I posted the below last week and got advice to change the battery. I just finished changing it and still nothing. What is the next step or do I just need to get it towed at this point since I don't really know what I am doing?


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I just got a 1994 Lexus LS400 and amhaving trouble with the battery and am trying to find out if I need to replace it or not. I don't have a meter or a charger and don't want to buy one just to find out I need to buy a battery anyway. Here is the deal...

I had the care shippedup from Florida to DC in early Decemeber. It ran fine for a few weeks but then I went away for the holidays and work and it sat for a month in the cold. I tried to start it after a month and heard a clicking sound but it did not turn over. I assumed it was the battery and although I should have jumped it right there I waited a week to do it. This time with the car hooked up to my other car, it would not start and no noise. I let it charge for about five minutes and tried again with no success.

Question is - if the battery is drained am I ultimately going to need a new battery so might as well buy one now? Do batteries come back to life from this? Should I try hooking it up to my other car and letting it charge longer and trying again? How else can I fid out if the battery is "dead-dead" or just needs a charge? It did sit for month in really cold weather so that might be the issue.

Suggestion:

Take the battery to an Auto Parts store and have it tested.

It sounds like you have a dead cell inside the battery. If there is a dead cell, you will need to replace the battery, which I am reasonably the auto parts store will be more than willing to do.

Have you made sure that the ground cable (connecting negative electrode and the car's body) is not broken? It seems to me the battery does not get charged well. In general, charging a completely drained battery is not a problem.

One way of finding out is to use the battery from your other car to try to get this car running.
Always check to see if your cable connections are tight.
If the car starts with another battery, have the old battery checked. Go to TWO stores and don't mention one to the other. Some stores try to sell you something you don't really need. It may just not be fully charged.
Buying a battery charger has been one of my best investments.

If you have an autozone where you are at you can take your battery there where they will check to see if the battery is still good.