Weird gauge problem this morning? Premium gauges.

SicShelby09

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So my car sat in my garage for the last week because I was on vacation. And this morning when I went in there to fire it up, the battery was half dead and the car turned over very slow. It did start on the first try, but I noticed that the gauges did not sweep like they normally do no start up. They did, however, quiver at their resting spot like they were trying to go the wrong way and they never did sweep. So I let the car idle for a moment and shut it down. Then I restarted it and they did their sweeping motion correctly. I tried it two more times, and it was ok for both of those too. So Im wondering if this is another fluke thing that happened, or maybe the gauges did not think they were at their home position because the battery was almost dead and the car sat inside for a week. Anyone have any thoughts??
 

acrbill

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It is probably normal behavior if the battery is low. When you flash a new tune in the gauges and everything else in the car will seize up. When the flash is done everything turns back on and the gauges do exactly what yours do.

I would on the other hand be worried about your battery being low. I travel for work and sometime do no touch the car for 2-3 weeks and I have never noticed it having a low battery on start up.
 

SicShelby09

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Thanks guys for the replies. I was worried. But all is well. One thing that still bothers me is that my 5 month old car, with 6k miles only sat for 5 days in the garage and the battery is almost dead?? Optima battery on the way I guess.......
 

Strpperpolef150

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Thanks guys for the replies. I was worried. But all is well. One thing that still bothers me is that my 5 month old car, with 6k miles only sat for 5 days in the garage and the battery is almost dead?? Optima battery on the way I guess.......

The stock battery sucks in these cars so its a good idea to change them out. I've killed mine twice tuning my system but then again I'm use to my truck with three big batteries that will run all day lol
 

Torch10th

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I don't have the poor battery life issue with my 11, but my 08 would only last about a week and a half before the battery would die. I attribute it just to crappy batteries.

Either do a replacement, or get a battery tender if the vehicle will be sitting for a while.
 

jason004

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Had it happen to mine after installing my NOS over night with doors open and closed alot plus trunk light. Took it in and they checked it, replaced it and never had an issue again.
 

Strpperpolef150

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I forgot to mention this but get a good battery charger and charge that battery. Since it got that low it needs a recharge. Your stock electrical is not enough to do it.
 

JDV

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Yes, during the day they are a white backing with black numbers and a gray surround. User defined colors at night.

How hard is it to replace that face with the standard black/white lettering? Will the lighting work right? I prefer that to my premium but ain't gonna redo the whole dash to do it.
 

OptimaJim

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Hi SicShelby09, I'm sorry to hear about the problems you've been having and I'd like to help. While a car sitting idle for a week shouldn't necessarily cause a battery to become discharged, it could be symptomatic of either a parasitic draw in your electrical system or a chronically undercharged battery. This video explains some basic battery diagnostics, including measuring for parasitic draw.

If your car doesn't see regular use or is frequently used on short trips, it is possible that the alternator isn't able to keep pace with the electrical consumption of the vehicle. Fully-charged, most batteries will measure at least 12.6 volts (our RedTops measure about 12.6-12.8 and our YellowTops measure about 13.0-13.2 volts). When batteries are discharged below 12.4 volts and allowed to sit in that state, sulfation will begin to form, which diminishes both capacity and lifespan. A battery that is “half dead” is discharged to about 12.0 volts and should definitely be fully-recharged with a battery charger as soon as possible, as most alternators are designed to maintain batteries, not recharge deeply-discharged batteries.

When your engine is running, the voltage measured at your battery terminals is the output of your alternator and should be approximately 13.7-14.7 volts. However, people who run underdrive pulleys will typically see lower voltage levels and more dead batteries, if they don't keep their batteries maintained with a charger.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
Optima Batteries - Automobiles and Parts - Milwaukee, WI | Facebook
 
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