Frozen battery

[Aron]

I need to move my car around or else the apartment complex management is going to have it towed. I tried to jumpstart it for a half hour yesterday with no luck, so I'm sure the battery is frozen.

This morning I pulled it out and brought it into the house and put it on the charger. It got to 100% charge so I took it out and tried it but it still won't start the car. It's still cold to the touch too.

Is this battery junk or will it work after it thaws out? I got it back inside on the charger again. I'd hate to go out and buy a new battery now when the cars going to just sit for a couple months still.

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[01Sleeper]

try your battery from the blazer

 

[Flyn]

Good idea. If the car turns over but won't start with the other battery, you could old school it and spray some starting fluid into the air intake. That almost always works.

 

[CREJoe]

The battery could be junk but let it thaw out completely before charging. They won't charge when frozen. I've had them freeze completely and after thawing and then charging, they worked fine. A lot also depends on the age of the battery. Good luck. :biggthump


Joe

 

[Aron]

I would swap it with the Blazer batt, but I'm not supposed to work on cars in the parking lot. I'm pushing my luck as it is messing with the car's batt. I'm gonna have to keep moving it around so I'm just going to get a cheapo new one and keep it in the house on the trickle charger and throw it in when I need to move it.

 

[BlaqSnake]

I'm just going to get a cheapo new one and keep it in the house on the trickle charger and throw it in when I need to move it.

...or start the car once a week

 

[Aron]

...or start the car once a week

Trans leaks real bad right onto the exhaust, which is why I haven't moved it or started it.

 

[Aron]

I'm back from getting a battery now. Turns out the battery in the car was from Wal Mart and was less than a year old, though I lost the receipt. They still took it back and replaced it under warranty. I threw it in and the sumbitch fired right up. Great success!

 

[IZZy]

success!!

 

[Bigturbonotch]

take torch to heat up

 

[Aron]

Next time I put the battery in my nitrous bottle heater lol

 

[sideways]

take torch to heat up

dammit i came in here to post that. guess i gotta get on here more often

 

[BlaqSnake]

I threw it in and the sumbitch fired right up. Great success!

:headbang:

 

[Flyn]

If you guys use a torch to heat a battery, make sure you vent the gasses under the hood first. You don't want click...BOOM!

 

[Aron]

If you guys use a torch to heat a battery, make sure you vent the gasses under the hood first. You don't want click...BOOM!

I'm pretty sure they were joking... at least I hope so.

 

[The Beast]

I need to move my car around or else the apartment complex management is going to have it towed. I tried to jumpstart it for a half hour yesterday with no luck, so I'm sure the battery is frozen.

This morning I pulled it out and brought it into the house and put it on the charger. It got to 100% charge so I took it out and tried it but it still won't start the car. It's still cold to the touch too.

Is this battery junk or will it work after it thaws out? I got it back inside on the charger again. I'd hate to go out and buy a new battery now when the cars going to just sit for a couple months still.

Try icy hot around battery make sure you use a thick layer. It works

 

[Flyn]

I'm pretty sure they were joking... at least I hope so.

You never know. I'm getting cautious in my "old" age but I did some risky [stupid] things when I worked on my cars as a kid.

 

[Dana]

For the original poster:
You should consider yourself extremely lucky you didn't get injured if you tried to jump start the car. A frozen battery can be like a bomb filled with acid if it explodes. Suddenly jolting it with a jump can cause this kind of explosion.

One good clue to see if the battery is in fact frozen is that the sides of the battery case will be bulging out.

Best thing to do, if you suspect it is frozen, is bring the battery indoors and allow it to thaw out at room temperature, not by applying heat. When the battery is completely thawed, then you can try to slowly recharge it. If it will accept a charge, there may be some life still left in it. Normally, freezing a battery will end it's life or at least dramatically shorten it.

They freeze because they are in a discharged condition which means that the fluid is mostly water and not an acid/water mix, as it is when the battery is in a normal charged state. Keeping the battery in a charged condition normally will prevent freezing.

 

[Aron]

Great info, thanks