Battery charge/replacement
- Thread starter DAB7
- Start date
All you need to know NRMA
www.mynrma.com.au
Charging your car battery
Did you know a flat battery can be avoided if you have a battery charger? Here are four ways to charge a flat battery.
www.mynrma.com.au
How old is the battery? If it's getting close to 4 years I would replace it anyway.
Unless the battery is old, not using it for just the 2 months shouldn't hurt it that much. If it is old, flattening it isn't good for it. Not using the battery for extended periods of time will eventually destroy the battery.
If you have a car that's a "Garage Queen", modern battery chargers can remain connected to the battery and provide a continuous "float" charge for the battery. I would recommend removing the battery in this case, but it's not necessary.
Modern battery chargers will not charge a "flat" battery. The battery must have a minimum terminal voltage before the charger will run. I have an old Arlec4 for such scenarios. Stuff happens.
If in doubt, get the battery load tested with a special instrument, NOT a multimeter. Most garages can load test a battery.
Unless the battery is old, not using it for just the 2 months shouldn't hurt it that much. If it is old, flattening it isn't good for it. Not using the battery for extended periods of time will eventually destroy the battery.
If you have a car that's a "Garage Queen", modern battery chargers can remain connected to the battery and provide a continuous "float" charge for the battery. I would recommend removing the battery in this case, but it's not necessary.
Modern battery chargers will not charge a "flat" battery. The battery must have a minimum terminal voltage before the charger will run. I have an old Arlec4 for such scenarios. Stuff happens.
If in doubt, get the battery load tested with a special instrument, NOT a multimeter. Most garages can load test a battery.
don't know the technicalities like 0zVTR above, but have found that
you can leave a batt idle for 2 or 3 months and its fine
so long as you disconnect it
always do this if not using your car
once a battery is flattened properly though, its DONE and go buy another one
you can try and use it for a bit, but they just dont store charge anymore
there seems to be some point beyond which they're wrecked, ozVTR seems to know the correct terminology for this
if you just run it down, but then recharge it as soon as you realise, you can save them
a diesel engine is a good test too, if the battery's too low to even activate the stop solenoid, its kaput
you can leave a batt idle for 2 or 3 months and its fine
so long as you disconnect it
always do this if not using your car
once a battery is flattened properly though, its DONE and go buy another one
you can try and use it for a bit, but they just dont store charge anymore
there seems to be some point beyond which they're wrecked, ozVTR seems to know the correct terminology for this
if you just run it down, but then recharge it as soon as you realise, you can save them
a diesel engine is a good test too, if the battery's too low to even activate the stop solenoid, its kaput
The safest way to recharge the battery is to disconnect it from the car first. You don't have to lift it out. This is to guarantee that the several computers/ECUs are not accidentally damaged. Do not permit sparking. Negative first.
After disconnection wait minutes before you touch anything. EG, don't open a door! This is to permit the systems to shut down correctly. After reconnection do the same no-touch wait, as the system is initialising and you don't want some peripheral signal, like that door again, interrupting. Unfortunately you will have to reset radio stations and the clock, but they are probably out now anyway.
Since the car is a diesel the battery may be an EFB or an AGM rather than a standard battery. These are charged with a modern charger designed for them, with some electronic controls inside the unit to use correct voltage..
After disconnection wait minutes before you touch anything. EG, don't open a door! This is to permit the systems to shut down correctly. After reconnection do the same no-touch wait, as the system is initialising and you don't want some peripheral signal, like that door again, interrupting. Unfortunately you will have to reset radio stations and the clock, but they are probably out now anyway.
Since the car is a diesel the battery may be an EFB or an AGM rather than a standard battery. These are charged with a modern charger designed for them, with some electronic controls inside the unit to use correct voltage..
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i think we have been through this elswhere ,but i have discovered that if your modern charger dousnt recognise a dead flat battery ,connect another charged good battery to the flat battery with jumper leads ,for a while ,sufficient charge will be transfered after a little while, so the two batteries can be disconected ,the charger connected to the flat battery then the charger , is able to run tests and charge the once flat battery aproprietly
Reminder to self, start the Laguna or charge its battery sometime this month!
My smart charger has a 12v power supply option. I just use that setting for 10 minutes or so, then switch to the appropriate setting (wet, calcium etc.). No need for an old charger or jumper leads and a good battery...
that sounds like a useful ,option to look for when perchasing a charger !
The best intelligent charges are ctek a little pricier than some but they will even "restore" a battery if it's not to far gone.
Have taken the car for a run, then put it on a Noco charger overnight. The current battery is a replacement for the original so in the order of 6 to 8 yrs old. Will give it a run from St Leonards to Footscray (130klms highway) tomorrow and play it by ear. Thank you all for your advice
Kickass make battery chargers which I think are nearly as good as CTek without the high price tag.
12V Battery Chargers
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these work well too, though high amp models are getting pricey.
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You all surprise me - I thought Projecta made the only decent smart chargers 
.
They even detect reverse polarity (ie. protection against connecting terminals back to front). However, this safety function does not work with the 12V power supply function (don't ask me how I know ).
.They even detect reverse polarity (ie. protection against connecting terminals back to front). However, this safety function does not work with the 12V power supply function (don't ask me how I know
).Hi.Kickass make battery chargers which I think are nearly as good as CTek without the high price tag.
12V Battery Chargers
Looking for 12V Battery Chargers? Make it KickAss! Shop a range of KickAss 12V Battery Chargers Online or in-store. Australian Owned & Operated. Fast Delivery Australia Wide.
I had not been aware of the KickAss brand previously, thanks for the head up.
The "KickAss 12V 22Amp Automatic AGM & Lithium Battery Charger" has a high current output of 22A; that's pretty chunky for modern chargers. It's marketing lists many features that are equivalent to other mode chargers. It seems good value for money compared to other competitors in the high amp output segment.
I don't understand why CTek is held in high esteem. I consider there are several brands available in the market that have similar mode charging features, that will all perform equivalently.
I think my main learning is to implement a regular top-up charging regime for in service batteries, and I consider that this will extend battery life. I now charge our AGM batteries every other month and to date they are still "stop-starting". One of them in the Peugeot 2008 didn't perform the "stop-start" function for a while, but now it is still "stop-starting". It is the original 6 year old battery. AGM batteries are costly to replace.
Cheers
The Kickass battery charger that I own is a KACHG1220 12volt, 20amp, 8 stage. I have owed this for about 5 years and has performed faultlessly. I have recharged lots of batteries with it over the past 5 years. Was bought on special directly from Kickass. I was put onto the brand by a work mate.
Good ideas re the battery chargers, main thing is to use them regularly to maintain your car batteries.
Ken
Ken