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I store my son's 1994 Corvette in my garage and have the battery on trickle charge. Once a month, I start it and take it for a ride around the block a few times. It always starts right up since I have been using the trickle charge.

I went to start it and I got nothing. Not even interior lights. I checked the trickle charger and it stopped working. I tried jump starting it with a Honda Accord, but I could not get it to turn over. Do I need to replace the battery or get an auto with a stronger battery to jump it?

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  • Welcome to the site. You need to try and charge the battery with regular battery charger.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Commented Jun 21, 2017 at 23:14
  • Most of the time if a car battery is discharged to 0 for more than a day it will never charge again, replace the battery and trickle charger, buy a quality trickle charger. "Battery Tender" is a good one, can be bought elsewhere, this is a reference only link....batteriesplus.com/charger/car-and-truck/battery-tender
    – Moab
    Commented Jun 21, 2017 at 23:21
  • If you are using a Gel Mat battery you will need a "smart charger".
    – Moab
    Commented Jun 21, 2017 at 23:22
  • It should be of note, there is a difference between a "trickle charger" and a "battery tender". A trickle charger will continue to charge (at a very slow rate) even after the battery is fully charged. If you leave this in place, it can boil a battery dry. A battery tender is a "smart charger". It senses and keeps track of how the battery is doing. When fully charged, it will stop charging and then go back periodically and check the condition, recharging as needed, keeping the battery in the best shape it can be in. I used a tender with an Optima Red Top with zero issues, btw.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Commented Jun 23, 2017 at 16:11

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You shouldn't need a stronger battery. Check the following:

  • inspect battery terminals for corrosion, clean them if necessary
  • inspect all electrical grounds for looseness and corrosion, clean or replace as necessary

There's a good chance one of the above 2 was the reason the trickle charger stopped working, and then your battery ran down. Once you get the car started, or at least with enough electrical power to turn the interior lights on, perform a draw test from the battery. If it runs down completely in a month, I suspect you have something running it down.

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