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vwgirl1961a
Samba Member
Joined: May 18, 2008
Posts: 466
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 Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 12:39 pm Post subject: Help needed near i17 and Deer Valley Rd/Phoenix |
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My 6 volt battery cells are completely dry and need distilled water which I don't have. I am disabled with bad back and hip and walked about 10 miles round trip to local stores and no one has distilled water. Is anyone near the I17 between Rose Garden and Deer Valley who can help me? My car is a 1965 Beetle 6 volt. I am hoping this is why it doesn't start. 
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rcroane 
Samba Member
Joined: January 03, 2013
Posts: 2000
Location: Springfield, Virginia
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 12:45 pm Post subject: Re: Help needed near i17 and Deer Valley Rd/Phoenix |
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Have you tried push starting it? Can you call someone to come assist?
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vwgirl1961a
Samba Member
Joined: May 18, 2008
Posts: 466
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 12:48 pm Post subject: Re: Help needed near i17 and Deer Valley Rd/Phoenix |
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| rcroane wrote: |
| Have you tried push starting it? Can you call someone to come assist? |
No haven't tried push starting it. I thought you only push start it when it's a starter problem
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vwgirl1961a
Samba Member
Joined: May 18, 2008
Posts: 466
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 12:49 pm Post subject: Re: Help needed near i17 and Deer Valley Rd/Phoenix |
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| vwgirl1961a wrote: |
| rcroane wrote: |
| Have you tried push starting it? Can you call someone to come assist? |
No haven't tried push starting it. I thought you only push start it when it's a starter problem |
No one has 6 volt battery available. The short one to fit under the seat without touching the springs. I heard it's hard to find them. Batteries plus has one on order and not until Wednesday. I hope it's the right size
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rcroane
Samba Member
Joined: January 03, 2013
Posts: 2000
Location: Springfield, Virginia
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 12:51 pm Post subject: Re: Help needed near i17 and Deer Valley Rd/Phoenix |
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Anyone there to help push start it so you can get home? If it’s just a dead battery, it should start with a push.
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rcroane
Samba Member
Joined: January 03, 2013
Posts: 2000
Location: Springfield, Virginia
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 12:52 pm Post subject: Re: Help needed near i17 and Deer Valley Rd/Phoenix |
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You want size 19L. Or, go with an Optima Red Top 6v.
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rcroane
Samba Member
Joined: January 03, 2013
Posts: 2000
Location: Springfield, Virginia
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 12:54 pm Post subject: Re: Help needed near i17 and Deer Valley Rd/Phoenix |
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Call me on 240-419-7898 if you need to talk through how to get it going. Name is Bob.
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Cali_Army_Guy
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Joined: March 19, 2015
Posts: 2094
Location: Stockton, CA
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 1:11 pm Post subject: Re: Help needed near i17 and Deer Valley Rd/Phoenix |
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Wish I was closer. Have you tried messaging Cusser? I believe he’s in the Phoenix area.
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2015 VW Passat Wolfsburg Edition
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vwgirl1961a
Samba Member
Joined: May 18, 2008
Posts: 466
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 1:26 pm Post subject: Re: Help needed near i17 and Deer Valley Rd/Phoenix |
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| rcroane wrote: |
| Anyone there to help push start it so you can get home? If it’s just a dead battery, it should start with a push. |
Thanks, the car is home. It's my daily driver and need it to go grocery shopping and to go to work. I know how to push start it. My sister and I will try tomorrow morning. Thanks
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vwgirl1961a
Samba Member
Joined: May 18, 2008
Posts: 466
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 1:29 pm Post subject: Re: Help needed near i17 and Deer Valley Rd/Phoenix |
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| rcroane wrote: |
| You want size 19L. Or, go with an Optima Red Top 6v. |
Batteries plus ordered a Duracell SLI19L one and should come in on Wednesday. We will push start her tomorrow to go grocery shopping local. I can walk to work Monday Tuesday and Wednesday. And After work on Wednesday we'll push start her again to drive from 23 ave and Rose Garden to Cave Creek Rd and Bell. Once we get her started will she stay running?
Here's the battery ordered:
https://www.batteriesplus.com/productdetails/SLI19...sgQAvD_BwE
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67rustavenger
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Joined: February 24, 2015
Posts: 9759
Location: Oregon
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 1:39 pm Post subject: Re: Help needed near i17 and Deer Valley Rd/Phoenix |
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| Cali_Army_Guy wrote: |
| Wish I was closer. Have you tried messaging Cusser? I believe he’s in the Phoenix area. |
Same here.
Not to put a sharp point on this misadventure. But you need to do a little maintenance on old beetles to keep them on the road. Well, that holds true for any car with a wet cell battery.
You should be able to get distilled water at any grocery store. We used to use it in our clothes iron's. And car batteries too.
When I lived in Chandler. I had a baja with a faulty gas gauge. My wife ran out of gas while out in that car and had to walk 3 miles in the summer heat. She was 25 at the time and was flat exhausted.
If you are at an advanced age. Make damn sure that you have your ride up to the task in the AZ heat.
How'd you get the car home?
Glad to hear that you made it home without an incident.
Good Luck.
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rcroane
Samba Member
Joined: January 03, 2013
Posts: 2000
Location: Springfield, Virginia
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 1:39 pm Post subject: Re: Help needed near i17 and Deer Valley Rd/Phoenix |
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Do you have a battery charger? Since you have a new battery coming anyway, I would use bottled water (or tap water if no bottled water) to fill the battery and charge it. It may be too far gone, but worth a try to see if it has enough life to start the car.
Hopefully, others will weigh in if this is bad advice.
Good luck.
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panicman
Samba Member
Joined: December 18, 2011
Posts: 2290
Location: Canby, OR
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 1:47 pm Post subject: Re: Help needed near i17 and Deer Valley Rd/Phoenix |
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Get an Optima Red Top, 6 v.
Completely maintenance free and I am hard on mine. I used to leave a trickle charger on it, but with the Optima I don’t seem to need to. It fits fine under the seat, and you can cover the terminals.
Now that the emergency is over, you should practice push-starting your bug.
I had a bug when I was much younger that I had to push start every time. I would always scope out parking places with a nice flat or downhill stretch. Once you get the hang of it, it’s kind of fun.
Oh- and get AAA!!!!!
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Pruneman99
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Joined: February 22, 2012
Posts: 5013
Location: Oceanside
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 2:20 pm Post subject: Re: Help needed near i17 and Deer Valley Rd/Phoenix |
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| Just grab some water now that you are home and top it off. You can add 1/4 teaspoon of Epsom salts to each cell if the battery doesn't want to charge back up. Its worked for me before on a battery that was "bad" anyway. |
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vwgirl1961a
Samba Member
Joined: May 18, 2008
Posts: 466
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 2:31 pm Post subject: Re: Help needed near i17 and Deer Valley Rd/Phoenix |
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| rcroane wrote: |
| Call me on 240-419-7898 if you need to talk through how to get it going. Name is Bob. |
Hi Bob and thanks. My sister and I are going to push start her tomorrow morning and hope she starts and then go to my job where my boss has a bottle of distilled water for me. If we add the water in the battery cells and she starts up, that means the battery is good. If not, we will push start her again and go local shopping for much needed food (fridge is empty) and I will walk to work Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (push starting is not fun) and Wednesday after work we will pick up the battery ordered. Before we pay for it I will have them test the battery in the car in case. I hope it comes in on Wednesday like they said. It's Duracell SLI19L
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vwgirl1961a
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Joined: May 18, 2008
Posts: 466
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 2:33 pm Post subject: Re: Help needed near i17 and Deer Valley Rd/Phoenix |
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| Pruneman99 wrote: |
| Just grab some water now that you are home and top it off. You can add 1/4 teaspoon of Epsom salts to each cell if the battery doesn't want to charge back up. Its worked for me before on a battery that was "bad" anyway. |
Hi Prunemann99, I read everywhere and was also told by many not to use anything but distilled water.
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rcooled
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Joined: September 20, 2008
Posts: 2504
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 3:59 pm Post subject: Re: Help needed near i17 and Deer Valley Rd/Phoenix |
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| vwgirl1961a wrote: |
| ...I read everywhere and was also told by many not to use anything but distilled water. |
That's a best-case scenario. In a pinch, tap water will do just fine and not hurt the battery at all.
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Cusser
Samba Member
Joined: October 02, 2006
Posts: 31362
Location: Hot Arizona
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 4:01 pm Post subject: Re: Help needed near i17 and Deer Valley Rd/Phoenix |
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| Cali_Army_Guy wrote: |
| Wish I was closer. Have you tried messaging Cusser? I believe he’s in the Phoenix area. |
I split my time between Phoenix and Prescott area; right now I - and my 6-volt battery charger - are near Prescott. And so is my VW tow bar.
You should be able to get a new battery BY TOMORROW by calling O'Reilly Auto and ordering Super Start Fleet & Heavy Duty Group Size 19L Top Mount Battery Part #: 19L https://www.oreillyauto.com/shop/b/battery-accesso...gen/beetle
Adding distilled or deionized water to a bad battery is not likely to rejuvenate it back to life by itself. At minimum adding water and then charging up is needed; likely a battery replacement is due; in the Arizona heat 3 years is considered full lifetime for a battery. Jane - I suggest trying to find someone to remove the battery and take it to O'Reilly or Autozone for free re-charge.
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Pruneman99
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Joined: February 22, 2012
Posts: 5013
Location: Oceanside
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 4:08 pm Post subject: Re: Help needed near i17 and Deer Valley Rd/Phoenix |
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I would think driving the car with a dry(ish) wet cell battery would damage it more than the wrong water. And I suggested to use the Epsom salt IF the battery would not take a charge after filling it back up. I've had luck reviving a battery that wouldn't keep a charge that way before.
Distilled water is available at any grocery store in the water isle. It's sold in the gallon jugs along with all the other water. Usually like a buck a gallon.
Hope you get it sorted. It's no fun walking anywhere in Phoenix. Been there, done that. |
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Cusser
Samba Member
Joined: October 02, 2006
Posts: 31362
Location: Hot Arizona
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| Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 4:11 pm Post subject: Re: Help needed near i17 and Deer Valley Rd/Phoenix |
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| Pruneman99 wrote: |
| I would think driving the car with a dry(ish) wet cell battery would damage it more than the wrong water. |
Yes. But any grocery store or Circle K should have deionized water, which is free of ions like distilled water, equivalent. Distilled water is tougher to find these days because it requires more energy to produce.
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1970 VW (owned since 1972) and 1971 VW Convertible (owned since 1976), second owner of each. The '71 now has the 1835 engine, swapped from the '70. Second owner of each. 1988 Mazda B2200 truck, 1998 Frontier, 2014 Yukon, 2004 Frontier King Cab. All manual transmission except for the Yukon. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335294 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335297 |
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