Battery issue?

dobman88

Hi guys. 03 Toyota Corolla. Has given me no issues whatsoever. Passed NCT a week before lockdown.

Have been letting it run every few days while I'm not driving it. Went to start it on Friday and it was completely dead. Got a jump off a neighbour, drove it and let it run for an hour. Started fine on Saturday to go for the weekly shop and no issues while out except the electric windows were giving a few issues and the check engine light came on.

Just went out to start it now and it's dead again. Not even a tick out of her. I'm thinking battery and nothing serious. Any opinions?

Del2005

If you have a multi meter you can verify the battery otherwise you will need to contact a mechanic

dobman88

Del2005 wrote: »

If you have a multi meter you can verify the battery otherwise you will need to contact a mechanic

Thanks for that. If I had a multimeter I would have used it of course and the mechanics are closed until further notice. Obviously I'll be contacting them asap. I was wondering if people here would have an idea from the info I've posted as there are some knowledgeable people that post here.

Henry Ford III

Sounds like the battery is going or gone. How old is the battery? 5 years is a decent life for one.

dobman88

Henry Ford III wrote: »

Sounds like the battery is going or gone. How old is the battery? 5 years is a decent life for one.

I've only had the car for 2 and a bit years so don't know how old exactly. Won't break the bank to fix anyway.

Atlantic Dawn

What's the electric window issue? I know on some Toyotas the auto function is lost when battery dies and you need to reset it, plenty of videos on YouTube showing how to do it.

biko

If it doubt get a fresh battery. As Henry Ford III said this has the signature of a dying battery.
For older cars just idling may not produce enough current to actually charge the battery much, it needs to be driven.

dobman88

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

What's the electric window issue? I know on some Toyotas the auto function is lost when battery dies and you need to reset it, plenty of videos on YouTube showing how to do it.

Yeah it was just the auto function. They still went up and down I held the button. Will just leave it as is until it's fixed but good to know about the video. Ty

dobman88

biko wrote: »

If it doubt get a fresh battery. As Henry Ford III said this has the signature of a dying battery.
For older cars just idling may not produce enough current to actually charge the battery much, it needs to be driven.

Cheers. Took it for a good spin on the local motorway on Friday after starting it. Probably should have taken it for a spin at some stage yesterday. Lesson learned

bazz26

My father had similar issues with the battery in his Auris recently. Had it jump started and took it for a good drive to recharge. Tried starting it again a few days later and it was dead once more. Battery was tested and replaced, it hasn't failed to start since even if still only driven occasionally.

kirving

You're often better to leave it sitting than take it for just a short spin or have it run on the drive. Depends on the car of course, some will have a smart charging system to help manage the battery charge level.

As for the electric windows, I had the same previously. Lower voltage = higher current. But a heavier load on the DC motor also causes a higher current.

The window controller recognises the high current as something being stuck in the window, and so disables the auto mode for safety reasons. Should be easy to reset.

antodeco

For me, whenever I have battery issues, I always take it for a good run up and down the motorway. Idling, I find (and certainly based in your car being 17 years old) doesn't really charge the battery.

Also, check to make sure the boot light isint staying on. I had a made with a similar aged Corolla go through exact issues like you said. Brought it to mechanics, and auto electricians, and none of them were able to find the issue. After chatting to him I pulled the fuse out for the radio and he never had a flat battery again!

dobman88

Cheers, yeah checked the boot lights, overhead lights etc. All off. Made a point of turning the radio off on Saturday. And made sure 3 times the door was closed right and locked. Sounds like battery is a dead duck so just wanted to check it wasn't anything more serious.

zilog_jones

I suspect your shopping trip on Saturday wasn't long enough to give the battery a decent charge to make up for the losses in starting it twice, and letting it discharge will only make it weaker.

I'd suggest getting a multimeter first (loads on Amazon or wherever), as buying a new battery could end up being a waste if you have charging or parasitic drain issues.

Esel

Windows can be a symptom of a disconnected/reconnected battery. Check the terminals are clean and the connectors are tight.

antodeco

dobman88 wrote: »

Cheers, yeah checked the boot lights, overhead lights etc. All off. Made a point of turning the radio off on Saturday. And made sure 3 times the door was closed right and locked. Sounds like battery is a dead duck so just wanted to check it wasn't anything more serious.

My friend exact same. However, the radio for some reason was "always live" and drained the battery, even though it was off. He only realised it when he wasn't driving it as much, as the battery was always being kept topped up

kirving

Just another point on this, as it seems to be general advice on battery issues.

My sister's 07 Corsa D failed to start the other week after a few short journies.

I heard the fuel pump, starter relay and solenoid click, but no crank. Was low on fuel and on a slope. Rolled it on the flat and tried again - absolutely nothing out of it but a flashing spanner on the dash. Jumping did nothing. Reading 9V or thereabouts.

Replaced the original battery (13 years old!) - same again.

Turns out that voltages/current fluctuations during the failed attempts to starts caused the immobiliser memory to be wiped. Common problem with GM's from that era apparently. My uncle sorted a mobile mechanic to come out an re-program the immobiliser to the key.

Lesson learned, you're sometimes best not to keep trying if it won't start on the first attempt or two.