You think it is just the battery?

[JHill9]

Work has been crazy and I have only driven the car once in the last month. Today I realized I forgot to put the car on the battery tender so I went to plug it in. When I did the locks on the car started clicking and the radar detector kept beeping (looks like I left it on). I am assuming I drained the battery completely. Can I plug the battery tender in and after a while the clicking will go away? Or am I going to have to pull the battery out and try to recharge it first?

 

[Ratical2]

That depends on your battery tender. I think most can only handle a small current that trickle charges your battery.
You would need to bring the battery back up to 12 Volts for the battery tender to maintain that voltage.
Why would you need to remove the battery to charge it? You can access the battery from the driver side remote terminals to charge or check voltage.

 

[JHill9]

I was thinking I would have to pull the battery and take it someplace to get it charged. The only charger I have is the battery tender. I will see if I can find someone with a charger.

Do you know if the clicking sound from the locks is normal when the battery is low?

 

[Ratical2]

I understand what you mean now.
As far as clicking sounds, these cars do a lot of weird things when and if the voltage is too low.
What brand of battery tender do you have? It looks like the Battery Tender TM tenders have the ability to charge as well as maintain battery voltage.
Battery Tender - Home of the Battery Tender Jr. - Batterytender.com

 

[plumcrazy]

it "might" be able to be taken out and charged properly but i doubt it. most likely need a new battery

how old is it ?

 

[DrumrBoy]

I agree with Plum.... if the battery gets very low on charge, sometimes it never comes back to good-as-new. Either it won't hold a charge or will deliver less cranking power. Hard to tell until you charge it up, but be prepared to replace it if it doesn't behave exactly as it once did.

I have recharged batteries that were stone-dead using just the Battery Tender....takes a long time, 24+ hours, but it does work. Proper battery chargers work better/faster but the Tender will do it. Give it a try but be prepared to replace.

 

[JHill9]

The tender is a deltran battery tender 800 automatic battery charger. Battery is around 2 years old I think. It was in the car when I bought it.

Should I find a bigger charger and try that first or just plug in the tender. I would plug in the tender and let it sit for a few days but I am afraid the clicking will be bad for the car. Any thoughts on if the clicking is a bad thing?

 

[chiefchad]

A bigger charger doesn't mean you will get a better charge. In fact, a trickle charge is better than a high current to recharge your battery - it just takes longer. If your battery tender has a 1.0 to 2.0 amp charge that is a good feed - just make sure you charge for more than a few hours. Your battery, at room temperature, should read roughly 12.5 volts at full charge. Anything less than 12.0 volts - you should replace the battery. Having said that, a real test of the batteries' worth is, after reaching full charge, do a load test which will let you know if the cold cranking amps (required for starting the vehicle) stays strong, even after a large draw of juice. You can buy a simple battery load tester for around $20.00. I think it's a great investment. A simple (not a fancy) voltmeter will run you at $10.00. Another great investment.

The beauty of having the voltmeter is that you can also make sure the alternator is putting out the required juice to recharge and maintain your battery while running. Even though your gauges should show the current running to your battery at 14.0 volts (roughly) I like to do a test right at the alterator posts to be sure (and a little more accurate). 13.6 volts or higher is good.

 

[JHill9]

I went to my dad's place and he had a 2a/6a battery charger. Took it home with me and pluged in the viper for about 30 mins. As soon as I pluged it in I heard one click and then silence. If anyone can explain why the locks would start clicking when I would plug in my tender I would like to know the reason. I then switched it out for my battery tender because I felt that a slower charge would be better in the long run. (I have no idea if that is true, but it sounded good in my head). Now I will let it sit till the tender says it is fully charged. Hope it works because I have to get it out and drive it next week. Thanks for everyones help.

 

[supersnake]

Was your Car Parked with tha alarm on? If so when the battery voltage drops off and you hook up a charger. The alarm is trying to maintain the alarm. I bet your lights were flashing as well as your door locks. Mine does this every time I disconnect the batteries for winter storage and hook them up in the spring. Just charge your battery up and you should be fine.

 

[JHill9]

Was your Car Parked with tha alarm on? If so when the battery voltage drops off and you hook up a charger. The alarm is trying to maintain the alarm. I bet your lights were flashing as well as your door locks. Mine does this every time I disconnect the batteries for winter storage and hook them up in the spring. Just charge your battery up and you should be fine.

I don't believe the alarm was set but the radar detector was plugged in. I always figured the cigarette lighter always turned off when the car was off but I guess I was wrong. When the locks were clicking the detector lights were flashing too.

24 hours on the battery tender and it is still charging. I still have my fingers crossed that it will be back to 100% by Tuesday.

 

[01sapphirebob]

Good luck. As mentioned before, I would be ready to replace the battery though. From all that I have read once a viper battery is drained you are pretty much assured that it will act up until it gets replaced.

 

[Madduc]

It will take a long time for the Battery Tender to fully charge your battery. Your tender as a max charge of .8 amps, let's say it's 1 amp. The reserve capacity of your battery is likely in the 120-160 amp hour rating. So at 1 amp an hour, it will take roughly 120 -160 hours to fully charge the battery.

 

[JHill9]

It will take a long time for the Battery Tender to fully charge your battery. Your tender as a max charge of .8 amps, let's say it's 1 amp. The reserve capacity of your battery is likely in the 120-160 amp hour rating. So at 1 amp an hour, it will take roughly 120 -160 hours to fully charge the battery.

2 days down and still charging. I will put the bigger charger on it tomorrow morning if it is still charging. Is it better to let a charger charge the battery or drive it around for a few hours to get it back to 100%?

 

[eucharistos]

if it starts, drive it

 

[Black Moon]

I've had mine drain down to dead several times and it always came back for me and it's five years old. If it doesn't charge back in a day or two at the most you probably have a bad cell in the battery and it will need replacing. I'd start it and run it for 15-30 minutes then put the tender back on it. Good luck

 

[chiefchad]

2 days down and still charging. I will put the bigger charger on it tomorrow morning if it is still charging. Is it better to let a charger charge the battery or drive it around for a few hours to get it back to 100%?

I'd check the voltage before you spin the starter. If you try to start the engine and it cranks over but doesn't start then you have just drained some good juice and need to charge all over again. If you can read the voltage and its over 11.0 volts - it will probably start.
My suggestion though, especially if you have other batteries, (vehicles, ATV's jet skis etc.) is to buy a charger that allows you to charge at a small current 2.0 amps and larger currents 30 and 60 amps. That way you have a choice to as how fast you want to charge the batteries. This basic charger should only be around $50.00. It should have a gauge on it that shows the voltage of the battery as well.