Dead battery - a real PITA

[monkahead]

Hi, I'm guessing some of you are parking your Supra in the garage for the winter. This year, I'm planning to park the car in the garage for an extended period (there's no electricity in the garage), and I'm wondering how to "maintain" the battery health while it's parked. I don't have access to an electronic charger to maintain proper battery condition for several weeks. I'd like to completely remove the battery from the trunk, but how do I open the trunk? If the battery is dead, I can connect a second battery to the terminals in the front of the car, in the engine compartment, unlock the car with the mechanical key, and simply press the trunk release button (as described in this thread). However, if the battery is completely removed, the electrical circuit will be open, so connecting a second battery to the front of the car simply will not work (my assumption).

I have an EU Supra, there's no an emergency pull cord which I could access.

Can anyone advise how to solve this? I can't leave the trunk slightly ajar for such a long winter park. Putting back the battery by crawling through the seats and the rear brace I think is not an option, I'm not a 5 foot gymnastic

Sponsored

 

[MK5_Ger]

Hi, I'm guessing some of you are parking your Supra in the garage for the winter. This year, I'm planning to park the car in the garage for an extended period (there's no electricity in the garage), and I'm wondering how to "maintain" the battery health while it's parked. I don't have access to an electronic charger to maintain proper battery condition for several weeks. I'd like to completely remove the battery from the trunk, but how do I open the trunk? If the battery is dead, I can connect a second battery to the terminals in the front of the car, in the engine compartment, unlock the car with the mechanical key, and simply press the trunk release button (as described in this thread). However, if the battery is completely removed, the electrical circuit will be open, so connecting a second battery to the front of the car simply will not work (my assumption).

I have an EU Supra, there's no an emergency pull cord which I could access.

Can anyone advise how to solve this? I can't leave the trunk slightly ajar for such a long winter park. Putting back the battery by crawling through the seats and the rear brace I think is not an option, I'm not a 5 foot gymnastic

You can either fully charge the battery before you put the car away and hope it doesn't drain much (I heard several people that did this) or put a jump pack on the terminals in the hood to get power to open the trunk. Keep in mind that the window will not go up if you don't have power. It will leave a small gap.

I did power a car with a completely dead battery just like this. Pressed the boost button on my jump pack and everything turned on, allowing me to open the trunk that can only be opened with the key or a button.

 

[J29DB03]

Hi, I'm guessing some of you are parking your Supra in the garage for the winter. This year, I'm planning to park the car in the garage for an extended period (there's no electricity in the garage), and I'm wondering how to "maintain" the battery health while it's parked. I don't have access to an electronic charger to maintain proper battery condition for several weeks. I'd like to completely remove the battery from the trunk, but how do I open the trunk? If the battery is dead, I can connect a second battery to the terminals in the front of the car, in the engine compartment, unlock the car with the mechanical key, and simply press the trunk release button (as described in this thread). However, if the battery is completely removed, the electrical circuit will be open, so connecting a second battery to the front of the car simply will not work (my assumption).

I have an EU Supra, there's no an emergency pull cord which I could access.

Can anyone advise how to solve this? I can't leave the trunk slightly ajar for such a long winter park. Putting back the battery by crawling through the seats and the rear brace I think is not an option, I'm not a 5 foot gymnastic

I’d get a battery powered electric generator (like an EGO) to plug a CTEK into. Can’t imagine it will use a ton of power so it should last for a little while before you would need to recharge the EGO batteries. The car will be just fine for that short period of not being plugged in.

 

[monkahead]

Well, I wanted to take out the battery so it could rest these few weeks in an ambient temperature, this would keep it in a safe condition. Yes, I could do as you both suggest. There's also another option, since it's possible to run the engine for 10-15 minutes each 3-4 weeks, maybe this would be enough, what do you think? Battery in the trunk is literally a PITA

 

[SJ-Ray]

There's also another option, since it's possible to run the engine for 10-15 minutes each 3-4 weeks, maybe this would be enough, what do you think? Battery in the trunk is literally a PITA

That it is not healthy for the engine, condense water will build up and can cause all kind of bad things.

My Supra also is just seasonal registered from April til end of October and i don't have the option to hook up a battery tender.

So what i will do.
- Park the car, put it in neutral and shut it off
- leave the windows a tiny bit open for air circulation
- lock the car
- open the trunk, unplug the battery and take it out
- put a towel between the trunk latch and softly put the trunk down
- air up the tires (3,5 bar)
- put something in front of them so the car does not roll away
- put the car cover over
- push the car every two weeks a little back / forth to prevent flatspots

 

[climhazzard]

That it is not healthy for the engine, condense water will build up and can cause all kind of bad things.

My Supra also is just seasonal registered from April til end of October and i don't have the option to hook up a battery tender.

So what i will do.
- Park the car, put it in neutral and shut it off
- leave the windows a tiny bit open for air circulation
- lock the car
- open the trunk, unplug the battery and take it out
- put a towel between the trunk latch and softly put the trunk down
- air up the tires (3,5 bar)
- put something in front of them so the car does not roll away
- put the car cover over
- push the car every two weeks a little back / forth to prevent flatspots

Agreed running an engine for a few minutes is a bad idea for the reasons you’ve outlined.

The ZF8 transmission will not stay neutral without using the manual override by physically accessing the transmission underneath the vehicle. It will lose hydraulic pressure after ~30 minutes and return to park.

 

[kevenv]

I park in a heated garage with no access to power (condo bldg). I disconnect the negative cable from the battery, leaving it where is is in the car. I place a shopping bag over the trunk latch and gently let the hatch down. Cover the car until spring. No issues at all.

 

[SJ-Ray]

Agreed running an engine for a few minutes is a bad idea for the reasons you’ve outlined.

The ZF8 transmission will not stay neutral without using the manual override by physically accessing the transmission underneath the vehicle. It will lose hydraulic pressure after ~30 minutes and return to park.

Oh good to know that the AT doesn't stay in neutral forever...
Tested it only once for a short moment.

Well since i plan to get new wheels and tires over the winter i don't mind if the once now on the car get flat spots.
And after the swap the old ones will just become the winter hibernating wheels

 

[monkahead]

That it is not healthy for the engine, condense water will build up and can cause all kind of bad things.

OK, better not to do it this way.

I have another idea, since I really want to remove the battery, otherwise it's gonna be dead after 3 months of garage parking. I was thinking to remove the striker so the trunk will not lock itself, it shall stay in place under it's own weight.

 

[i3igpete]

Seems unnecessarily complicated, why not rest a shirt over the latch?

 

[razorlab]

Seems unnecessarily complicated, why not rest a shirt over the latch?

Yea, I don't get it. I think he wants it fully closed but his side windows are going to be slightly cracked open anyway. Well, they won't be if he takes the battery out with the doors closed but RIP ever opening the door with the battery out after that.

 

[monkahead]

Yes guys, car must be fully closed during this 3 months long parking.

Seems unnecessarily complicated, why not rest a shirt over the latch?

You clearly haven't read my previous posts, if this was so easy, I wouldn't have asked here.

Yea, I don't get it. I think he wants it fully closed but his side windows are going to be slightly cracked open anyway. Well, they won't be if he takes the battery out with the doors closed but RIP ever opening the door with the battery out after that.

Yes, I can't leave any gap, since there might be insects in the garage which will enter the car. This already happened just over 1 night when I accidentally left a gap in the open trunk on a camping and had spider's web in there in the morning. You can't imagine how easy it is to open the door even if the window doesn't roll down, I drive Supra each winter ... it's much harder to close it, I agree.

 

[razorlab]

Yes, I can't leave any gap, since there might be insects in the garage which will enter the car. This already happened just over 1 night when I accidentally left a gap in the open trunk on a camping and had spider's web in there in the morning. You can't imagine how easy it is to open the door even if the window doesn't roll down, I drive Supra each winter ... it's much harder to close it, I agree.

Having eradicated spiders from a car that sat for awhile, I totally understand.

 

[Axix23]

Slap a
Tender from the front and crack the hood and call it a day.

 

[tracer bullet]

Slap a
Tender from the front and crack the hood and call it a day.

He doesn't have electricity available.

Reading is a lost art these days.

@monkahead - I'm wondering if the garage is secure? Is it anywhere near where you will be living?

I'm thinking that you could bring the battery inside, but charge it for a day and then bring it back to the car in the garage? Maybe do this once a month.

There are also some external batteries used to jump-start a car that might be able to be attached while it is stored, possibly (I don't know) having the function of also keeping the charge level of the battery high? It could be recharged inside overnight, every few weeks, and returned to the car.

Removing the locking mechanism from the trunk isn't a bad idea, but of course you'll want to be sure the trunk stays closed somehow. And that no one will know that it's left unlocked.

Sponsored