[prs]

A light was left on in the car causing the battery to run down. The remote works but the car does not have enough juice to start. When I turn the key to start the car I get a series of clicks and flashing interior dash lights (if I recall correctly). I connected my car's batttery to a battery charger. The charger takes about six to eight hours to charge a 12 volt batttery. Any advice re charging the battery? Thanks.

[DIOJCW]

prs if you havent already started charging
disconnect the battery from the car before charging as it is not advisable to charge it while its connected
just make sure you have the radio codes
or even easier if its manual clutch start it then let it run for 2 or 3 hrs at about 2-3000rpm to charge it
or take it for a drive for a while

[MINI-Morgan]

Agreed. Disconnect the battery! the voltage of a fully charged battery from a charger is nearly 15-16volts instead of 12.

But, when you first take the car out it will not want to go when you first pull away which is totally normal. It's just the ECU learning its environment.

Have fun.... it happened to me last week.

[tomt]

The owner's manual just says:

Quote:

Charging the battery

Only charge the battery in the vehicle via
the terminals in the engine compartment
with the engine switched off, refer to
'Jump-starting', page 134 ff.

I haven't taken a volt meter to the Mini, nor to my AC battery charger, but car alternators regularly go to 14V to charge the battery. The usual problem when charging batteries is charging too fast which heats up the battery. With old style unsealed batteries, overcharging would break down some of the water into hydrogen and oxygen which explodes easily.

Perhaps more to the point, the owner's manual advises you have to reset other things:

Quote:

Power failure

After a temporary power failure,
a discharged battery, some of your
equipment will function only to
extent and must be reinitialized readjusted.
Individual settings are also
must be reprogrammed:
>Time:
Must be reset, refer to page 63
>Electric power windows:
Must be reinitialized, refer to
>Radio*:
The stations must be reset, refer
Owner's Manual for Radio
>Navigation system*:
It may take some time for its operability
to be restored, refer to the Owner's Manual
for Navigation System.

As Boyracer says, the engine computer will have reset, but the only way to deal with that is to drive the car.

[prs]

Thanks to all who replied to my inquiry. I charged the battery in the car following the instructions in the manual. (Removing the battery looks a bit involved.) The car started without any problem last night. I will take it out for a test drive later today. If I experience any problems, I will report them. Again, thanks for the advice.

[brett]

Also to jump start my Mini you don't do the normal connect up the battery. You connect up the jumper leads in the engine bay took me about 2 hours to work that out