Blizzard 2016

[Hotwheels]

QC started his comment by saying he was no expert.

Midjack was just talking about the battery.

Neither came in implying idling is a death sentence for an engine.

If correcting misguided and uninformed ideas means I have a chip on my shoulder, so be it.

A beef with you?

 

[Renton1875]

Advice needed from car experts:

My car has now been sitting out in the parking lot for two days. I live in a condo community and don't have a garage.

It gets below freezing here at night so I'm worried about the battery dying.

Can anyone tell me if it will help the battery to start it up tonight and let it idle for a minute or two? Or will simply starting it and not driving it drain the battery for when I really need it?

I get conflicting answers online, so I figured someone here should know. One thing I have learned is that to keep a battery charged, you need to take long highway drives. I did this during the days before the storm. Maybe that was enough.

Start it and let it run for ten minutes. Should be plenty.

Actually, it should be just fine leaving it sit for several days unless it's getting old and weak.

But if you are concerned, 10 minutes running will be fine.

Edit-If by some chance you need to jump it, let it run a while longer. Long highway trips are not necessary to charge a battery.

Think Hotwheels gave sound advice for question posed.

Also Guitarman for his revving. I do this, 10-15 cycles of 60 seconds at 2,000rpm then let idle for 30 seconds.

Hope your car was good D.O.B.A

As for testing your car batteries:

D.O.B.A (or anyone else with a suspect battery) Now is your time to plunge into the world of MULTIMETERS. Every real man should have one anyway!

If you don't already own one, i'm sure you can pick a cheap one up at an electronics store for roughly $5-$10 now.

Anyway, to test your battery: 

Turn on the multimeter, select the DC volts setting

You need to put each of the two probes from the multimeter onto the two terminals of your battery(preferablly on the +ve(red) & -ve(black) sides,but dosen't really matter as you'll only get a -ve reading if you switch them)

Engine off: should read around 13.2-13.5 volts

Engine on (idling): should read around 14.2 volts

If your battery reading is under the 12.5-13 volt mark it's basically goosed, or soon will be!

Hi Mech
:sadwave:

 

[AneroidOcean]

D.O.B.A (or anyone else with a suspect battery) Now is your time to plunge into the world of MULTIMETERS. Every real man should have one anyway!

If you don't already own one, i'm sure you can pick a cheap one up at an electronics store for roughly $5-$10 now.

I cannot believe all that bitching back and forth with poor arguments on both sides before someone brought up using a simple multimeter to assess the battery.

If you really were not to drive your car for long periods of time pick up a battery tender and install the leads on your battery so you can pop the hood and plug in the tender when it'll be sitting.

On topic, it's nice and sunny here on the west coast. I played some beach volleyball with girls in bikinis just a few days ago. Hope you guys all thaw out soon.

 

[Hotwheels]

How to test a battery.

Turn the key.

 

[Mentavious]

Those same guys from the north who call southerners pussies for struggling when it's cold are the same ones that moan and cry when it gets to be above 85 degrees.

'Stay inside because it's going to be hot and humid out' aka 83+ Degrees.

 

[Hades]

I'm pretty jealous of all that snow on the East Coast. We haven't had a blizzard like that in a while.

 

[porscheguy]

I'm due east of DC. I was up at 7AM yesterday, and on Craigslist looking for a plow to hire. The first one I called, the guy picked up, and was at my house in under an hour. My driveway is pretty long, so shoveling isn't an option. By 8AM, my driveway was clear. I had to do a little shovel work on the sidewalks, but we're cleared out.

As for the car battery issue. If your car battery is going to die after 5-6 days of sitting in cold weather, it's going to die anyway. Replace it with an AGM.

 

[The Wire]

I'm pretty jealous of all that snow on the East Coast. We haven't had a blizzard like that in a while.

There is something thats weirdly fun about everything just shutting down during a blizzard. It's almost like we can finally escape the day to day rat race shit and everything is a standstill. You go outside and all the neighbors are shoveling. All of the 'important' nonsense about getting to a work meeting or any other thing has vanished.

This is all fun as long as shit doesn't go bad obviously like losing electricity or being stuck on the road. People were caught on the turnpike in PA for 20 hours in their vehicles.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/mo...nts-bus-14-hours-pennsylvania-highway-n502866


Also the aftermath of snowstorms like that fucking suck. If you live in a city with a car its the worst. People were almost coming to blows over parking during this storm. Its another reminder that in the U.S. it the system ever failed things would get ugly fast. Its not like Japan where people are civil no matter what.

 

[roberto]

Start the car every couple of days. Don't let it idle, run it at normal revs (2,000Rpm) until the engine is fully warm on the temp gauge and hot air is coming out of the heater (10-15mins). This will dry out the engine bay and keep the battery charged and stop the ignition getting damp. Lubricate the door locks as well with WD-40 to prevent the mechanisms freezing, and check the antifreeze strength. You can get a cheap antifreeze tester from a car parts shop.

I refer you to my comments about the function of a thermostat... you don't need to drive a vehicle to get it up to temp.

It's not gonna get damp under the bonnet if it's snowing and the bonnet is shut.

If the battery can't handle being left for more than a day without you having to start it and top it up it's time for a new battery. Battery on one of my trucks died the other day. New battery onto the main truck and the hand-me-down onto the one that had died. No biggy, it's routine maintenance.

OP has probably wrung his hands together in despair at all the conficting advice and just arranged for the mafia to wreck his car for an insurance payout by now.

 

[roberto]

Think Hotwheels gave sound advice for question posed.

Also Guitarman for his revving. I do this, 10-15 cycles of 60 seconds at 2,000rpm then let idle for 30 seconds.

Hope your car was good D.O.B.A

As for testing your car batteries:

D.O.B.A (or anyone else with a suspect battery) Now is your time to plunge into the world of MULTIMETERS. Every real man should have one anyway!

If you don't already own one, i'm sure you can pick a cheap one up at an electronics store for roughly $5-$10 now.

Anyway, to test your battery:

Turn on the multimeter, select the DC volts setting

You need to put each of the two probes from the multimeter onto the two terminals of your battery(preferablly on the +ve(red) & -ve(black) sides,but dosen't really matter as you'll only get a -ve reading if you switch them)

Engine off: should read around 13.2-13.5 volts

Engine on (idling): should read around 14.2 volts

If your battery reading is under the 12.5-13 volt mark it's basically goosed, or soon will be!

Hi Mech
:sadwave:

Mate, the above is misleading in parts and in others just plain wrong.

First off the alternator will put out enough juice to top up a battery at idle. You look like less of a twat just leaving it running for ten minutes than you do sitting in it revving it for "10-15 cycles of 60 seconds at 2,000rpm then let idle for 30 seconds". You seriously mean you sit there with your foot on the pedal for over 15 minutes rather than just leaving it running?

As for the multimeter bit, a fully charged 12v battery will clock just under 13v. Stating that a battery under 13v is basically goosed is completely wrong.

The battery may read over 13v with the engine off if you've only just switched it off.

With engine running it should read between 13.5v to 14.5v depending upon alternator output.

The above only give an indication of state of charge. Your battery may still be so shagged that it can't deliver sufficient amps to start the engine. To check the CCA you need a load tester.

 

[J. Spice]

 

[Habano]

^ Probably a fake since the sign would get buried, but still hilarious.

 

[Days of Broken Arrows]

Hey gang, thanks for the info on car batteries. Mine ended up working fine. I'll keep all the info in mind.

****

In other blizzard news, I've learned a valuable lesson thanks to Facebook. When women hit the wall, they have to do all their own shoveling -- and they can't handle it.

On Facebook I'm friends with one of the hottest girls from my high school. She still looks good, but has hit the wall in other ways: Single motherhood, entitled personality, and a bundle of personal problems (all caused by her) that send people running as soon as they talk to her.

Below is the update she left on her Facebook page today:

"I officially hate my neighbors. Nobody ever asks me if I need help... My neighbors that I share a driveway with never help me, either. The only thing they did was let us borrow a shovel. They shoveled the bare minimal and there is still snow in the middle of the driveways I guess more on my side. There are three healthy adults there.... Basically it's just my son because I can't shovel much anymore. When I was younger, and stronger, I was always available to help everyone. If I was shoveling the driveway, and still had energy left, which I usually did, I would shovel someone else's driveway, Too. Feeling very frustrated with this world."

This is the latest in a litany of complaints from her. I would never have believed the person I knew in high school could end up this miserable. But to paraphrase a religious saying: The Wall works in mysterious ways.

 

[germanico]

B lizards? I am not having any of that.

Give me some A- lizards.

 

[Renton1875]

As for testing your car batteries:

D.O.B.A (or anyone else with a suspect battery)

Mate, let's look through this again......remembering who the original advice was aimed at. Quoteor anyone else with a suspect battery)

Mate, the above is misleading in parts and in others just plain wrong. Really?, let's compare.

First off the alternator will put out enough juice to top up a battery at idle. You look like less of a twat just leaving it running for ten minutes than you do sitting in it revving it for "10-15 cycles of 60 seconds at 2,000rpm then let idle for 30 seconds". You seriously mean you sit there with your foot on the pedal for over 15 minutes rather than just leaving it running?

First off, all alternators, on all cars, will put out enough 'juice' to a dead or jumped battery at idle? The second part above, the twat part, I think you've seriously misunderstood me, again


As for the multimeter bit, a fully charged 12v battery will clock just under 13v. Stating that a battery under 13v is basically goosed is completely wrong.

If your battery reading is under the 12.5-13 volt mark it's basically goosed, or soon will be!
addendum:
(If the multimeter display show's the voltage dropping from above 13 to below 12.5volt after the engines turned off, the battery is goosed or soon will be)......check(?) Roberto citation needed


The battery may read over 13v with the engine off if you've only just switched it off.

Engine off: should read around 13.2-13.5 volts.........check!


With engine running it should read between 13.5v to 14.5v depending upon alternator output.

Engine on (idling): should read around 14.2 volts........check!



The above only give an indication of state of charge. Your battery may still be so shagged that it can't deliver sufficient amps to start the engine. To check the CCA you need a load tester.

Right, everyone, quick we need load testers to check our CCA's as well.

[/quote]

Captcha problems have made me edit my reply considerably, probably a good thing!

WTF is it with people recently, you try & give a piece of friendly advice, and Bang....

 

[roberto]

Salty,

I misread your range statement "If your battery reading is under the 12.5-13 volt mark it's basically goosed, or soon will be!" as "If your battery reading is between the 12.5-13 volt mark it's basically goosed, or soon will be!

My bad, indeed I didn't read your statement correctly. Apologies mate.

"Engine off: should read around 13.2-13.5 volts" This needs a disclaimer to say that this is straight off charge, otherwise it is misleading.

A battery is 6 cells of 2.2 volts. Fully charged it will read 6*2.2=13.2v, (not 13.5v, although it might in minutes after stopping charge) as the electrolyte settles after a couple hours it will drop to around 2.1x V/cell, or 12.6-12.9v. Certainly for guy going out to test their battery as they are worried about it not starting 12.6-12.9v is the number they will want to see.

"Right, everyone, quick we need load testers to check our CCA's as well."

You'll need to load test it if you want to be sure the battery will start the car. You can have a battery read 12.8v and then only crank for a few turns.