2006 Hyundai Sonata Dead batter, charged battery, lights wo

MMWEBER05

MEMBER
2006 HYUNDAI SONATA
6 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
55,000 MILES

I left the headlights on for 24 hours which drained the battery. Tried charging the battery for 1/2 hour including 15 minutes running the charging car at approximately 2000 rpms. Now all the lights work, including the headlights, but the car won't start. Any help on what is the problem and how to fix it?

Sunday, April 5th, 2009 AT 7:14 PM

1 Reply

ZACKMAN

MECHANIC
4,202 POSTS

Contrary to the popular belief that alternator "charges" battery, it only maintains the charge that the battery already has. Running the vehicle at 2000 rpms for 15 minutes won't do it.

You have two options:
1. Remove the battery and take it to your local parts store. Most store can charge it for about 1 hour, and they usually will do it for free.

2. Use an external, actual battery charger, follow the instruction. Usually home charger will fully charge a battery between 4 - 8 hours. Battery removed from vehicle of course.

I prefer option number 1. Once the battery is charged, they can perform a load test on the battery. Usually, you get about 3 years of life from a factory battery.

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Sunday, April 5th, 2009 AT 11:28 PM