Charging issue 1989 Reatta Coupe

[gr8scott]

I've had a stroke and the DMV suspended my license, so the Reatta stood unused in the garage for months. Over time the battery lost its charge and is completely flat. I have a home battery charger which I've used in the past but this time I'm having a problem with it: When set on slow charge the needle only advances to about where the 5V mark would be (about halfway to the ten). Set to the 50 mark which is usually enough to provide an instant charge, it buzzes loud but doesn't turn the engine over. Contacts are clean and tight and connections correct. When the keys are "on" (but not the start) interior lights come on, as does the security warning, but the CRT doesn't light up. (Not sure if it is supposed to light up at this stage, I never checked it.) I checked the charger, it's OK. Not being a mechanically inclined person, I'm out of ideas. I hope some of you understand what's going on and will help me get my baby back on the road. Thanks, as always.

[EmTee]

How old is the battery?  If it was marginal before, sitting that long flat-dead probably finished it off.  I would buy a new battery and a battery tender to keep it topped-off while in storage.

[Ronnie]

I would take the battery to an auto parts store and let them charge it up and test it to see if it's bad.

 

Also, some of the newer battery charges won't charge a battery with 0 volts. The circuit in the charger that senses if you are trying to connect the charger to the battery backwards won't allow the charger t turn on if it can't sense the correct polarity. It needs some voltage in the battery to sense the polarity.

[Barney Eaton]

All of the above will work........... 

If you can jumper it and get it started,  the alternator can put enough charge on it so the battery charger will work.   

As Ronnie said,  most of the new chargers are solid state and will not charge a dead battery,  you need an old charger with

a transformer in it.     However many of the newest chargers are also maintainers.