Charging battery through auxiliary power outlet

[2muchgrass]

I have a customer who stored a car here (I manage a self store facility) and the battery is stone dead. On top of that, he can't get the hood open. It has double safety latches and the passenger side won't release. If I took the end off of an AC adapter designed to go into a cigarette lighter and connected it to a set of jumper cables or a battery charger, would it charge the battery? This is a Volvo we're talking about.

[newtofta]

'if' the aux power circuit is 'good'( no blown fuse) you could use a 'low' amp(6-10) battery charger to 'try' to gey the battery back to voltage.
but-if has been sitting for a 'long' time-9 months? the battery will probaly not take a charge-unless it was a new battery at the time of storage.
!DO NOT! hook a set of jumper cables to the aux plug.
it likely protected by a 15 amp fuse that you will (probably) over load/pop- as soon as you turn the key on

[GregH]

Honestly, if you manage a storage lot and are not a mechanic I wouldn't go near it.
It is nice to help folks out but it could wind up costing you if something goes wrong.

[2muchgrass]

Hmmm, you know, that did occur to me. briefly. Actually, I just mangae this place for a place to live and the hunting and a place for my wood shop but, I amthe manager so I think I will just leave it alone. Good advice, thanks.
It has been sitting here for at least a year so it probably does need a battery by now.

[frankiee]

Thats a good idea thought
But as said without a resistance it would blow the fuse or worse
But a regulated power supply such as a battery charger would work well
Happened to me when I was picking up an old buick I bought
I crawled under the car and cut a bit of insulation off the positive cable then grounded the cable
I was then able to use the remote key lobe to unlock the car
None of the door locks worked and it was locked

[Claw Hammer]

The wire going to the lighter is probably 18 awg.

They do make trickle chargers that will charge a battery through the lighter plug and they also make a battery jumper that goes from one of those battery jumper packs - that has it's own battery that plugs into the lighter socket - for morons that doesn't know how to jump start a car. Don't laugh, there is lot's of women and men out there that does not know how to do it.

But if you had to wait for water to climb up a rag to get a drink, you would die of thirst before you got enough water to satisfy your needs.

Water and electricity can be compared due to the nature of how it works. Amp's, volts and watts.

Placing a small charge on a battery - through the wiring harness, while the radio and the clock and the security is all sucking a charge - will not give you much power to start the car and if the battery was junk to begin with, probably won't give you enough reserve power to start the car.

I would tell them to get a wrecker and haul it out.

Many car lot's in the city, along with repo men and auctions, has their own battery packs that they tote along with a 2 wheel dolly that has a 1000 amp diesel battery that jump starts dozens of cars per a day on a car lot.

It's a common occurrence for people to leave their car on a lot for months at a time or leave the lights on when they leave the car to go to work in the morning and come out at night and the battery is dead - in the city.

Since people are more hesitant to give you a jump in the city, the car lot attendant has to do it for you or call a wrecker every time someone leaves their lights on.

If the hood will not open, they have more problems then just a dead battery. How would you check the oil? How would you change the oil?

Some new cars says right in the owners manual, if you are going to park this vehicle for more than 1 month, to disconnect the battery. The security runs constantly - as does many other options in the vehicle and when the battery dies it affects some of the computers and causes you to have to take it to a garage and spend hundreds of dollars to get it repaired.

So like others has said, I wouldn't stick my neck out too far for these people. They might just come back and bite it off.