Toyota Avensis Parked For 3 Months, Have I Killed It?

[luckyeddie]

Hi.

Owing to severe illness and disability (which is now being fixed), my Toyota Avensis was parked on the drive since early August. Yesterday, the doctor said that I could drive again, so I went to start it to take it to the garage for a service and MOT.

The central locking was dead - I hoped it was the key but no. I opened the door manually and put the key in the ignition, turned it and - totally dead. Not a jot. No solenoid click, no lights coming on and dimming, nothing. Flat Battery, I thought.

Tonight I put the Battery on charge - all the lights started flashing and a red light on the dashboard flashed too. I thought that I must have left the emergency warning lights on but no - I switched them on and off, all the flashing lights stopped and the red light stayed on steady.

After half an hour, I disconnected the charger and turned the ignition one click - lights came on, whoopee. I chanced trying to start it but all the warning lights lit up faintly.

I'm hoping and praying that it was just the Battery as flat as old boots, and so it's back on charge for the next few hours but .....

that red light at the left hand side of the dashboard -does anyone know what it is? I can't find my owners handbook. Have I killed my car?

[Jan&tone]

Sounds like a very dead Battery. It may not hold a charge. If you are in club Toyota give them a call and a very nice man from the aa will get it going I suspect

[Black Knight]

I'm assuming it's a trickle charger rather than a booster (i.e. not a jump starter style unit) then I suspect half an hour will have had next to no effect (except just enough to get the dash lights on). It'll need at least overnight I'd guess and probably better with a jump start plus 20 minute drive if it'll actually old charge again

[bestseany]

Car's do odd things when the Battery charge is very very low.

Half an hour won't have put hardly any electricity back into it! Car batteries don't like being run down to empty so I'd be surprised if that Battery was usable now.

[Thermal]

Hi,

The following example is not entirely correct, but just to give you an idea:

Suppose the car has a 70 Ah Battery installed, which is now completely flat.

Provided the Battery is not too old (< 5 years) charging with an average current of 2 Amps will theoretically take ~ (70 / 2) =35 hours.

So, leave the charger on over night and then it will probably start.

If in doubt, replace the Battery before winter strikes.

Good luck.

[Old Red Celica]

Also if it's a trickle charger it may not have enough kick to start the charging process off. Trickle chargers are great for keeping a Battery topped up, also when you charge the Battery are you keeping it connected to the car?

[darkt]

That Battery of yours might need 1/2 booster followed by a trickle charge of at least 24 hours to give it any chance of coming back to life, you are far better taking it of the car and then reconnecting, at least then nothing on the car is taking any thing out of it while you are charging it.

But I think that after a couple of months being drained it could be a very dead Battery.

[chandler32]

It'll be fine. Give a good charge and then a good run. I used to work away for a few months at a time, come back jump start it and drive it for an hour or so. It takes a week for it to be totally fine again but i never had any problems. remember to check all the fluids and test your brakes at slow speed in case anything has seized.