Car won't start?

[V10 ACR]

Help. I think I need a new battery, but I am not sure. 2005 Copperhead with 4,000 miles. It has been parked for two weeks. Get in, turn key and all looks ok. Radio is on, nice and strong. Push the button and the ignition clicks. I have had a dead battery in other cars with similar clicking, but not nearly as loud or as quick. This sounds like a rapid fire gun. Turn on head lights, they fire up, radio is loud. Try again and same rapid-fire loud clicking. I go to jump it and it is exactly the same, a jump wont start it, same clicking and there seems to be plenty of electrical power. I can't see the engine, but my daughter says that its "shaking" in time to the clicking sound. Is this the battery, a short of some kind, the starter? Any ideas before I try and find a new battery at 7:30 at night?

Thanks!

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

Shaking? is it turning over?

And is the car your jumping it with have a large enough engine?

 

[dave6666]

Do the lights and radio dim when you crank it?

Are they brighter with the jump vehicle attached?

 

[SCOTTB]

We have had that happen at the dealership on vipers its your battery you need 2 sets of jumper cabels on the car it should fire right up!

 

[V10 ACR]

It does not turn over, the lights and radio do not appear to dim or quite when I hit the start button. I had my daughter hit the start button and watched the engine. It does shake. It looks like the starter tries to hit, can make it and shorts and then tries again. Only place open now is Wal-Mart I'm off to see if they have one in stock.

 

[Izover4u]

Help. I think I need a new battery, but I am not sure. 2005 Copperhead with 4,000 miles. It has been parked for two weeks. Get in, turn key and all looks ok. Radio is on, nice and strong. Push the button and the ignition clicks. I have had a dead battery in other cars with similar clicking, but not nearly as loud or as quick. This sounds like a rapid fire gun. Turn on head lights, they fire up, radio is loud. Try again and same rapid-fire loud clicking. I go to jump it and it is exactly the same, a jump wont start it, same clicking and there seems to be plenty of electrical power. I can't see the engine, but my daughter says that its "shaking" in time to the clicking sound. Is this the battery, a short of some kind, the starter? Any ideas before I try and find a new battery at 7:30 at night?

Thanks!

Same thing happened to me... I couldnt even jump the car... I put the battery on a charger for an hour or so and the car started right up. You need a new battery

 

[FangZ]

Yep, same thing happened to me. You need a new battery. If you have to have one right now, get it at Walmart. After my battery issue, I installed a battery tender... no more problems since then.

 

[ViperBran]

I know it sounds stupid, but you should check how you hook up the cables.

 

[Flexx91]

Need a new battery. Lights, radio, and the AC blower working will fool you into thinking that the battery has enough power to turn the starter. It does not. That's why you hear the loud clicking.

 

[Nader]

He is right. The starter needs a decent amount of power to turn over the v10.

 

[Burntrubber]

just went through this over the weekend. you need a new battery and/or jump. For a genII (which I will assume the same) all electrical works, if you turn the key to "on" you volts are probably 8 or so, they need to be over 12.
Find a large v8 SUV or a diesel to jump it.
then get a battery tender or start it up in the garage every few days.

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

After I signed over the check on my GTS I went out side to drive it home and it wouldn't start. I gave it a slight push, popped the clutch and it fired right up. Can the Gen III be push started???????

 

[ryan9764]

Exact same thing just happened to me. Lights work, radio. The battery had not been holding a charge for more than 2 weeks while i had it stored. Then the same sound today from the starter. Getting a new batt. under warranty.

 

[ulllose]

I would say you just need to charge the battery. Why buy a new one? The car has not been driven in 2 weeks. Maybe you left something on? Maybe you set the alarm and the red light was blinking for 2 weeks straight and drained the battery. Either way you need a better host for jumping the car or better cables. Takes alot to turn this motor so a crap pair of cables or a bad connection on your part sounds like your problem.

Makes sure you have a good connection with the cables and also make sure you have a GOOD pair of cables. After that buy your self a battery tender for those times it sits for awhile.

Also you could have ledft something plug into the 12v Acc. (radar/ipod/phone,etc) that all takes alittle juice and if the car was not driven in 2 weeks, well that would drain it .

 

[Racer Robbie]

After I signed over the check on my GTS I went out side to drive it home and it wouldn't start. I gave it a slight push, popped the clutch and it fired right up. Can the Gen III be push started???????

Yes, Andrew, Generation 3 vipers can be push started.

To the rest of you guys, viper starters draw a ton of amperage and most of the jumper cables that you buy ion discount stores do not have heavy enough wire or clamps to handle that amperage. For years I have purchased heavy duty clamps at NAPA and then made my own cables from copper heavy gauge welding cable. This way you can make them as long as you want and they coil up real nice and neat for storage.

 

[Nader]

Not to hijack the thread can someone recommend a battery tender to maintain the battery in periods of extended storage? Do you hook it up to the post under the hood?

 

[jimmy6383]

Wanted to go for a cruise late last summer/fall and had a dead battery. Didn't want to wait so I pushed my dad down the road in second, dropped the clutch and it fired up. Picked my girlfriend up, needed gas, and forgot the battery was dead. Needless to say it was pretty funny scene with my 120lb girlfriend pushing me around the gas station. Obviously, I was going to push, but she was too afraid she was going to break the car or something.

 

[Venomiss]

Not to hijack the thread can someone recommend a battery tender to maintain the battery in periods of extended storage? Do you hook it up to the post under the hood?

This may have some answers for you.
http://forums.viperclub.org/rt-10-gts-discussions/606994-battery-jumping-post-under-hood.html

 

[CaptainDavid]

90% Chance of Battery going kaput.. Sounds like my Vipe when the Batt went. Go to Sears get the Platnum Battery with the 360 year warrenty, from now on it will be their problem------Favorite line from a movie- Forrest Gump- "one less thing to worry about"

 

[ulllose]

nader-----The original "Battery Tender" is a great one. (google it) I hook mine up under the hood and run the wire out of the grill and then to the outlet. Many different options for hardwiring if you want also....

 

[Coloviper]

Battery is probably fine. My did this every Spring until I purchased a Battery Tender. Now I have an Hybrid Viper car because I have to plug it in every night. At least that is what I tell my pompus smug neighbor with his Lexus I400h. Ha! Ha!

Seriously, I have noticed that on my 06 if I just park it in the garage but not lock the doors or arm the alarm, it will last for 6 weeks just sitting there, then dead if not tended to! That is with the second replacement warranty battery Dodge gave me. It's not the battery in most cases. HOWEVER it will go over 11 weeks if I put the car in that storage mode setting and still start. I tested that out.

In the end, I wired up the battery tender wires to the battery and have the plug come down underneath the rear ground effects in the bumper inserts, tucked away nicely. Then I just plug it in back there when I get home. I put the ugliest pink ribbon with a big bow on the tender power lines so I remember to unplug the damn thing. Sometimes you want to drive the car so bad, you might forget.

I agree, the original Battery Tender is the way to go. I have three now. One for the Viper, one for the Saleen and one for the Mach 1.

 

[Racer Robbie]

Here is another option that I have installed on customers car and boats. It is called Priority Start. It disconnects the battery before it becomes completely drained and leaves enough voltage availble to start the engine.

Here is the website. http://www.prioritystart.com/

I will be installing one of these this spring as my battery was dead after being sitting for 2 months. But after recharging the battery, at 2 amps overnight, and load testing it, everything was fine. The battery is a good as new.

Also here is the battery tender I have been using for years on our farm equipment. I am going to install one of these near the battery in the rear of the viper or under the hood connected to the circuit breaker box.Summit SUM-1214CChttp://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=SUM%2D1214CC&N=70 0+%2D107308+115&autoview=sku