Is it still okay to leave the car in On, without starting it?

On Sun, 18 Sep 2011 07:58:10 -0400, Nate Nagel >
wrote:

>On 09/17/2011 09:59 PM, micky wrote:
>> On Tue, 6 Sep 2011 13:42:25 -0700 (PDT), >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> On Sep 2, 6:38 pm, > wrote:
>>>> On Fri, 02 Sep 2011 06:56:39 -0700, jim > wrote:
>>>>> On 09/02/2011 06:13 AM, Vic Smith wrote:
>>>>>> On Thu, 01 Sep 2011 22:23:49 -0700, jim > wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>>> On 09/01/2011 04:13 PM, micky wrote:
>>>>>>>> Back when there were ignition points, it was bad (at least there was a
>>>>>>>> 25% chance it was bad) to leave the ignition on when the car wasn't
>>>>>>>> running. When they got rid of points, it wasn't bad anymore. But
>>>>>>>> that was 30 or 40 years ago.
>>>>
>>>>>>>> Is it still okay to leave the car in On, without starting it?
>>>>
>>>>>>>> If it's not okay, what gets damaged?
>>>>
>>>>>>> if everything is working ok, yes, you can leave it "on". but you'll
>>>>>>> draw down the car battery at quite a rapid rate, so you won't be able to
>>>>>>> do it for long periods without battery damage [car batteries are
>>>>>>> typically not "deep cycle"].
>>>>
>>>>>>> but why you would want to do this is not something you explained. is
>>>>>>> there a reason?
>>>>
>>>> A couple things, One is something like Vic's. ..... Let me think for
>>>> a while.... It's only been a day, but I forget....
>>>>
>>>> One reason is that I'm sitting in the car and I want to lower the
>>>> windows, and I have to turn the switch to ON, and I think I may forget
>>>> to put it back.
>>>>
>>>> But the other had something to do with the radio. Ah, when the
>>>> driver's door is open, if the key is set to OFF or ACC, it's makes an
>>>> infernal ringing noise to remind me to take out my key. Well if I
>>>> take out the key, I caln't play the radio. And I don't want to shut
>>>> the door.
>>>>
>>>> I've only had the car for a month, and I'm going to stop that infernal
>>>> rinnging noise. Or course I think that will mean that the protection
>>>> will be gone, against locking my keys when the key is in OFF or ACC
>>>>
>>>> But I checked today, and as it is I can't even lock the door when the
>>>> engine is running. Well, I might want to warm the car up while I'm
>>>> inside, so I'll want to lock the door then. Or I might have a car
>>>> that won't start if I turn it off, so I'll want to lock the car if I
>>>> lieave it.
>>>>
>>>> So that's two votes to disconnect the ringer, and only one not to.
>>>>
>>>> But until then, I wanted to know if I could leave the car ON.
>>>>
>>>> I wish this car had an ammeter, like cars used to. I find them much
>>>> more valuable than voltmeters.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>> I had a Corsica whose key wouldn't turn to the ACC position.
>>>>>> At lunch hour I would sit in my car and listen to the radio and
>>>>>> sometimes nap. Key at ON position.
>>>>>> Did that until the day I needed a jump.
>>>>>> Battery was old and probably marginal so I got a new one.
>>>>>> And a transistor radio for 5 bucks.
>>>>>> Fuel pump probably was probably biggest drain and drew the battery
>>>>>> down.
>>>>>> I never heard it running and didn't even think about it.
>>>>
>>>>>> --Vic
>>>>
>>>>> if all was running right, the fuel pump should have been switched off
>>>>> after the first couple of seconds. the computer is supposed to switch
>>>>> it off because if the ignition is on, but the motor not running, it
>>>>> could be that the vehicle has crashed, and you don't want to be pumping
>>>>> gas into a hot crashed engine bay.
>>>>
>>>>> the big draws are things like the accessories, fans and computer. most
>>>>
>>>> Well I turned off the fan. Hadn't thought about the computers. Darn.
>>>> Maybe they use less when the engine isn't running?
>>>>
>>>> I wish this car had an ammeter. I find them much more valuable than
>>>> voltmeters.
>>>>
>>>>> other stuff should get switched off. whether of not the alternator
>>>>> energizer coils get switched depends on the vehicle. i think most get
>>>>> switched off.
>>>>
>>>> FWIW, this is a 2000 Toyota Solara.- Hide quoted text -
>>>>
>>>> - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -
>>>>
>>>> - Show quoted text -
>>>
>>> Try to pull on the key while it's still in the ignition and see if the
>>> dinging stops.. some cars will allow you to pull the key out a hair to
>>> stop the door ding.
>>
>> Yes, some GM cars were made that way, and one of mine got that way
>> after a while. I accidentally fell back after I grabbed the key in
>> the ignition and pulled on it hard, and it came out. After that, it
>> came out eaily. It was great. I could unlock the glove box or trunk
>> without turning off the car. I actually bought a spare ignitoin lock
>> for the next car and was g oing to take it apart and modify it, but I
>> neever did.
>>
>> Anyhow, I found the right connector for the key-in and now the
>> annoying chime doesn't ring in Accessory.
>>
>> There were loads of people on teh web complaining about Toyotat chimes
>> and trading ideas of how to stop it, cut wires, cut out piezo beeper,
>> etc.
>>
>> I have other things to change, all electrical, and I hope I'm done
>> before winter, although that might have started yesterday.
>
>Late to the party, but to answer the original question, I'd say no - I
>had a failure in my company Impala that did not allow me to turn the key
>off, I could only turn it back to the ACC position. Even with the radio
>off, the battery drained overnight, even with a charger hooked up to it
>(cheap charger, proabbly shut itself off after a few hours because the
>current drain likely confused the "automatic" software.
>
>So no, it's probably not a good idea to leave the key on for any
>extended period of time, even if the original reason for not doing so
>(overheating the coil) is no longer valid.

I'm surprised to hear that what you did drained the battery. I am
duly warned.

But a battery can be recharged or replaced, so I'm glad no one has
said the car itself would be damaged by remaining in the On position
while it's not running. I'm sure it woudl drain even faster, but when
I posted I wanted to leave it ON so I wouldn't hear that infernal
chime. Now that I've disonncected the chime (except 5 of them when I
start the engine with no seatbelt on) I won't be leaving it ON
anymore. ACC is much better. As someone who has had maybe 200 dead
battery episodes** in the last 40 years, I'm always concerrned about
running down the battery, but it's worse yet to overheat the coil or
some 21st century equivalent.


**Most of them minor because they only happen at the start of the day,
when I can bring out my battery charger, and most of the rest minor
because the Battery Buddy (or Battery Brain) leaves enough in the
battery to start the engine. For the rest I had battery cables and a
puppy-dog face, to beg for a jump.

>nate