Battery Issue
 

I came out to a 2+ week dead Jeep this morning. I believe that one of the aux.
lights got left on while I have been away on vacation. Both batteries were totally
drained as far as we can tell. I run a red top Optima as a starting battery with a
yellow top Optima to run the winch and things. I have a NW Wrangler isolator set up
for it. They are supposed to be totally separate from each other except when the
engine is on. Obviously this wasn't the case....

Anyway I got a jump start and then ran it a couple of miles up and down the road each
way, the battery indicator was sitting at its normal 14. I shut it off to gas up,
and it would not start. The needles just flickered and nothing else. I got another
jump start and then let it idle for 15-20 minutes, ran it the 6 miles up the road to
a friends house, let it idle for 45 minutes while we talked, ran it the 6 miles back
home. I shut it off in the driveway and was able to fire it back up this time. The
battery indicator is now sitting between 12 and 13 (a little lower than normal, but
not near the red).

Does this sound like it was just a really dead set of batteries or do I need to be in
the market for a new Optima right now?

This is my only vehicle until late next week, as I dropped my car off at the shop
yesterday (silly me for not trying to start the Jeep first!).

Thanks.
-jenn

Re: Battery Issue
 

jbjeep wrote:
> I came out to a 2+ week dead Jeep this morning. I believe that one
> of the aux. lights got left on while I have been away on vacation.
> Both batteries were totally drained as far as we can tell. I run a
> red top Optima as a starting battery with a yellow top Optima to run
> the winch and things. I have a NW Wrangler isolator set up for it.
> They are supposed to be totally separate from each other except when
> the engine is on. Obviously this wasn't the case....
>
> Anyway I got a jump start and then ran it a couple of miles up and
> down the road each way, the battery indicator was sitting at its
> normal 14. I shut it off to gas up, and it would not start. The
> needles just flickered and nothing else. I got another jump start
> and then let it idle for 15-20 minutes, ran it the 6 miles up the
> road to a friends house, let it idle for 45 minutes while we talked,
> ran it the 6 miles back home. I shut it off in the driveway and was
> able to fire it back up this time. The battery indicator is now
> sitting between 12 and 13 (a little lower than normal, but not near
> the red).
>
> Does this sound like it was just a really dead set of batteries or do
> I need to be in the market for a new Optima right now?

45 min of idle and 6 miles of driving isn't enough to charge a flat battery,
let alone two.

You need to hook it up to a charger or put a good twenty to thirty miles on
it, preferably highway and without the ac/headlights/etc on.

Some reading
http://www.battery-chargers.com/char...structions.htm

--
DougW

Re: Battery Issue
 

jbjeep wrote:
> I came out to a 2+ week dead Jeep this morning. I believe that one
> of the aux. lights got left on while I have been away on vacation.
> Both batteries were totally drained as far as we can tell. I run a
> red top Optima as a starting battery with a yellow top Optima to run
> the winch and things. I have a NW Wrangler isolator set up for it.
> They are supposed to be totally separate from each other except when
> the engine is on. Obviously this wasn't the case....
>
> Anyway I got a jump start and then ran it a couple of miles up and
> down the road each way, the battery indicator was sitting at its
> normal 14. I shut it off to gas up, and it would not start. The
> needles just flickered and nothing else. I got another jump start
> and then let it idle for 15-20 minutes, ran it the 6 miles up the
> road to a friends house, let it idle for 45 minutes while we talked,
> ran it the 6 miles back home. I shut it off in the driveway and was
> able to fire it back up this time. The battery indicator is now
> sitting between 12 and 13 (a little lower than normal, but not near
> the red).
>
> Does this sound like it was just a really dead set of batteries or do
> I need to be in the market for a new Optima right now?

45 min of idle and 6 miles of driving isn't enough to charge a flat battery,
let alone two.

You need to hook it up to a charger or put a good twenty to thirty miles on
it, preferably highway and without the ac/headlights/etc on.

Some reading
http://www.battery-chargers.com/char...structions.htm

--
DougW

Re: Battery Issue
 

jbjeep wrote:
> I came out to a 2+ week dead Jeep this morning. I believe that one
> of the aux. lights got left on while I have been away on vacation.
> Both batteries were totally drained as far as we can tell. I run a
> red top Optima as a starting battery with a yellow top Optima to run
> the winch and things. I have a NW Wrangler isolator set up for it.
> They are supposed to be totally separate from each other except when
> the engine is on. Obviously this wasn't the case....
>
> Anyway I got a jump start and then ran it a couple of miles up and
> down the road each way, the battery indicator was sitting at its
> normal 14. I shut it off to gas up, and it would not start. The
> needles just flickered and nothing else. I got another jump start
> and then let it idle for 15-20 minutes, ran it the 6 miles up the
> road to a friends house, let it idle for 45 minutes while we talked,
> ran it the 6 miles back home. I shut it off in the driveway and was
> able to fire it back up this time. The battery indicator is now
> sitting between 12 and 13 (a little lower than normal, but not near
> the red).
>
> Does this sound like it was just a really dead set of batteries or do
> I need to be in the market for a new Optima right now?

45 min of idle and 6 miles of driving isn't enough to charge a flat battery,
let alone two.

You need to hook it up to a charger or put a good twenty to thirty miles on
it, preferably highway and without the ac/headlights/etc on.

Some reading
http://www.battery-chargers.com/char...structions.htm

--
DougW

Re: Battery Issue
 

jbjeep wrote:
> I came out to a 2+ week dead Jeep this morning. I believe that one
> of the aux. lights got left on while I have been away on vacation.
> Both batteries were totally drained as far as we can tell. I run a
> red top Optima as a starting battery with a yellow top Optima to run
> the winch and things. I have a NW Wrangler isolator set up for it.
> They are supposed to be totally separate from each other except when
> the engine is on. Obviously this wasn't the case....
>
> Anyway I got a jump start and then ran it a couple of miles up and
> down the road each way, the battery indicator was sitting at its
> normal 14. I shut it off to gas up, and it would not start. The
> needles just flickered and nothing else. I got another jump start
> and then let it idle for 15-20 minutes, ran it the 6 miles up the
> road to a friends house, let it idle for 45 minutes while we talked,
> ran it the 6 miles back home. I shut it off in the driveway and was
> able to fire it back up this time. The battery indicator is now
> sitting between 12 and 13 (a little lower than normal, but not near
> the red).
>
> Does this sound like it was just a really dead set of batteries or do
> I need to be in the market for a new Optima right now?

45 min of idle and 6 miles of driving isn't enough to charge a flat battery,
let alone two.

You need to hook it up to a charger or put a good twenty to thirty miles on
it, preferably highway and without the ac/headlights/etc on.

Some reading
http://www.battery-chargers.com/char...structions.htm

--
DougW

Re: Re: Battery Issue
 

On Sat, 7 Jul 2007 17:50:49 -0500, "DougW"
<post.replies@invalid.address> wrote:

>45 min of idle and 6 miles of driving isn't enough to charge a flat battery,
>let alone two.

Agreed

>
>You need to hook it up to a charger or put a good twenty to thirty miles on
>it, preferably highway and without the ac/headlights/etc on.


Take more than 20 or 30 miles. The best thing to do here since they
were flat is to slow charge them for a day or two to try to recover
full capacity. Try about a 4 to 6 amp charger across both batteries
for about 24 hrs. You can get more total energy into a battery that
has been depleted if you slow charge it. Those batteries do not take
kindly to be run flat. I would also add a islation switch so that you
can seperate battiers in storage or under load when need be.
-----------------
TheSnoMan.com

Re: Re: Battery Issue
 

On Sat, 7 Jul 2007 17:50:49 -0500, "DougW"
<post.replies@invalid.address> wrote:

>45 min of idle and 6 miles of driving isn't enough to charge a flat battery,
>let alone two.

Agreed

>
>You need to hook it up to a charger or put a good twenty to thirty miles on
>it, preferably highway and without the ac/headlights/etc on.


Take more than 20 or 30 miles. The best thing to do here since they
were flat is to slow charge them for a day or two to try to recover
full capacity. Try about a 4 to 6 amp charger across both batteries
for about 24 hrs. You can get more total energy into a battery that
has been depleted if you slow charge it. Those batteries do not take
kindly to be run flat. I would also add a islation switch so that you
can seperate battiers in storage or under load when need be.
-----------------
TheSnoMan.com

Re: Re: Battery Issue
 

On Sat, 7 Jul 2007 17:50:49 -0500, "DougW"
<post.replies@invalid.address> wrote:

>45 min of idle and 6 miles of driving isn't enough to charge a flat battery,
>let alone two.

Agreed

>
>You need to hook it up to a charger or put a good twenty to thirty miles on
>it, preferably highway and without the ac/headlights/etc on.


Take more than 20 or 30 miles. The best thing to do here since they
were flat is to slow charge them for a day or two to try to recover
full capacity. Try about a 4 to 6 amp charger across both batteries
for about 24 hrs. You can get more total energy into a battery that
has been depleted if you slow charge it. Those batteries do not take
kindly to be run flat. I would also add a islation switch so that you
can seperate battiers in storage or under load when need be.
-----------------
TheSnoMan.com

Re: Re: Battery Issue
 

On Sat, 7 Jul 2007 17:50:49 -0500, "DougW"
<post.replies@invalid.address> wrote:

>45 min of idle and 6 miles of driving isn't enough to charge a flat battery,
>let alone two.

Agreed

>
>You need to hook it up to a charger or put a good twenty to thirty miles on
>it, preferably highway and without the ac/headlights/etc on.


Take more than 20 or 30 miles. The best thing to do here since they
were flat is to slow charge them for a day or two to try to recover
full capacity. Try about a 4 to 6 amp charger across both batteries
for about 24 hrs. You can get more total energy into a battery that
has been depleted if you slow charge it. Those batteries do not take
kindly to be run flat. I would also add a islation switch so that you
can seperate battiers in storage or under load when need be.
-----------------
TheSnoMan.com

Re: Battery Issue
 

Thanks guys. I was reminded of the following:
"If the primary battery dies the Wrngler setup need manual
intervention to jump the primary from the secondary battery." So maybe its just the
red top that was flat, and not the yellow. I didnt try the winch, which is on the
yellow. Anyway, I will see if it starts again and run over and borrow a charger if I
can, and or run it into town tomorrow (40+ miles).
Thanks.
-jenn


On Sat, 07 Jul 2007 23:58:10 GMT, SnoMan <admin@snoman.com> wrote:

>>On Sat, 7 Jul 2007 17:50:49 -0500, "DougW"
>><post.replies@invalid.address> wrote:
>>
>>>45 min of idle and 6 miles of driving isn't enough to charge a flat battery,
>>>let alone two.
>>
>>Agreed
>>
>>>
>>>You need to hook it up to a charger or put a good twenty to thirty miles on
>>>it, preferably highway and without the ac/headlights/etc on.
>>
>>
>>Take more than 20 or 30 miles. The best thing to do here since they
>>were flat is to slow charge them for a day or two to try to recover
>>full capacity. Try about a 4 to 6 amp charger across both batteries
>>for about 24 hrs. You can get more total energy into a battery that
>>has been depleted if you slow charge it. Those batteries do not take
>>kindly to be run flat. I would also add a islation switch so that you
>>can seperate battiers in storage or under load when need be.
>>-----------------
>>TheSnoMan.com