My dad asked me to help with it. The bad battery was an East Penn AAA branded battery he had installed in 2014, so it's lived a good life. Went with him to Costco to get a new battery with the old one for an immediate core exchange. Wasn't sure if the stock sized battery (group 35) was fine or if maybe it could be upsized to a group 24F. Decided to go with group 35 ($78.99 plus tax) since it would be easier. Looks like a fresh shipment with a 4/21 date code on it. He doesn't have the tools, so I brought my socket set and my 10mm deep socket.
I had a few problems installing. One was that the cap (in the center) isn't flush on the Costco Interstates and getting a socket in there for the clamp was a challenge. There wasn't much play to it where I could just rotate it.I didn't have an open ended wrench, which would have made it easier. I ended up rubbing the center cap.
Then came the fun part. The lights would turn on, the door locks would work, the headlights would turn on, and the radio worked. So far so good. Then I tried to start it. It just went click and nothing else would work. No lights, radio, etc. Keyless entry would give this weird sound like it was trying. Also a continuous clicking sound coming from the glove box - probably a relay just opening and closing. I could reset by disconnecting the battery (at least a minute I think or else it would still be in that weird state) and I got back to where I started. I did this about two more times including letting it sit longer connected before trying to start. But it would just refuse to do anything. I didn't bring a multimeter with me or even my Schumacher charger with a voltage reading when not actively charging. I did have an old 1.5A automatic maintainer in my trunk - the old fashioned analog kind with a 6/12V switch and a heavy transformer. I figured that I might just charge it for 10 minutes to see if somehow reset the thing properly. Lo and behold, I disconnected the maintainer and it started right up. Just as a sanity check I tried starting it a few more times and it started easily every time. I helped them get a 0.75A maintainer and my dad isn't looking to drive this car too much, so I hooked that thing up just in hopes that it will fully charge.
Any idea what the problem was? The last time they had it changed my parents had a AAA contractor install it in their driveway and the installer handled everything. Not sure if it's standard procedure to charge it or maybe jump it first. It just seemed like a reasonable thing to try before maybe calling for AAA.
I had a few problems installing. One was that the cap (in the center) isn't flush on the Costco Interstates and getting a socket in there for the clamp was a challenge. There wasn't much play to it where I could just rotate it.I didn't have an open ended wrench, which would have made it easier. I ended up rubbing the center cap.
Then came the fun part. The lights would turn on, the door locks would work, the headlights would turn on, and the radio worked. So far so good. Then I tried to start it. It just went click and nothing else would work. No lights, radio, etc. Keyless entry would give this weird sound like it was trying. Also a continuous clicking sound coming from the glove box - probably a relay just opening and closing. I could reset by disconnecting the battery (at least a minute I think or else it would still be in that weird state) and I got back to where I started. I did this about two more times including letting it sit longer connected before trying to start. But it would just refuse to do anything. I didn't bring a multimeter with me or even my Schumacher charger with a voltage reading when not actively charging. I did have an old 1.5A automatic maintainer in my trunk - the old fashioned analog kind with a 6/12V switch and a heavy transformer. I figured that I might just charge it for 10 minutes to see if somehow reset the thing properly. Lo and behold, I disconnected the maintainer and it started right up. Just as a sanity check I tried starting it a few more times and it started easily every time. I helped them get a 0.75A maintainer and my dad isn't looking to drive this car too much, so I hooked that thing up just in hopes that it will fully charge.
Any idea what the problem was? The last time they had it changed my parents had a AAA contractor install it in their driveway and the installer handled everything. Not sure if it's standard procedure to charge it or maybe jump it first. It just seemed like a reasonable thing to try before maybe calling for AAA.
