Well, preparing to get my 2008 out of hibernation, i come to find that my trickle charger lost contact and the battery is dead...OK, I put the charger on and give it a whirl. I get an anemic crank or 2, and then nothing. It seems like something blew (like a fuse), but on quick inspection the fuses look fine. The ABS and engine light come on, but I get no code when I scan the OBD port. Any quick fixes? Please...
Hopefully a simple help question
- Thread starter ccbatson
- Start date
rw99
Enthusiast
You might try a different charger on it... Some of the newer ones will incorrectly see a dead battery as a faulty one, and won't initiate a charge on it.
Needs a STRONG, long charge, or a boost with a strong battery/charger.
I am in the process of fully charging now, and hopefully that is all it will take. It may be that the trickle charger ("smart" sensing type) failed as it seemed properly connected and the full size charger connected and did something without a problem (lights, radio, etc). It is concerning to me that after 1 hour of charging it cranked limply and then abruptly stopped cranking at all. Another hour later, all of the accessories seem to work fine, fuses checked out, but as I push the starter button....nothing...accept a bell, ABS/engine light (but no code on OBD scan). I will keep you all posted....Thanks for the help, it is much appreciated.
Drat....I thought it was more than just not enough juice....charged fully, and zilch....could it be a fuse? They look OK, but they are mostly these weird square fuses that could be blown and I wouldn't know it? As I see it, my next step is to try a few key fuses. If that doesn't work, then detaching the positive lead from the rear feed to the jumper box and reattaching it...if that both don't work, I am stymied. Has anyone else run into this?
VENOMAHOLIC
Enthusiast
A dealer mechanic on this site has stated that the 2008 and newer Vipers are very sensitive to low voltage on batteries even on brand new cars at the dealership.
cfiiman
Viper Owner
Thanks for posting the fix glad you got her running!
Black Moon
Enthusiast
A trickle charger won't charge a battery in 2 hours. Maybe 12-24 or use a full charger.
Hamrhead
Enthusiast
Have you ever used the 'sleep mode' when storing your Viper?
Last year I was out driving my '08 and after about 45 minutes I shut it down. When I went to restart it barely cranked. Had to get a jump start. Got home and gave it a full charge and it was fine for the rest of the year.
Today I decided to start it up after sitting for just about 4 months. It's been in 'sleep mode' since November so I really thought it'd be dead. Nope - First try it spun over strong about 5-6 times and fired right up.
I guess that means I've got a decent battery, but I still don't understand why it needed a jump start last year after driving it for quite a few miles. It's like it's not charging up while driving around?
Last year I was out driving my '08 and after about 45 minutes I shut it down. When I went to restart it barely cranked. Had to get a jump start. Got home and gave it a full charge and it was fine for the rest of the year.
Today I decided to start it up after sitting for just about 4 months. It's been in 'sleep mode' since November so I really thought it'd be dead. Nope - First try it spun over strong about 5-6 times and fired right up.
I guess that means I've got a decent battery, but I still don't understand why it needed a jump start last year after driving it for quite a few miles. It's like it's not charging up while driving around?
