Problems With Hood

[Jerriej]

first let me say that my car knowlege isn't that good. I have a 1993 lexus ls400 155000 miles. i recently put in a new battery and the car will not start. i do not drive the car as of right now because i dont have a liscence but i would start the car ever day or two and let it sit for about 20 minutes. also i cant get the hood open to get a jump. you have to lift it a little bit and there is a latch under the grill that you pull to release the lock and open the hood all the way. now i cant even lift the hood to reach the latch. why does the battery keep dying and how can i open the hood without having to tow the car to a garage. any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Step Hen]

Sorry but idling the engine will not recharge your battery.

[Jerriej]

Sorry but idling the engine will not recharge your battery.

so how else should i try to charge it without actually driving it. and any suggestions for the hood

[TexasLexus94]

Well , I guess you could charge the battery for 10 hours, but depending on the age and condition of the battery, it might not last. You need to have a licensed chickie take you out for a 100 mile round trip to charge it properly. Yes, you will have to pay a bundle for GW's $3.50 gasoline, but this will tell you a lot about the condition of the alternator as well as the battery. Plus you might get lucky. Even a new battery needs to be run run, run, since the charge they give it at Autozone or wherever is minimal. I learned this the hard way.

[Jerriej]

Well , I guess you could charge the battery for 10 hours, but depending on the age and condition of the battery, it might not last. You need to have a licensed chickie take you out for a 100 mile round trip to charge it properly. Yes, you will have to pay a bundle for GW's $3.50 gasoline, but this will tell you a lot about the condition of the alternator as well as the battery. Plus you might get lucky. Even a new battery needs to be run run, run, since the charge they give it at Autozone or wherever is minimal. I learned this the hard way.

ok i understand that i have to drive the car but the hood wont open to even be able to get a charge

[92silverls400]

Well , I guess you could charge the battery for 10 hours, but depending on the age and condition of the battery, it might not last. You need to have a licensed chickie take you out for a 100 mile round trip to charge it properly. Yes, you will have to pay a bundle for GW's $3.50 gasoline, but this will tell you a lot about the condition of the alternator as well as the battery. Plus you might get lucky. Even a new battery needs to be run run, run, since the charge they give it at Autozone or wherever is minimal. I learned this the hard way.

ok i understand that i have to drive the car but the hood wont open to even be able to get a charge

go get a battery charger, one that you can keep attached to the battery, it will stop charging when fully charged, if the voltage drop, the charger will recharge it again. I think its called battery maintence charger, you keep it plug to a electrical outlet and to your car battery.

regarding hood, pull latch from the inside of the vehicle, get out and walk to the front of the hood, take your fist and and slighly pound the hood, the hood may pop up, and you may get to the latch. B)

[etex]

It's a Battery Tender. Can be found and ordered on the web.

[scottmcc]

By the way, your battery WILL charge at Idle, it just takes longer. It will charge faster while driving on the road..

[Jerriej]

By the way, your battery WILL charge at Idle, it just takes longer. It will charge faster while driving on the road..

hey thanks alot for all the suggestions. i will take all of them into consideration. when i first bought the car the guy told me that he had a new alarm put in and whoever installed it screwed up the wiring which also affecte the drivers side seat adjustment motor. when i put the new battery in i got a little spark. i know this means that something is drawing from the battery even when the car is off. i just dont know what it is