Starting Tacoma after sitting for 2.5 months

I let my push to start trd sport Tacoma sit for 2.5 months in garage, is there any recommendations for starting it? It's completely dead even after having jumper cables on the battery for 30 minutes. Should I go get the battery charged/+checked? Any other tips?

 

Welcome to TW

Battery could be done. Try a charger overnight but if it won’t take or hold a charge, replacement time. At least it’s not -40. Good luck

 

Thanks for the help!

 

If it does start its optional to do, but an oil change could help things run smoother since it wasn't moving for some time.

 

I wouldn't overthink it. Once the batter issue is fixed, just start it up and drive away. Sitting that long is not ideal, but it's also not a huge deal. At most, I'd check the dipstick before starting and after maybe a minute or so of idling, paying special attention to how it looks--I wouldn't expect condensation to have made its way in but it doesn't hurt to check.

 

I've left my taco sit as long as 3 months and didn't have any issue. My boat used to sit for 6 months every year and didn't have any issues, except once when I had to replace the very old battery. I suspect you have a parasitic draw on your battery or it's lost a significant amount of its capacity. What type of environment was it stored in?

 

It was stored in my garage in northern Indiana

 

That seems fine to me. You could charge the battery and see if it happens again, check for parasitic draw, or buy a new battery.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=testing+parasitic+draw+on+car+battery

 

Also buy a Battery Tender if this will be a recurring thing (the sitting for a while).

 

One other note... deeply discharging a non-deep-cell lead acid battery is hard on it.

 

are your jumper cables cheapies?

 

Put a battery in it and crank it up. I had my '83 Camero sitting for 2 years, put a battery in her and she cranked right over,

 

When using jumper cables did you rev the engine of the running vehicle to get the amps up? I had to use my jump box today while at a store. Got my battery charging through tomorrow to determine if it has more life or if I need a new battery. Since I always carry my jump box I figure I will get as much life out of my battery as I can.

$122 Clore Automotive Jump-N-Carry JNC660 1700 Peak Amp 12 Volt Jump Starter , Blue

https://www.amazon.com/Clore-Automo...zhpbjgwMV3czCBB13wAkBEAQYBCABEgL7G_D_BwE&th=1

 

I missed this part: “completely dead even after having jumper cables on the battery for 30 minutes”. Do you mean that you let a second car running with jumper cables between its battery and yours and yours didn’t start? If so, my first guess is that you didn’t have a good connection. With a good connection it should start instantly except in rare situations.

If it doesn’t start, you should futz with the connection. Make sure there is good metal to metal contact with minimal corrosion in between. If the connection is good, there will be a visible spark when you connect it. It’s best not to cause a spark near the battery as there could be flammable hydrogen gas escaping the battery. It’s safer to connect the black negative terminal to an unpainted part of the body or frame. Personally I’ve rarely followed this policy and I’m still intact, but you have been warned.

Corrosion on copper jumper cables is green in color. Clean that off with a wire brush or buy new cables. You get what you pay for. My set of jumpers are over 30 years old, but I had some cheap ones that disintegrated in far less that that.

TBQH, jumper cables are become an anachronism. A jump box has clear advantages. I don’t own one yet, mostly because I rarely ever use my cables for myself.

 

With all the communications to the mothership, you have to charge the battery every 4-8 weeks or it will be dead, especially if you dont start, and drive it at all. No amount of driving daily will recharge a low battery. Even if it is a daily driver, you should put it on a tender every few months, to "top it off". More than likely it was so low, it killed the battery, and the jump wasnt going to help. Sorry for your luck. Lesson learned. Ski

 

No worries, I use to drop my Nissan 4x4 off with my family when we set sail on WestPac. One time I left the truck in long term parking, on base, for about 7 months. It started right up and ran like a champ all the way to Oklahoma and back. That little truck lasted me 8 good years after that. It was on about 150,00 or so when I traded it in, on a Nissan pick up.

 

Get a battery tender for it…….

 

I store mine every winter. It has a fresh oil change, fluids and tires are topped off. I put 2 pounds extra in tires because they will lose air pressure. I leave the battery in and connected with a battery charger on it for the winter. Battery will need to be replaced this year I bet. It is a 2017 model and original. When I'm ready to start it up I just take a quick look around and turn the key. It fires up immediately. I also put mouse traps under the truck just in case and a sock over the tail pipe entry. Damn chipmunks.

 

We have had sub-zero temperatures in northwest Indiana for the last week so it is going to be hard to charge your battery if you garage is not heated.

 

With that long of storage you should've used a battery tender. I store 2 cars in New England every winter and the both go on a tender, never had an issue for 15 years in the spring. They start first crank of the key. But either way if that was the original battery your due for a new one.