Maintenance on truck which hasn’t been started in months

My Tacoma has been sitting around for many months now. It hasn’t been started in a few months, and was rarely used since last summer anyway. I had some significant health issues, was in the hospital even. I can’t believe how much time has gone by since I’ve started it.

I’ll need to jump start to take it to the shop. I believe it needs a new battery(but maybe it’s the alternator?), and it’s definitely overdue for an oil change. I’m wondering if there are some precautions I should take before starting it.

I’ve done oil changes before. So I suppose I could do it here if that would better before starting it. However, I don’t think my parents would like that. Their association might actually have a rule against it now that I think about it. I’m not sure I trust myself to an oil change for the first time in over a decade without leaving at least one oil stain somewhere, and my parent’s are uptight about following the rules.

As for the battery, I’d rather take the truck to the mechanic and make sure that’s the problem before buying one. The battery had a good charge last time, but doesn’t hold the charge. Next day, it was dead again. That was a few months ago.

Is it ok for me to simply jump start it and take it to the mechanic? Should I consider changing the oil before starting it? Thanks in advance to any responses. Permies is a more comfortable place for me ask auto questions than on an auto forum.

Hi Kevin;
The best thing you could do is to put a trickle charger on the battery overnight.
Batteries drain down while a vehicle is parked.  Modern vehicles have electronic parts that draw power constantly, and over time it drains the battery.
Jumpstarting and running the car to warm it up will not put enough power back in to make it last long at all.
They need 6-8 hrs on a slow charger to really fill back up. Or a several-hour drive at highway speeds.
There should not be any problem with your alternator.
They make small solar panels that sit on the dashboard and plug into the car (CIG LIGHTER) or a USB port if your toyo has them, it would help keep the batty charged while parked.


No need to change your oil, let the shop do that.
Hopefully, you have plenty of fuel in it, as gasoline does go bad. Stop and top up your tank before you park it again.

I agree with Thomas about both charging the battery and changing the oil.

Our household has two vehicles when we really only need one.

To keep my car running I drive it once a week.  At first, I would drive around the house 6 times. That area is our Zone One and includes the location of the water trough for the wildlife.  Though I found that drive boring.

I now drive to the mailbox once a week which is a 7-mile trip.  That is enough to keep the battery charged.

Having the oil changed at the shop gives us a place to get rid of the used oil. Before when we were doing it ourselves we had to find an auto parts store that would accept used oil.

Best wishes for getting your truck running.

I wouldn't worry too much about the oil until the battery problem is resolved, just check that it has some.

If you can remove the battery from the truck, a lot of auto parts stores will test it for free.

If the battery tests good, starts searching for 'parasitic drains'  ie: glove box light not shutting off, radio is turned on, but volume is down, etc.
Pulling fuses from non-essential items can help narrow down the search.

I agree with comments above -- deep charge the battery and make sure there is engine oil and coolant before starting.

A car battery that has been discharged a long time may be stone dead, so have a Plan B as you drive to your mechanic.

As others mentioned, modern vehicles sip power constantly. You can buy and self-install battery disconnects that will preserve batteries from damage. But note -- when you charge and reconnect the battery after a long disconnect, lots of vehicles (foreign and domestic) freak out for a little while, relays clicking and the electrical system acting weird. Do not panic -- this usually resolves itself; otherwise a mechanic can send what I understand to be a reset code that settles down the system.

Wow, so many great tips so quickly. Thank you all.

So, any recommendations for choosing a trickle charger? Anything to avoid?

Hey Kevin;
It seems they are all about equal, all made overseas.
I suggest Harbor Freight for a good charger.

Thanks Thomas. I was looking at the harbor freight one.

Great advice already given. My only add on would be charge the battery first before starting the vehicle do not jump start it with a dead battery if you can help it. When you have a dead battery and you disconnect the jumper cables the alternator will try very hard to charge the truck battery up as fast as possible. That is not great for an alternator. Charge at roughly 6 amps per hour overnight. If the starting battery is really discharged  it will need a good 50 or 60 amps. It could still be toast though.
Cheers, you can do this.
David

Good thoughts, David B.

I'm thinking that if it's a smart charger, it would throttle back when the batt is showing signs of life.

If it was a dumb charger (like mine), I wouldn't do more than 2A while unsupervised for a long period.

So, any recommendations for choosing a trickle charger?

I recently purchased a Schumacher SC1319 Fully Automatic Battery Maintainer from that jungle website. It comes with a quick connect pigtail as well as the clamps. The quick-connect feature is handy if you have multiple items that require charging (or that need to be on-charge often). Mine has worked well so far (approx 3 months).

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:Good thoughts, David B.

I'm thinking that if it's a smart charger, it would throttle back when the batt is showing signs of life.

If it was a dumb charger (like mine), I wouldn't do more than 2A while unsupervised for a long period.

Yes one of those generic 2 amp/6 amp 12 volt chargers would work fine. Most of the cheap dumb ones won't put out more that 14-14.4 volts which is safe in the shortrun.

Now I feel a bit more confused about which one to buy. I thought I was looking at trickle chargers, but then I realized some say things like “switches to trickle charge after fully charged”, and I’m wondering if that is problematic for keeping the amps low.. There’s a few other factors that are giving me doubts as well.

Anyway, is this ok?…Harbor freight ….it’s the first that pops up on google, and it’s $10.

Suggestions would be greatly appreciated(thanks for the Schumacher recommendation). I’m looking on harbor freight, but I’m open to other suppliers(including that “jungle” website, as Pete put it).  If I’d be safer or better off in anyone’s opinion with a model with more features, such as this Schumacher, I’m open to those suggestions. I do prefer to buy once.

I believe this is the one Pete recommended: Schumacher

The charger in your link won't do anything. It provides 0.5 amps. You can't even charge a smartphone on that.

I'm not convinced you need to buy stuff. Every car guy has battery chargers, and they will lend them in a second. Does the guy across the road have one? --bet he does.

If there is no other option, I would just boost/jump the truck, let it idle for a while, and take it for a spin around the neighbourhood. Yes, the alternator will work hard but it will likely survive. Let's not overthink the problem. My 2c.

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:The charger in your link won't do anything. It provides 0.5 amps. You can't even charge a smartphone on that.

I'm not convinced you need to buy stuff. Every car guy has battery chargers, and they will lend them in a second. Does the guy across the road have one? --bet he does.

If there is no other option, I would just boost/jump the truck, let it idle for a while, and take it for a spin around the neighbourhood. Yes, the alternator will work hard but it will likely survive. Let's not overthink the problem. My 2c.

And then drive it on the highway a few hours, as suggested earlier? I’ve already jumped it before and drove it around for at least 20 minutes each time. Next day it won’t start again. Happened like 3 times too.

Ah, sorry, I didn't fully get that, so my comments are offside.

Either it's the battery or it's the charging system. I'll lay 10-to-1 odds it's the battery.

If you can scrounge up / borrow a charger, minimum 2 amps, you can slow charge the battery and test this theory.

Otherwise, don't spend money on a charger. Invest in  a new battery.

Hi Kevin;
The charger you are looking at is too small.
This is a better choice for you, https://www.harborfreight.com/6v12v-2-amp-3-stage-microprocessor-controlled-automatic-battery-charger-57015.html
And this is the one I use to charge my 12-volt freezers  https://www.harborfreight.com/4-amp-fully-automatic-microprocessor-controlled-battery-chargermaintainer-63350.html
The Amazon charger you linked to is a good one but I would get the 2 amp model over the 1.5 amp.
As Douglas mentioned there are probably half a dozen chargers nearby.
But I  believe everyone should own a charger, they are just too important when you need one... heck your neighbor might need to borrow it.

You may ultimately need a new battery but give your current one a chance at life first.

Do you have a local flea market that sells used stuff?  I'm created my own homemade 12V charger out of a "black cube" power supply.  I've gotten these for just a dollar.  Just look for one in the 1000-2000mA (that's 1-2Amps), with an output equal or greater than 12V.  Disconnected, the voltage should be in the 14-16V range.  Cut off the connector tip, expose the bare wires, and determine which wire is positive and which is negative.  You can crimp on Alligator clips to each end and tape them with red and black tape to remember + & -.


Of course those there is no control whatsoever, so you must be the controller.  Have a voltmeter handy, and measure the voltage of the battery before and after connecting the black cube.  Before connecting the cube, the battery voltage might be around 11.0V?  Once connected, the battery voltage will likely jump up to ~13.0V.  Keep the cube on the battery till the voltage reaches ~14.4-14.8.  

Don't add any water unless the level of the acid is below the top edge of the plates.  Add only enough DISTILLED water to cover the tops.  Fully top off the battery's electrolyte level with more DISTILLED water only after the battery is fully charged.

At this point you decide whether or not the battery has any life left in it or whether it should be swapped out immediately.

as mentioned above; borrow one if you can. Be prepared to buy a new battery it is the most likely scenario.

My first post here, so Hi everyone.

 Jumping a vehicle won't hurt it, and most auto parts stores have a device that they can put on a running vehicle and tell you if it is a bad battery cell, a bad alternator, or something else.  Good luck!

Hi Roger,

Welcome to Permies.

thomas rubino wrote:Hi Kevin;
…
And this is the one I use to charge my 12-volt freezers  https://www.harborfreight.com/4-amp-fully-automatic-microprocessor-controlled-battery-chargermaintainer-63350.html
…
But I  believe everyone should own a charger, they are just too important when you need one... heck your neighbor might need to borrow it.

You may ultimately need a new battery but give your current one a chance at life first.

Thomas, I got the one you have. Harbor Freight had 20% off today. I agree with your thoughts on owning a charger myself and giving the current battery a chance. I’ll probably report back in a day or two. Do you find this winter mode useful? I saw reviews of people saying they like it.

Thanks to all for the responses. I’m learning more than strictly the solution to my issue here.

And thanks for making your first post on permies in my thread Roger. Welcome. I have a code reader. Nothing came up last I checked, but I don’t know what I’m doing with that thing. Battery would show it charged well last time I checked, but that was maybe April. I don’t own a battery tester.

What I do to locate parasitic drains with a cheap multimeter is this:

-Disconnect the negative battery cable
-Set the the multimeter up as an ammeter
-Put a 16mm socket over the negative battery terminal to give the alligator multimeter clip something to grab onto
-Connect one of the multimeter leads to the 16mm socket and the other to the loose negative cable so the multimeter is the only path from the battery to the car ground
-Do not start the car as this will blow the fuse in your multimeter.
-Note the baseline current draw. Make sure that you don't have any doors open or any other current draws. My cars are typically <100mA if nothing is wrong.
-Start pulling fuses from all the fuse boxes. After you pull each one, check to see if the current draw has dropped significantly. If it has not, replace it.
-If it has, you've found your culprits. Investigate depending on what circuit that fuse was for.