RATS! I forgot to unplug my Kenwood TM-D700 in the Jeep before I left. The radio draws almost nothing when it's off, but the Garmin "Hockey Puck" GPS receiver I have connected to it draws about 65mA, more than enough to drain a battery after 22 days away!
We first tried using one of those jumper boxes with a big GelCell battery in it, but IT was dead, so one of the logistics guys brought over a 400 Amp battery charger/booster, and a Honda Eu2000i generator.
We fired up the generator, connected everything, let it sit for a few minutes, and my Hemi rumbled to life.
It's connected to my trickle charger now, and I hope I didn't damage the battery. Ignition/Starting batteries are NOT meant to have a small, constant load connected to them, and the plates can get sulphated if you do that to them.
Hopefully the trickle charge will clean things up.
And my dogs went absolutely bonkers when I got home. I thoguh they were going to crash through the gate when I pulled in the driveway and got out of the Jeep!
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Merry Christmas - <i>He Is Born</i> -
I'd like to wish my friends here a very Merry Christmas, and a very Happy New Year. We'll be having our Christmas Dinner with family...
Welcome home, sailor. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks!
ReplyDeleteThis was my 15th launch, and it never gets old.
Welcome back Sir! And get an Optima... :-)
ReplyDeleteWell, this one came back OK after an afternoon of trickle-charging. I went to AutoZone and they load tested it for me, and it passed 100%.
ReplyDeleteI use Optima "Yellow Tops" in my solar array, and in my previous Grand Cherokee, but they don't make one for my 5.7 Hemi. It has a HUGE battery in it, one of the biggest I've ever seen in a passenger car. I think it came with the heavy-duty trailer-towing package, which also included God's Own Alternator, a hydraulically-driven ( ! ), thermostaically-controlled engine cooling fan, and oil and tranmission fluid coolers.
With the right tires on it, I could probably unstick an M1A1!