl(s) before you store it.

[gadget73]

I fog the boat motor because it self-fogs. Do a thing with the throttle, it fattens up the oil mix for 30 seconds and shuts itself off. I haven't used fuel stabilizer the last few years either, haven't noticed any problems. The generator and the snow blower both have fuel valves on them, shut the valve off and let it run itself out. Carb won't get nasty if there isn't anything to evaporate out. Nothing else gets any special treatment. I normally do the maintainer thing too, just hadn't gotten to it on the Conti by that point.

[Toploader]

So far so good, no battery drain for the last two weeks. I did remove the glove box and license plate bulbs in desperation.