Dead battery - a real PITA

[Evolution]

Do you have jumper cables? If so, disconnect the battery, put black clamp on the battery, red clamp on the cable you took off. Leave the other side alone and sitting in the front seat. When it comes time to power the car back on, connect the two clamps together at the other side and pop the trunk. Then connect everything back up and fire the car up like normal.

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[monkahead]

He doesn't have electricity available.
Reading is a lost art these days.

I'm glad some people still have this ability

@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.

Garage is secure and right next where I'm living. I'm going to charge the battery once per month, to maintain its health but outside of the garage, I'm not planning to move battery in and out during the parking period. Once striker is removed of course trunk must be secured from accidental opening but this is not a problem.

Do you have jumper cables? If so, disconnect the battery, put black clamp on the battery, red clamp on the cable you took off. Leave the other side alone and sitting in the front seat. When it comes time to power the car back on, connect the two clamps together at the other side and pop the trunk. Then connect everything back up and fire the car up like normal.

I do have and based on your tip I could remove the battery, extend the OEM battery wires with jumper cables, so they are closer to the door and use this extension to connect the battery just to be able to press the switch to open the trunk. I think this is the best and the easiest solution to my problem and I could normally close the trunk.

 

[MK5_Ger]

I do have have and based on your tip I could remove the battery, extend the OEM battery wires with jumper cables, so they are closer to the door and use this extension to connect the battery just to be able to press the switch to open the trunk. I think this is the best and the easiest solution to my problem and I could normally close the trunk.

You could theoretically connect your jump leads to the terminals under the hood, leave the hood a bit open and then connect a jump pack to the cables.
It would allow all windows to properly close, allow you to lock and unlock the trunk, etc.
That's what I would do.

 

[monkahead]

@MK5_Ger this only works if the 12V circuit is closed with battery in the trunk, in my case there will be no battery.

 

[lucky phil]

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

Here's what I would do in this situation on my car. I would remove the battery and connect the battery leads with a small jumper lead made from some 8 or 10 gauge wire with small alligator clips. I'd then connect my battery charger or emergency start battery pack unit to my external charge point which connects to the front battery terminals and lock the car and disconnect the charger/battery pack unit. Then reverse the process when I re commission the car.

 

[Mibson]

Car had about 400 miles when the battery went dead. Given that it's so new I wasn't prepared for this. Called a buddy to help me out and was happy to see a red spot under the hood for jump starting. But we struggled to find a convenient place for a ground. Ended up using the bolt nearby (see this thread). This did NOT work (stereo and door chime did not even come on). The engine tried to turn over but it barely moved and sounded like it was starving current.

Ended up using my friend's AAA and towed to his house (Toyota Road Side Assistance was useless - I'll post another thread on this story).

Went home and found CarGuy11 video to learn about the proper ground connection. Next day, dealer sent their tow truck and we tried jumping with the proper ground connection. As soon as the rescue battery was connected to those points, I heard relays and small motors whirring right away (good sign). Opened the door and heard the usual chime as well as the stereo, Pushed the start button and she came right up.

Worst thing ever - the owner's manual doesn't even show any info where to connect the rescue battery to jump the car. This is really bad considering the proper ground lug location is not obvious. Thanks to CarGuy11 for that tip.

Verdict from dealer: battery had an open circuit in one cell (basically a defect). New battery was installed. Noteworthy info: original battery was a BMW battery. New battery has Toyota name on it, but has a "Made in Germany" label on it. Gotta love it!

I insisted on a brand new battery for my recent purchase, I didnt even know about all this, but now I feel better.

 

[bk5]

He doesn't have electricity available.

The person making this comment probably assumed that it was common knowledge that portable trickle chargers exist and can be had on amazon for like $90.

But since that's not common knowledge: most portable jump packs have a trickle charge option. They work incredibly well and will probably charge the battery for months on a single charge. If not, you take it inside overnight and charge it back up.

I use one because I don't want cords going across the garage floor all winter. Plus, they can jump start the car, air up tires, charge up USB devices, etc. So they are great to have in the car at all times.

They also make solar powered options for like $40. I've never used a one, but I do charge my jackery on a solar panel and it works quite well.

OP, I trickle charge mine once every few weeks. I wouldn't faff around with all this effort unless you know you really need to. Get a portable jump pack that can trickle charge, and go out to the garage a few times a month and charge it for a few hours.

I think you're grossly overestimating how much charge you'll lose with the car sitting over the winter. If your car is like mine, you'll go out after two weeks and the charge on the battery will be at like 90% instead of 98%.

 

[tracer bullet]

The person making this comment probably assumed that it was common knowledge that portable trickle chargers exist and can be had on amazon for like $90.

Unless they clarify we'll never know. "Tender" to me implies plugged into 120V, it seems I wasn't the only one. I did mention portable might be an option that could itself be recharged occasionally and brought back to the car, in that we agree.

I do think you explained it better and agree that the amount of power lost from the car battery likely won't be high assuming things are in good working order.

 

[monkahead]

So this is how I prepared the car to be able to open the trunk after 6 months of garage storage. I used jump wires to "extend" OEM ones, to be able to clamp them on the battery, just next to the driver's seat. It worked perfectly.

Regarding battery maintenance, I moved battery to the basement, where the temperature is constantly 15-18C, I had to recharge it only once during all 6 months, using an automatic AGM charger. The engine started on the first try.

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