Forum Home
PC World Chat
Thread ID: 124707	2012-05-14 08:52:00	Charging the car battery.	Nomad (952)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1275285	2012-05-14 10:37:00	The car is 2000 or 2001 . One time the battery was totally flat, that the electronic key didn't work nor the booster packs that you can borrow from the gas stations . Called the AA guy over, don't think he had to do the code thing . It's also gone flat at home, we just did a jump start, no code issue . Yes, it lost the clock settings . May get onto it at the weekend . Car was bought used in 2008, battery not changed . In 2010 went to a ski trip and back . After a long drive, the battery did keep a charge for maybe 3 months . .	Nomad (952)
1275286	2012-05-14 10:42:00	From what you describe if it is not holding a charge after a few days that tends to indicate the battery is on its last legs anyway. The car has been put on a rego hold for the last 2 full years. So don't know for sure if it only last a few days from a good drive/charge. After 2yrs without a decent drive, upon a jump start, a 15min drive the car didn't start when it had been left for 2 weeks. Don't know what battery it is. It is a non see thru black colour battery. Before I can get access to the battery there is this plastic cover that needs to be taken off. On top of the battery all there is is this plastic slide cover that you take off which gives you a small window opening to the battery terminals. It's all covered up.	Nomad (952)
1275287	2012-05-14 10:42:00	Used to be able to buy a cig lighter plug which you attached a 9 volt battery to, which in turn kept the clock going when you disconnected the battery. That was a few years ago, things could be different now.	BobM (1138)
1275288	2012-05-14 10:44:00	Used to be able to buy a cig lighter plug which you attached a 9 volt battery to, which in turn kept the clock going when you disconnected the battery. That was a few years ago, things could be different now. Seen them on the Repco/Super Cheap Auto mailouts. They also can jump start the car from inside the vehicle without popping up the hood!	Nomad (952)
1275289	2012-05-14 11:29:00	If the battery has screw on caps for each cell loosen them off a bit before you charge it to let the hydrogen gas escape while it is chargeing. Also don't use a lighter, light a match or smoke a ciggie by it while it is chargeing as you could cause an explosion. :)	Trev (427)
1275290	2012-05-14 20:42:00	Letting a lead acid battery drain to completely flat severely reduces the life of the battery, twice and it's likely stuffed even with a new one. Also letting them sit uncharged for any length of time causes the plates to sulfate which again stuffs the battery. cheap chargers aren't great for them either because they tend to just keep pumping current into the battery and give no indication of when it's charged. The best thing you can do for a battery stored long term is leave it connected to a charger which either switches to a float charge or switches on and off from monitoring the charge state. (float charge uses a slightly lower voltage around 13.5V and keeps the battery there whereas a full charge will go as high as 14.5-15V) Leaving it connected to a good charger won't use much power. A solar panel might work but considering how much a good one costs a decent charger is probably a better option. And you are not supposed to charge a battery while still connected but you can and it won't hurt anything, the only risk is as mentioned starting the car with it attached will fry the charger. Alternatively just get a charger that indicates when the battery is fully charged and charge it up once a week, if it doesn't last that long it's totally stuffed or something's wrong with the car electrical system.	dugimodo (138)
1275291	2012-05-14 21:01:00	Friends of ours have an old 4WD they keep at their Bach, all they have is a solar panel charger connected to the battery and chucked on the dashboard, seems to keep the battery alive really well	gary67 (56)
1275292	2012-05-14 22:35:00	Sounds like the battery might be capput, for $120 you can buy new, which means you have to do nothing till you require car again.	Cicero (40)
1275293	2012-05-15 00:04:00	Sounds like the battery might be capput, for $120 you can buy new, which means you have to do nothing till you require car again. This probably the best advice of the lot from our esteemed correspondent in Canterbury.	prefect (6291)
1275294	2012-05-15 00:29:00	If the battery has screw on caps for each cell loosen them off a bit before you charge it to let the hydrogen gas escape while it is chargeing. Also don't use a lighter, light a match or smoke a ciggie by it while it is chargeing as you could cause an explosion. :) DO NOT loosen or remove the caps during charging. The battery is designed to operate with the caps on, and appropriate venting is provided. Loosening the caps allows the ingress of Oxygen which could cause the Hydrogen to explode. A friend lost his eyes through a battery blowing up with open caps.	mzee (3324)
1 2 3 4 5