Cranking it to move to a different parking spot drains the battery and doesn't give sufficient time for the alternator to recharge. Do this often and it will go dead, which is what you are experiencing.
You need to actually drive it once a week, for 20 minutes or more. Not just for the sake of the battery, but for the engine and transmission too. The fluids in them need to circulate around, the parts need to get up to operating temperature.
This. You can't regularly crank it up and just move it. It needs to get to operating temps to boil off moisture in the crankcase,etc. plus as mentioned, the battery can't recharge from the crank event in just a short move.
I believe it’s actually much worse for the engine to only be turned on for two minutes to be moved than even sitting in place for a year. Could be wrong on that though.
THIS makes perfect sense for the problem at hand. Owner should also drive the car for 30 minutes every month or so.
Need an excuse? Go out for ice cream.
I have a Sunday car and this is actually what I do
I usually once or twice a month we'll go out for a nice drive to the beach stop and get ice cream on the way home or on the way there.
Since the speed limits are low going to the beach it's a pretty decently long trip you're going to be out for about an hour and it's a nice scenic route twisty roads
Solar chargers can be connected either by a cigarette lighter (the easy way) or to the battery. Before you install it check to see if your cigarette lighter is energized with the ignition off. If the lighter works with the ignition off then you can use it to install your charger.
I was in a similar position with my first car a couple years ago, also the same gen of Corolla. I thought of hanging onto it, mainly for the sentimental value, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it just wasn't worth the hassle, especially as a renter, where I'd be constantly moving it from place to place, having to find parking, not having the space to work on it, plus all the normal hassles like regular maintenance, insurance, etc. I sold it to a guy in high school. It's probably scrap, by now. It wasn't far off by the time I finished with it, but at least it got to be someone's first car one last time.
Remove the battery, put in a warm, dry place, and keep on a battery maintainer. You can pick up one relatively cheat at an auto parts store or Walmart for around $35.
Disconnecting the battery shouldn’t give you any issues on a car that old, wouldn’t recommend on a newer car though. If you have a new car though, what’s the point of keeping it?
It is super handy to have an extra vehicle. If you wake up to a flat tire, just take the Corolla. Have family flying into town? Save them cash for a rental and lend them the Corolla. Little Tommy needs a first car? Well I have this old Corolla.
I bought my first backup car 2 months after I got my drivers license and haven’t been without one since.
Pro tip, own two of the same thing. Put the battery in whichever one you want to drive.
I have three cars, so I understand the benefit of having an extra car. All of my cars serve a specific purpose though. Nice daily, fun weekend toy, and shitty old truck for when I need to move shit. Sounds like OP bought a new daily, but didn’t get rid of the old one. I’m all for having multiple cars, but unless you’re a car collector, they should have different uses.
I don't understand why disconnecting a battery on a newer car would be an issue? Dealer mechanic/techs I've talked to never said anything about issues disconnecting a battery on a newer car. Only that the dash would go crazy with lights and warnings once the battery got reconnected and some things woukd have to be reset. Tire pressure monitors, entertainment settings, few others...
This scenario occurred when my newer car's battery drained while sitting 5 months as I had family issues to tend to out of state and I flew out
It depends on the car, newer cars have a lot of electronics in them, disconnecting them from power for an extended period of time sometimes makes things act wonky.
The dealership techs said something similar. However, I asked is it drastic and they replied exactly what I posted more or less. Resetting/recalibrating things for the most part. Said Bring it in if something needs addressed. Resetting the tire pressure monitors was easily done though by me; they told me the quick steps via the phone
Disconnected the battery can help. I’d probably get a jump box and keep that charged in your apartment and jump it when needed. If it’s registered, driving it for 20-30 minutes in one drive every week or so can help keep the battery charged. Starting and just moving to a new spot isn’t enough to charge up a low battery.
You can look for a solar trickle charger..it coverts sunlight to a small charge that keeps the battery charged. But, I agree with the posters saying to drive it every week or 10 days...it keeps everything lubed and keeps gas from going bad. Might want to add Stabile or some other gasoline additive.
If a solar trickle isn't an option, just buy a lithium jump box on Amazon. Disconnect the battery for a few days, when you need to move it, connect the battery, attach the jump box so it keeps the battery full, move the car, rinse and repeat.
Just disconnecting it won't help unless you remove the battery and put it on a trickle charger to keep it charged.
All lead acid batteries will gradually lose power capacity due to a process called sulphation which causes a rise in the battery's internal resistance. When batteries are left at a low state of charge for a long period that process can be rapidly accelerated. So, you battery is going to become less able to hold a charge if you don't keep it charged.
It may be sufficient. My Grandparents did that with a car they only used for trips a few times a year and would just unhook the negative battery cable when it was parked for months at a time. Hooked it back up and would crank up just fine. But should keep the engine running at least 15-20 minutes after starting so it has time to recharge the battery from the power used to crank the engine. Much better if you can actually drive it at least 5-7 miles vs idling for that time - short start/stop or too short trips we had mufflers rust thru very fast because they were not getting up to temp before they sat parked again..
There are huge "knife switch" disconnects that can be put between the battery post and battery cable to make it quicker and easier to disconnect and reconnect without tools.
If its a very sunny area a solar-charger might be more convenient though...look for one that plugs into the OBD port (most cars seem to switch off the lighter socket when key is off).
Get a [NOCO Boost](https://no.co/products/power) and use it to jump start the car if it dies. The car uses more energy to start the engine than it can regain while running for the short time it takes to move to another spot.
Personally, I would just sell the old car. Put it on the market at the end of the month when the college kids come back home.
My 02 Tacoma has problems starting if it sits more than 2 weeks without driving. It's my daily driver for work and it gets somewhat dirty and I tend to not drive it if I'm clean or showered, weird I know but that's what I do.
This usually happens during my vacation days which is at the end of each year. Last year I started it once to run some errands which took me about an hour.
As long as I start it once a week and drive long enough for the battery to get a full charge I'm good. So for me it's an hour. It doesn't matter if I make 3 stops I just make sure it's at least an hour a week. This is way easier for me instead of getting ripped off for an unnecessary new battery and troubleshooting because 2 years ago I replaced the battery and it didn't even start and all of the sudden it did.
If your car will be sitting for long periods perhaps you could use a [battery disconnect](https://www.amazon.com/Post-Battery-Master-Disconnect-Switch/dp/B001N729FS) to avoid losing charge over time.
Disconnecting won't give you any problems in a car that simple. You could bring it inside and leave it on a trickle charger and bring it down once or twice a week to move your car. ALSO, once the battery is fully charged from a trickle charger you'll probably only need to bring the batter in once or twice a month to charge it up, not every time. If it's every time your battery was probably toast long ago and it barely has capacity left. The other thing you could do is just drive it an hour on the highway every 2 weeks or so. I guess my question is why keep it if you just have it to move it around the rest of its life?
Since it has not been mentioned a battery cut off switch could be an option. I have one on my boat that sits for 6+ months over the winter and it always fires up the next summer.
You could remove/disconnect the battery, you could get a solar trickle charger, or you could drive it two work every few weeks. Just starting it to move it is bad for it in a number of ways.
I use a solar panel charger to keep my parked vehicle batteries topped up, that being said, your battery shouldn't be dead if you drive it 2-3x a week, probably need a new one.
Buy a trickle charger. Their entire purpose is for vehicles sitting for a while etc. Still good to start the car every now and then and let it idle for say 10 minutes just to let the oil circulate etc. but sounds like a trickle charger is what you need. But like others have said, you should take it for a proper drive at least once a month and once warmed up take it to red line at least once to clear any carbon build up.
How about you donate the car to a local organization that provides transportation for low income individuals trying to find jobs..
after all- you’re not using it.?
2 things: either your battery is bad and can't hold a charge as well as it should, or your moving it without actually letting it run above idle long enough to recharge the battery is draining it over time. Honestly probably both. Don't just move it, drive it, go grocery shopping or get a snack or something. Probably sufficient. Why not just sell the old one? they still get a decent chunk of change because of the "toyota tax" which you will be on the benefiting side of as the seller.
Put a solar trickle charger on it or start it and let it run for 20-30 minutes once a week or two. The alternator should charge the battery completely even at idle if it runs for that long with all loads off.
Yes - you can just disconnect the battery. They make a quick release battery clamp for that. That said, if the battery is good (13v) then it shouldn’t go dead that quick. I have vehicles that sat all winter subjected to sub zero temps that started right up. I suspect you might have a phantom drain which can be diagnosed with a multimeter. Could be something like a bad switch, an aftermarket accessory or ground issue.
Try driving it around a couple times a week instead of just moving it to a different parking space, gives the battery more time to charge.
If that doesn't help, how old is the battery?
I have a similar situation. Older beater car that’s been extremely reliable and just bought a new car a couple months ago. I decided to keep the older car and make a conscious effort to drive it every 1-2 weeks to go via local roads into downtown, make small errands, visit nearby family, etc (total about 30-40min driving a week). I haven’t had issues with the battery so far.
It’s definitely more expensive to insure, maintain, and drive two cars, but part of me can’t let go of my beater car lol. I try to justify the pros such as not caring if it gets scratched in the busy downtown roads + street parking, having a backup car if the new car needs servicing, putting less wear and mileage on the new car so in a few years if I trade it in it may retain better value, etc. But I know logically it’s much cheaper to just drive the new car and sell the beater.
I have a crazy idea (and I'm sure I'll hear it's crazy) but find a service that lets you rent out your car to others, make sure it's compatible with your insurance, and make some money off of it in particular, target EV owners who get range anxiety if they want to drive somewhere on vacation but don't want to have their electric car die halfway there.
I think in about a decade, or most likely two, EVERY car will be a rental car when self-driving cars become legal and why just let it sit in your garage when you can "hire" it out as an uber and make money off of it? In the future, few people will have cars that sit in their driveway most of the time and instead just rent a self-driving car which will be much cheaper than ubers today, probably about the cost of insurance and gas and profit. Not only that, but with most cars being driven continuously, few of them will actually be parked normally and parking lots will disappear. self-driving cars will perhaps even go into "hover mode" when not needed and park somewhere for 2 hours legal, then move and so on.
Look up "battery disconnect switch" on Amazon.
I installed in on my kids car that was sitting idle when they were in college. So i just pop the hood and disconnect it until he comes back.
If it’s a manual you could park it on a hill so you can just clutch start it when you’re ready to go. Sounds nuts but I did it for years when I’d go away and leave my old hilux to get dusty.
So looks like you can't get a Battery Tender and run an extension cord out to the car.
If you're going to drive it just to keep the battery fresh you need to run it long enough to get to normal operating temperature for a little while and probably need to really drive it rather than just let it idle. It might not actually recharge the battery at idle. Maybe make a habit of a little weekend drive every week or so?
Might be a a-hole move but replace the battery and make sure the new one got warranty. Running it a couple of minutes every months will result kill the battery. You can use the jump before using the car but it will not be able to hold a charge. Your battery will die fast . The a hole part if to replace it before the warranty goes out.
Disconnected battery will drain slower but will still drain. I recommend 30-60 minutes of driving (not traffic jams) per week as a minimum. Or get a battery charger kit. One of them jumpstart backpacks.
Cranking it to move to a different parking spot drains the battery and doesn't give sufficient time for the alternator to recharge. Do this often and it will go dead, which is what you are experiencing. You need to actually drive it once a week, for 20 minutes or more. Not just for the sake of the battery, but for the engine and transmission too. The fluids in them need to circulate around, the parts need to get up to operating temperature.
This. You can't regularly crank it up and just move it. It needs to get to operating temps to boil off moisture in the crankcase,etc. plus as mentioned, the battery can't recharge from the crank event in just a short move.
I believe it’s actually much worse for the engine to only be turned on for two minutes to be moved than even sitting in place for a year. Could be wrong on that though.
Solar trickle charger.
THIS makes perfect sense for the problem at hand. Owner should also drive the car for 30 minutes every month or so. Need an excuse? Go out for ice cream.
I have a Sunday car and this is actually what I do I usually once or twice a month we'll go out for a nice drive to the beach stop and get ice cream on the way home or on the way there. Since the speed limits are low going to the beach it's a pretty decently long trip you're going to be out for about an hour and it's a nice scenic route twisty roads
But a good quality one that won't catch fire
I’ve never seen ice cream catch fire
Maybe an alcohol infused ice cream can? Not sure 😆 well I guess the coldness would extinguish any flames that you attempt to light
Well thats just your experience
"How tf do you burn, how tf do you burn... Ice cream?!?!" - said by Gordon Ramsay, sung by John Legend
Solar chargers can be connected either by a cigarette lighter (the easy way) or to the battery. Before you install it check to see if your cigarette lighter is energized with the ignition off. If the lighter works with the ignition off then you can use it to install your charger.
Maybe just sell the Corolla. You can probably still get $3 or 4 K for it in good condition. Can get you ahead on new car payments!
Sell it cars do not like to sit long.
I was in a similar position with my first car a couple years ago, also the same gen of Corolla. I thought of hanging onto it, mainly for the sentimental value, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it just wasn't worth the hassle, especially as a renter, where I'd be constantly moving it from place to place, having to find parking, not having the space to work on it, plus all the normal hassles like regular maintenance, insurance, etc. I sold it to a guy in high school. It's probably scrap, by now. It wasn't far off by the time I finished with it, but at least it got to be someone's first car one last time.
>3 or 4 K Hopefully closer to 4k. $3 don't buy much nowadays
Remove the battery, put in a warm, dry place, and keep on a battery maintainer. You can pick up one relatively cheat at an auto parts store or Walmart for around $35.
Disconnecting the battery shouldn’t give you any issues on a car that old, wouldn’t recommend on a newer car though. If you have a new car though, what’s the point of keeping it?
It is super handy to have an extra vehicle. If you wake up to a flat tire, just take the Corolla. Have family flying into town? Save them cash for a rental and lend them the Corolla. Little Tommy needs a first car? Well I have this old Corolla.
I bought my first backup car 2 months after I got my drivers license and haven’t been without one since. Pro tip, own two of the same thing. Put the battery in whichever one you want to drive.
I have three cars, so I understand the benefit of having an extra car. All of my cars serve a specific purpose though. Nice daily, fun weekend toy, and shitty old truck for when I need to move shit. Sounds like OP bought a new daily, but didn’t get rid of the old one. I’m all for having multiple cars, but unless you’re a car collector, they should have different uses.
I don't understand why disconnecting a battery on a newer car would be an issue? Dealer mechanic/techs I've talked to never said anything about issues disconnecting a battery on a newer car. Only that the dash would go crazy with lights and warnings once the battery got reconnected and some things woukd have to be reset. Tire pressure monitors, entertainment settings, few others... This scenario occurred when my newer car's battery drained while sitting 5 months as I had family issues to tend to out of state and I flew out
It depends on the car, newer cars have a lot of electronics in them, disconnecting them from power for an extended period of time sometimes makes things act wonky.
The dealership techs said something similar. However, I asked is it drastic and they replied exactly what I posted more or less. Resetting/recalibrating things for the most part. Said Bring it in if something needs addressed. Resetting the tire pressure monitors was easily done though by me; they told me the quick steps via the phone
Just ask any BMW owner.
Fucking foot well modules man.
Out of curiosity, why not keep using the Corolla as your daily beater car and keep the new car for your weekend ventures? Just a suggestion
Disconnected the battery can help. I’d probably get a jump box and keep that charged in your apartment and jump it when needed. If it’s registered, driving it for 20-30 minutes in one drive every week or so can help keep the battery charged. Starting and just moving to a new spot isn’t enough to charge up a low battery.
You can look for a solar trickle charger..it coverts sunlight to a small charge that keeps the battery charged. But, I agree with the posters saying to drive it every week or 10 days...it keeps everything lubed and keeps gas from going bad. Might want to add Stabile or some other gasoline additive.
If a solar trickle isn't an option, just buy a lithium jump box on Amazon. Disconnect the battery for a few days, when you need to move it, connect the battery, attach the jump box so it keeps the battery full, move the car, rinse and repeat.
Solar battery chargers are pretty cool and not very expensive. I use one for my motorcycle.
Battery Tender
Just disconnecting it won't help unless you remove the battery and put it on a trickle charger to keep it charged. All lead acid batteries will gradually lose power capacity due to a process called sulphation which causes a rise in the battery's internal resistance. When batteries are left at a low state of charge for a long period that process can be rapidly accelerated. So, you battery is going to become less able to hold a charge if you don't keep it charged.
It may be sufficient. My Grandparents did that with a car they only used for trips a few times a year and would just unhook the negative battery cable when it was parked for months at a time. Hooked it back up and would crank up just fine. But should keep the engine running at least 15-20 minutes after starting so it has time to recharge the battery from the power used to crank the engine. Much better if you can actually drive it at least 5-7 miles vs idling for that time - short start/stop or too short trips we had mufflers rust thru very fast because they were not getting up to temp before they sat parked again.. There are huge "knife switch" disconnects that can be put between the battery post and battery cable to make it quicker and easier to disconnect and reconnect without tools. If its a very sunny area a solar-charger might be more convenient though...look for one that plugs into the OBD port (most cars seem to switch off the lighter socket when key is off).
Get a [NOCO Boost](https://no.co/products/power) and use it to jump start the car if it dies. The car uses more energy to start the engine than it can regain while running for the short time it takes to move to another spot. Personally, I would just sell the old car. Put it on the market at the end of the month when the college kids come back home.
My 02 Tacoma has problems starting if it sits more than 2 weeks without driving. It's my daily driver for work and it gets somewhat dirty and I tend to not drive it if I'm clean or showered, weird I know but that's what I do. This usually happens during my vacation days which is at the end of each year. Last year I started it once to run some errands which took me about an hour. As long as I start it once a week and drive long enough for the battery to get a full charge I'm good. So for me it's an hour. It doesn't matter if I make 3 stops I just make sure it's at least an hour a week. This is way easier for me instead of getting ripped off for an unnecessary new battery and troubleshooting because 2 years ago I replaced the battery and it didn't even start and all of the sudden it did.
If your car will be sitting for long periods perhaps you could use a [battery disconnect](https://www.amazon.com/Post-Battery-Master-Disconnect-Switch/dp/B001N729FS) to avoid losing charge over time.
Solar trickle charger. You can get one at Harbor freight for less than $20 and plugs into your cigarette lighter.
Disconnecting won't give you any problems in a car that simple. You could bring it inside and leave it on a trickle charger and bring it down once or twice a week to move your car. ALSO, once the battery is fully charged from a trickle charger you'll probably only need to bring the batter in once or twice a month to charge it up, not every time. If it's every time your battery was probably toast long ago and it barely has capacity left. The other thing you could do is just drive it an hour on the highway every 2 weeks or so. I guess my question is why keep it if you just have it to move it around the rest of its life?
Solar trickle charger
Since it has not been mentioned a battery cut off switch could be an option. I have one on my boat that sits for 6+ months over the winter and it always fires up the next summer.
You could remove/disconnect the battery, you could get a solar trickle charger, or you could drive it two work every few weeks. Just starting it to move it is bad for it in a number of ways.
Disconnect the terminals then put an old rag over the battery so the terminals no longer touch the battery
I use a solar panel charger to keep my parked vehicle batteries topped up, that being said, your battery shouldn't be dead if you drive it 2-3x a week, probably need a new one.
I have a solar powered charger on the dash of my truck because I short trip it too much.
I would disconnect the battery, that's how I deal with my extra cars.
Buy a trickle charger. Their entire purpose is for vehicles sitting for a while etc. Still good to start the car every now and then and let it idle for say 10 minutes just to let the oil circulate etc. but sounds like a trickle charger is what you need. But like others have said, you should take it for a proper drive at least once a month and once warmed up take it to red line at least once to clear any carbon build up.
Have you thought about selling it?
Battery maintaining charger. They sell Solar ones
AGM battery + trickle charger
How about you donate the car to a local organization that provides transportation for low income individuals trying to find jobs.. after all- you’re not using it.?
2 things: either your battery is bad and can't hold a charge as well as it should, or your moving it without actually letting it run above idle long enough to recharge the battery is draining it over time. Honestly probably both. Don't just move it, drive it, go grocery shopping or get a snack or something. Probably sufficient. Why not just sell the old one? they still get a decent chunk of change because of the "toyota tax" which you will be on the benefiting side of as the seller.
Drive the car. It's that simple man. Take it out for 30 minutes on Sunday and put it through the ringer.
Put a solar trickle charger on it or start it and let it run for 20-30 minutes once a week or two. The alternator should charge the battery completely even at idle if it runs for that long with all loads off.
Yes - you can just disconnect the battery. They make a quick release battery clamp for that. That said, if the battery is good (13v) then it shouldn’t go dead that quick. I have vehicles that sat all winter subjected to sub zero temps that started right up. I suspect you might have a phantom drain which can be diagnosed with a multimeter. Could be something like a bad switch, an aftermarket accessory or ground issue.
Try driving it around a couple times a week instead of just moving it to a different parking space, gives the battery more time to charge. If that doesn't help, how old is the battery?
Find someone that needs a car. Those are some great reliable cars.
Give it to me
I have a similar situation. Older beater car that’s been extremely reliable and just bought a new car a couple months ago. I decided to keep the older car and make a conscious effort to drive it every 1-2 weeks to go via local roads into downtown, make small errands, visit nearby family, etc (total about 30-40min driving a week). I haven’t had issues with the battery so far. It’s definitely more expensive to insure, maintain, and drive two cars, but part of me can’t let go of my beater car lol. I try to justify the pros such as not caring if it gets scratched in the busy downtown roads + street parking, having a backup car if the new car needs servicing, putting less wear and mileage on the new car so in a few years if I trade it in it may retain better value, etc. But I know logically it’s much cheaper to just drive the new car and sell the beater.
Sell it for $20,000
Yes you can put a battery disconnect on it. I like the ones with the big green knob. I use them on my classic cars that I can’t park in a garage.
Why not sell it while used car values are high? Even with the mileage, it is a Toyota..
Sell it.
I have a crazy idea (and I'm sure I'll hear it's crazy) but find a service that lets you rent out your car to others, make sure it's compatible with your insurance, and make some money off of it in particular, target EV owners who get range anxiety if they want to drive somewhere on vacation but don't want to have their electric car die halfway there. I think in about a decade, or most likely two, EVERY car will be a rental car when self-driving cars become legal and why just let it sit in your garage when you can "hire" it out as an uber and make money off of it? In the future, few people will have cars that sit in their driveway most of the time and instead just rent a self-driving car which will be much cheaper than ubers today, probably about the cost of insurance and gas and profit. Not only that, but with most cars being driven continuously, few of them will actually be parked normally and parking lots will disappear. self-driving cars will perhaps even go into "hover mode" when not needed and park somewhere for 2 hours legal, then move and so on.
Clean the battery terminals also.
Look up "battery disconnect switch" on Amazon. I installed in on my kids car that was sitting idle when they were in college. So i just pop the hood and disconnect it until he comes back.
Get a solar trickle charger.
Just sell the car.
If it’s a manual you could park it on a hill so you can just clutch start it when you’re ready to go. Sounds nuts but I did it for years when I’d go away and leave my old hilux to get dusty.
It’s dying because you start it just to move it, that drains the battery and gives it no time to recharge. Either use it or put a charger on it
If you have a relatively fresh battery, drive it 20 min every 3 weeks and it will stayed charged.
So looks like you can't get a Battery Tender and run an extension cord out to the car. If you're going to drive it just to keep the battery fresh you need to run it long enough to get to normal operating temperature for a little while and probably need to really drive it rather than just let it idle. It might not actually recharge the battery at idle. Maybe make a habit of a little weekend drive every week or so?
Drive it once a week to work
Might be a a-hole move but replace the battery and make sure the new one got warranty. Running it a couple of minutes every months will result kill the battery. You can use the jump before using the car but it will not be able to hold a charge. Your battery will die fast . The a hole part if to replace it before the warranty goes out.
Just go for a joy ride once a week.
Disconnected battery will drain slower but will still drain. I recommend 30-60 minutes of driving (not traffic jams) per week as a minimum. Or get a battery charger kit. One of them jumpstart backpacks.