Rookie Move

[corfie13]

Well I messed up guys. Took my 68 f100 up the road, parked it, went out to start it and no power. Turns out I left the lights on. After always having automatic lights, or at least a buzzer to remind me when I did leave them on I guess it just slipped my mind. Now I haven't tried to jump it yet as its late in the day and there's always tomorrow, but I did charge the battery for 2 hours and it still wont crank. The lights on the dash come on, then it clicks once, and then there's nothing. No lights, no crank, absolutely dead. Should I just charge the battery longer or did I really screw something up.

[colnago]

If it clicked once, this may not help, but what the heck. Our bumps have a safety switch in the column (assuming you have an auto tranny). It won't start unless the tranny is in Park or Neutral. Mine is really finicky, and I have to get it just right. The switch itself is on top of the steering column towards the floor. But if mine isn't lined up just right, then it won't even click.

Joseph

[corfie13]

Its a 3 speed manual, so I doubt its that . Thanks for the help anyway.

[Mancar1]

Did u get it started?

[corfie13]

Yeah, I had to roll start it. As soon as this rain clears up I'm gonna jump start it and see if the battery will hold a charge.

[68RGR]

Don't feel bad about your situation. I've seen dead batteries on vehicles with auto-off lights where the "auto" part had failed to work.

I doubt that you permanently damaged anything other than (maybe) the battery. Check the battery and cable terminals to make sure they are clean and free from corrosion.

It's possible that your battery was about to fail and the deep discharge might have pushed it over the edge. If you have jumper cables, try them to get it started. If it will start and keep running, let it run for 20 or 30 minutes. If your truck has an ammeter, verify that the battery is charging. Then, turn the engine off, wait a couple of minutes and try to start it. If it is still clicking and not starting, you might have a bad battery.

I've always shunned those automatic light gimmicks. You discovered reason number one. My other reason is I really have no need for my lights to remain on after I shut the engine down - In most cases, at least. And, I keep hearing this little voice telling me the bulbs and battery are going to fail soon enough anyway so why use them when they aren't needed? I suspect those automatic light gizmos are part of a plot between auto makers and bulb/battery companies.

It would be nice if the auto makers turned all of the "auto" stuff OFF by default. That way, the driver could choose which ones to enable. Having the lights flash-flash-flash every time you unlock your vehicle is ridiculous, in my opinion. Although, after dealing with them for a day or two, it's nice to read the manual (for a change!) in order to have the satisfaction that comes with turning the annoying features off.

I might be a few years past prime but I'm not to the point where I can't operate a light switch! Now, those "lights on" and "door ajar" reminder buzzers are a different matter altogether.

[Nitekruizer]

I doubt very much that anything in your truck would have been damaged just by leaving the lights on. I've done that too on more than one occasion. Yes, check/clean your battery terminals and cable connections. Check to see how much liquid is in your battery. You might have to add some water. If you can, "trickle charge" the battery for 6-10 hours. Tricle charging is better for "bringing back" a dead battery than fast charging or boosting.

[colnago]

I suspect those automatic light gizmos are part of a plot between auto makers and bulb/battery companies.

I agree 100%. I see more newer-model cars with non-functioning tail / brake lights. Even on those cars with the LED lights for the "third brake light" above the trunk, it seems that half of the LEDs are dead. I had a '93 Mercury with lights for the front grill. They died after a few years. I went to get replacement bulbs, only to find out they wanted ten bucks EACH! Since they weren't a safety feature, I never did replace 'em.

Joseph

[sweetlou]

None of this would have happened if you had Granatelli's battery saver. Its $125 with shipping and it also works as an anti-theft device. I bought really for that, but it shuts the battery off from everything at 11.8v. Check it out on you tube.

[corfie13]

Thanks for all the help guys, I'm at school now but it looks pretty decent outside so I'll try to get it started and see if the battery will charge. As for the battery saver, I saw it on youtube and it looked pretty cool. But I'm pretty broke and It'll have to wait. Maybe one day though.