Battery dead? HELP NEEDED NOW!!!

[Sellshomesdrivesviper]

I went to start the beast tonight, a 2005 SRT10 with 2200 miles on the clock.

All I heard was a rapid fire, machine gun type, clicking sound.
Everything else seems to work, lights, radio, etc.,though sitting in the garage with the lights and radio on doesn't have the same effect as starting it and driving out of the garage.

Is this the battery, and if so, what do I do now?

Seems to be to soon for a battery, no?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

 

[zen garage]

Battery is dead....jump it, drive it, park it and make sure everything is off. most likely you left a map light on or something. It takes a full charge to start our cars, your battery was probably drained a little bit

 

[Nobody]

Stock battery is shot they **** ass in these cars for an occassional driver I have less miles than you on a 05 and I am on battery #3 ...hell they had to put a new battery in it to get off the show room floor ...it's the battery not the car, I put the car to sleep and I have the battery tender on it aswell..just that it's under warranty so DC can keep buying me these [******] batteries till warranty runs out ... then i'll buy a good one YRMV

 

[Mike Dolan]

My battery also went out in a couple of months, with only a couple thousand miles on the car - '05 Vert.

It's under warranty, so although it's a minor hassle, it isn't anything to lose sleep over either.

Regards,
Mike Dolan

 

[Sellshomesdrivesviper]

Is there a certain way to jump this car/battery?
Yes, I know the battery is in the truck, and the positive jump location is under the hood.
Any specific directions I need to follow to properly jump this battery, regarding the alarm system, etc.

 

[toomanymodz]

When I bought my Viper two weeks ago, the dealer had to jump-start it to get it out of the showroom. I drove it home, tried to start it and it still didn't have enough juice. They swapped out the battery for a new one.

 

[Michael Hatch]

Just for reference, there are some new batteries on the market of which the brand name escapes me at the moment but the point is that these are wet mat technology. This is absolutely the best for limited use vehicles. The benefit is the battery loses almost no charge during times of no use. I put them in my boat and Jet ski and am buying one for my 04SRT. the jet ski wasnt started for 4-5 months and cranked right up. Just Amazing.
Look for these at a marine store. I know T.A.Mahoney in Tampa carries 2 brands of them. 813-241-6500. they can give you the brand names and possibly where to get one in your area. One brand is better than the other so ask them which one they use themselves. the cost is about double a lead/acid type but absolutely worth every cent. they last twice as long also so your actual cost is about the same as the crappy L/A type. No trickle charging needed. Problem Solved.

 

[RoadiJeff]

Stock battery is shot they **** ass in these cars

Well, I dunno. I have 16,800 miles on my '99 RT/10. The original battery was still going strong. I just changed it with a Diehard this weekend because I figured it would not last forever, although it came close. I wonder just how long it would have lasted?

Anyway, what is that little sensor-like thing at the right rear of the battery tray? It looks like some sort of pressure sensor, like it is there to detect the presence of the battery. However, if the battery isn't there then the sensor would not activate either. The pressure plate seems like it is closed if the battery is pushed all the way back into the tray against it.

 

[ILTTG]

Haha wow. I just got on the forums this morning because I had the EXACT same problem trying to get to work today. I hadn't used the car over the weekend and when I tried to start it, I got the same machine gun sound you did. I checked the battery voltage with a multimeter and it was about 12.07, which was quite odd because the doors were opening, headlights were turning on, and everything else electrical was fine, as in your case.

I ended up having to get a jump start.

I am positive I didn't leave anything on, either. I am not sure if I should go harass my local dealer, since the car is starting normally now. Well, last time I checked anyway. The jump was only 30 minutes ago.

 

[Kai SRT10]

Is the SRT battery a standard Group 34 size?

 

[Flexx91]

I'm on my third Mopar battery in only 900 miles of ownership with my '05. I decided to go with an Optima 34/78 Yellow Top. AutoZone sells them for $219.99 online but I managed to order one brand new online (can't remember the name of the site) for $165 including shipping. I also added a Battery Tender and hard mounted the supplied harness (positive wire connected to the positive battery terminal and the negative lead connected to the ground where the negative battery cable connects to the frame) for easy and quick connect/disconnect to the unit.

Also, excessive charging of the Mopar battery (deep cycle) will significantly shorten its life.

Dealing with the fiasco of having to bring the car to the dealership three times for new batteries has caused me to loose faith and confidence in the Mopar battery. I decided to spend a little extra money for a better and more reliable battery. Besides, I wouldn't want to be left stranded in someone's parking lot.

 

[Kai SRT10]

I'm on my third Mopar battery in only 900 miles of ownership with my '05. I decided to go with an Optima 34/78 Yellow Top.

Is the Optima a direct fit, or do you have to modify the tray to get it to fit?

 

[Sellshomesdrivesviper]

How do you wire it directly without using the alligator clips? A photo or installation instructions would be great.
Thanks,
Signed by 2-left hands

 

[Sellshomesdrivesviper]

By the way do you do anything special regarding disconnecting the battery or re-setting the alarm?

 

[05Viper]

18000 on my 05. Battery is still kicking.

 

[Viper X]

The Optima yellow top works well and fits without modification. You will need to mod the battery temp sensor. It is simple to do and instructions are in the archives.

Dan

 

[Flexx91]

The Optima 34/78 Yellow Top is a direct fit. If you're unfamiliar with Optimas, the Yellow Top is the deep cycle version of the Red Top. Red Tops are designed for starting only.

No modification of the tray is necessary. Just unscrew the positive top terminal post connector nut (the nut that separates the terminal from the cable), connect the supplied Battery Tender positive (red) harness ring connector to the terminal stud then srew on the nut and tighten. For the negative side, unscrew the the nut where the negative battery cable terminates at the frame. Connect the negative ring connector, screw on the nut then tighten. When you're ready to use your Battery Tender, all you have to do is plug in the output cable from the unit to the harness.

 

[Sellshomesdrivesviper]

The Optima 34/78 Yellow Top is a direct fit. If you're unfamiliar with Optimas, the Yellow Top is the deep cycle version of the Red Top. Red Tops are designed for starting only.

No modification of the tray is necessary. Just unscrew the positive top terminal post connector nut (the nut that separates the terminal from the cable), connect the supplied Battery Tender positive (red) harness ring connector to the terminal stud then srew on the nut and tighten. For the negative side, unscrew the the nut where the negative battery cable terminates at the frame. Connect the negative ring connector, screw on the nut then tighten. When you're ready to use your Battery Tender, all you have to do is plug in the output cable from the unit to the harness.

Its done and charging, thanks to everybody that took time out of their busy schedule to assist me. Drinks are on me.

 

[RAYSIR]

On a 2005 with only 2200 miles you need a battery trickle charger connected WHEN you are'nt driving it. Even a battery sitting on a shelf Brand new has to be charged an Rotated. Go to a Parts store and get a battery trickle charger for a car not used much. Even the computer will cause a slight drain. I store my cars in the winter and have a 1 Amp charger on them. They start up after 5 months and good all summer. Therew is NO battery on the market that can set un attended without periodic charging. Even the small watch batteries have to be discarded from shelf life. But we're talk'n 500 AQmp draw batteries.

 

[Sellshomesdrivesviper]

Thank you -to all that responded.

I went out and bought a Battery Tender Plus from Deltran.

Installed (hardwire) and charged it up, this morning I got up and saw the light is solid green on the charger, thats a good sign, will crank it up when it stops raining.

Thanks again.

 

[Racer Robbie]

I am on my first OEM battery in my 2003 Viper. In the winter I start it about every 2 weeks. If you store it for a long time you can put the car in a low power draining battery save mode. Your owners manual tells how to do this.

Here is the proper way to start up a viper after disconnecting/reconnecting the battery.

Have your key in your hand and disconnect the battery. Wait a minute and then reconnectthe battery. The car will go into theft mode and lock down. USE YOUR KEY TO UNLOCK THE DOOR USING THE KEY HOLE UNDER THE DRIVERS DOOR. When the door pops open get into the car and do not touch anything, not even the clutch. Put the key into the ignition and turn it to the on position, DO NOT START THE CAR. After the car cycles thru all the lights will stay lite and the cd player will stop making noises, this ay take a couple of minutes. Turn off the key. Start the car as normal and you should be ok.

Denise, I hope this helps you out,

Robbie