[freez]

i left my key turned on and the battery went dead.well i jump the car off then i drove the car for alittle while.then i went back to my house when i went back outside to try and start the car the battery was dead again so i jumped it off again then while the car was running i pulled off the ground wire and the car died.then i got it started again and looked at the volt gauge and it said 16 volts.can you guys tell me what is wrong is my altinator bad or what could it be.thanks ahead of time

 

[Madeline Michele]

When a battery goes dead you need to retaliate with a full complete charge.
If you jump a dead battery and just charge it a little bit its efficiency will atrophy.
The condition is called the “memory effect”.
What you need to do at this point would charge your battery over night on trickle.
If this doesn't work maybe you burned the link on your alternator.

Madeline

 

[Zuber]

Do lead acid batteries develope a memory? Nickel Cadnium does, but I've never heard this claim for car batteries before.

Regardless, a full recharge on trickle will solve the problem. Zs just aren't very easy on their batteries, especially if you have lots of accessories. Never count on your alternator to recharge your battery. It barely does an adequate job of maintaining the charge, much less recharge! Most of it's energy goes into running the car. If the battery is really sucking it down, you could blow your fusible link, or fry your alt!

Tip - while charging it overnight on slow charge/trickle, take the time to clean your terminals. When reinstalling, spray some clear coat over the tightened posts to prevent corrosion.