Car battery Overheated

hmm... if the battery over heated, most of the time that has to do with the alternator . Its just making TOO MUCH power. Change that first. That is the cheapest and easiest option. Keep the new battery though. its probably fine since there was no start up on it.

If it were a low battery, or JUST a battery problem you would have seen dashboard lights, or heard ticking from the car trying to start but not having enough power. ( not 100% of the time but almost always)

Rockhead should hit this thread in a bit too

Thanks. I was going to check the output of the alternator but couldn't get it to start up at all. I took the old battery in and Autozone said it wouldn't take a charge at all. I guess it was either already damaged from sitting or the alternator overcharged it so much it was ruined. Again..thanks for your help.

that is entirely possible.

Is autozone close enough to reasonably get your vehicle there? They do have a diagnostic of sorts that they would run . though I do not know if it works when the car will not start... If it does, it may be worth it to take it there. It can tell you if its the alternator, starter, etc..etc..

it scares me when you start helping other folks diagnose stuff, wolfie...

4 years is a long time without being started. stuff goes bad...

drain and replace the gasoline. it has to be rancid by now.

the original battery started the car unassisted? amazing...

a voltmeter will save a lot of time and money here...

new battery (fully charged), new gas. if it still won't start, pull a wire and check it for spark.

good luck...

I would worry about an overheating battery in any case. I forget whether it happens when the charge or discharge, but the vented batteries at least used to release enough hydrogen gas to explode. Anyhow, the used to do that. I've seen it happen twice in my lifetime, and it's not too far off from what you get with a good hand granade.

agreed.

I blew one to smithereens in my old '56 chebby.

great big mess. if the hood had been closed, it woulda buckled it...

(NEW BATTERY you uncertifified philadelphian)......... doing my goldie impersonation.

Wouldn't you just like to know who is, and who isn't certified?

Uh, can batteries still do that? It looks like they are all or mostly unvented.

I used to be certified. not worth the money involved to keep it up. a racket it is...

yes, you can still blow up a battery. the cases are stronger than they used to be, but when the plates start to come apart, and you charge the bejeezus out of it, bad things can happen...

OK..its running now. I followed some instructions from a guy on another forum. I locked all the doors via the key and closed the hood, I waited 1 minute, I unlocked the doors via the key, I turned the ignition on for 10 seconds but didn't try to start it up, then I hit the starter...PRESTO! He's says it reset the system that had kicked off due to the battery problem. Also, the cause was a dead short in the old battery..the alternator turned out to be fine. Thank you all for your comments.

never diagnosing.
oh no. not my place..

but suggesting. I have seen that happen quite a few times actually, alternator making battery overheat . Nasty steam blowing every where.. its a yucky thing.

Geez! Couldn't they have worked out a system a little less intuitive for a fairly predictable problem? I mean, somebody could stumble on this by accident.

Glad to hear you got it going again.