No I don't mean wet cell, I mean the outside. This is actually my 69 Buick. I'm having a battery issue. I haven't been driving the car, but I do start it to move it around the yard/driveway. I do my best to keep the battery charged. I've recently gotten it replated and insured, and now I'm suddenly having battery issues..... it keeps dying. I've charged it, and two weeks later its dead...less than a single volt. I've noticed that each time I've looked at the battery, the top is wet around the area of the covers to the cells. It's wet this time of year in MI, but this is under hood, so I'm not sure dew/rain would be the culprit for the wetness. I can't be a crack, because it's on top. Seems weird. As for the discharging, I have not even tried to check for a current. I may try to do that. I've never had an issue like this before. The battery is older than I thought..... says 7/15 on it. I thought it was only a year or two old, but I guess not. I normally get more years than that out of a battery since I don't live in TX or AZ heat.
It either has a shorted cell or more likely something is drawing it down. Glovebox light? Charge the battery then disconnect the Neg cable. Put a volt meter in between and start pulling fuses. When the meter reads 0 put the fuses in one at a time until you read voltage on the meter. Clean the top of the battery with warm water as well. If the top is dirty and it gets wet it can draw the battery charge down.
I think it is called a parasitic drain. Twice in the last 24 yrs I have had my clove box drain my battery, because it was not completely closed.
I've got it charging now, out of the car. I don't recall if I even have a glove box light, but I probably do. I did open it awhile back.... that could be it. I'll see if I can remove the bulb, or disconnect it, in some way.
The smart charger I bought I thought was supposed to do that, but upon getting it from Amazon, the instructions don't actually mention anything about it. What I bought is a NOCO Genius 1
Do a full visual inspection on it before you do anything else. I think you've run it dead and it's not recovering. Battery memory sucks. It might be leaking if its a wet cell, yes, it can leak out of the top especially of it's not operating correctly and getting hot during charge or discharge. Check for deformation and ensure it's at the proper level if it is wet cell. If all that checks out, throw it on a trickle charge, and monitor it during charging to see if it gets hot or starts leaking during charging. I would not leave a questionable battery unattended in anything other than a fire resistant setting, and bear in mind, from dead it takes almost a full day to charge at 2A. After a full charge re-inspect, and if it still checks out check the voltage off the charger. If it isn't at 12V+ after 20+ hours on a trickle of at least 2A, it's done. If it's at 0V, it's pretty well a write-off, but weirder things have happened. If you don't have a battery tender or trickle charger, take it to a parts store and have them test it. Sent from my SM-N976V using Tapatalk
Looking at the company website, it mentions it being automatic. I was under the impression that it would be a selected mode. I'd read the booklet again, but I don't remember where I put it. I'll go out to the garage, and look at it chargine.... seems like it was blue when I looked. Do you also have a Noco?
I did look it over, that's why I pulled it out of the car. I haven't run it dead... it was still charged the day after I took the car out for gas because I was a little suspicious that it would die again. I'm talking about leaking due to gravity. You're talking about pressure building. There shouldn't be any charging or discharging while the car is just sitting, which is what this car does.... sits. Normally, it will sit long enough to loose some charge over time, but now it's going to almost zero in a couple of weeks.... maybe sooner, but I haven't checked it any sooner. It's charging now, but the charger is only a 1amp..... I may swap the Noco charger out for my old Craftsman, which will do 10 amps, but I usually only use the 5amp setting. I've actually had pretty good success with bringing batteries back lately. When I got my Saturn it had been sitting for about a year. I left it on the charger for about 2 days, and it came back. I only replaced it after using it several months, and the dome light getting left on, and then heading towards winter. My tractor battery came back decently enough too.... had been sitting for multiple years unused in storage. It wears down fast, but for a lawn tractor it's been decent enough to use while getting it running again. I still need to get back to the carb on that.
