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Friday, August 21. 2020

How often do I have to use a car to prevent battery death?

Same thing applies to tractors, lawn tractors, etc. I learned that idling does not recharge a battery. RMPs have to be at least over 1000. In other words, driving and the faster the better.

Here's a cool gadget: GOOLOO Upgraded 2000A Peak SuperSafe Car Jump Starter with USB Quick Charge 3.0 (Up to 10L Gas or 7L Diesel Engine) 12V Auto Battery Booster Power Pack Type-C Portable Phone Charger

Posted by The Barrister in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 14:52 | Comments (23) | Trackbacks (0)

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Battery maintainer (as in: Smart Charger), or Battery Charger overnight 1x a month.

If you garage a car over the winter (convertible?), leaving smart charger connected all the time may be chancy, protective circuitry can fail; but, if you plug the charger into a timer, so it operates only 3-4 hours/day, potential problems become almost non-existent.

#1 Riick on 2020-08-21 15:17 (Reply)

I agree with using a timer on a battery charger. Every spring the battery on my riding mower would have to be replaced. but using a charger that comes on an hour a day I've been able to keep the battery for two years now and its still going. A Charger on a timer is a good idea and it is safer.

#1.1 Don Crosset on 2020-08-22 05:50 (Reply)

It depends. Modern cars use electricity while shut off. Old batteries will discharge quicker than new batteries. Corrosion at the battery terminals and elsewhere can cause a slow discharge of a battery. Weather; heat/cold will have an effect too.

A good/new battery in a vehicle without any active circuits to draw current will still be near fully charged after a year of storage.

Two solutions:
1. Put the battery on a charger once every two months until fully charged. This will maintain your charge and save the battery from damage caused by being discharged too much.
2. Get one of the solar powered (or plug in AC) trickle chargers and connect it. Some can be connected directly to your car's cigarette outlet. For vehicles without a cigarette outlet just wire it to or clamp it to your battery.

If your battery is "bad" probably nothing will prevent your problem.

#2 OneGuy on 2020-08-21 15:25 (Reply)

I had trouble w my battery retaining a charge, so I took the car to a local garage. The garage put in a new battery cable. I took a flight out of town for a week. The battery did fine after a week of sitting.

Then battery problems resumed. The battery would die if I didn't drive the car for 2 days. One time the battery died at a busy intersection. I and a helpful bystander pushed the car to a parking lot. I called the towing service my insurance company provided. After getting the car running again, the tower suggested that I purchase a copper connector for the battery and the battery cable, for several dollars. I did so, and no longer had problems with losing a charge.

I haven't been back to the garage, as it didn't bother installing the copper connector in the first place.

#3 Gringo on 2020-08-21 16:27 (Reply)

If your battery goes dead within a week get the vehicle repaired. Then use a modern trickle charger and stop obsessing. This is the 21st century - this does not have to be a problem for any vehicle.

#4 tim ferrell on 2020-08-21 17:16 (Reply)

I have the Gooloo and have used it successfully to restart cars twice. It's awesome. I like that it has the USB port also to charge phones in an emergency.

#5 Kevin on 2020-08-21 17:44 (Reply)

Be a man, pop the hood and disconnect the battery. Hey wear gloves if you want because nobody is watching. That way your wife won't run off when your not looking.

#6 SF jeff on 2020-08-21 19:26 (Reply)

For me, the only issue about disconnecting the battery is that disconnecting the battery means I have to rest the emissions controls. That involves a 3-page, 14-step protocol that for me has involved driving 40 miles out of the city at 3 a.m. so I have an undisturbed, empty road to go through the steps.

I can do it, but it's a pain in the neck.

#6.1 Gringo on 2020-08-21 20:09 (Reply)

Boy, I hate it when my RMPs are over a thousand. It's painful!

#7 Pod Hamp on 2020-08-21 19:37 (Reply)

Gotta cut him some slack, he's probably a better lawyer than he is a mechanic :-)

FWIW, I suspect that voltage regulator has more to do with rate of charging than the alternator. Alternators generate AC or alternating current. A rectifier diode is required to convert AC to DC or direct current that the battery requires and provides.

#7.1 Tally Whagger on 2020-08-21 20:17 (Reply)

If you're having problems with a car battery that drains because of vehicle electronics, you can have a mechanic install a battery disconnect switch in the glove compartment.
https://www.ase-supply.com/Cole_Hersee_Master_Battery_p/ch-75920.htm

But Popular Mechanics isn't in love with the idea. For starters, it will erase all the memory settings on your electronic controls, every time that you disconnect the battery.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/a9212/thwart-car-thieves-with-a-hidden-kill-switch-15699546/

If I had a problem with a car battery that was draining too fast, I would probably install an Optima brand battery. They're expensive, but supposedly they have a great service life.
https://scanneranswers.com/best-rated-car-batteries-for-long-lasting-performance/

#8 Ron Liebermann on 2020-08-21 19:50 (Reply)

Any on the under $30 tickle chargers on Amazon should solve your problem. I like the idea of putting it on a timer so it doesn't run all the time.

Use a cheap volt meter from Habor Freight to check the voltage occasionally.

#9 Robert V Sprowl (Link) on 2020-08-21 21:47 (Reply)

Battery disconnects work great, esp. if it's a boat. I have a solar trickle charger that I use as well.

There are better jump start battery kits out there usually for under $100, but 2000 amps is a pretty good capacity to aim for. Look for the ones with their own case and accessories. Mine has a 120 psi compressor, jump starter cords, jumper cord and adapters for cell phones and laptops, and either wall plug or cigarette lighter charging cords. Will jump a V-10 or diesel tractor no probs. Very handy to have that little compressor in the toolbox when there's no power handy.

#10 Aggie on 2020-08-21 21:49 (Reply)

Same damn thing with a marine battery. I’m charging it tonight so I can get to the boat ramp tomorrow before the hurricane hits.

#11 Drewbicle on 2020-08-22 01:25 (Reply)

I keep a smart charger (Battery Tender) connected to my M/C battery 24x7 and the car I seldom drive. Unlike trickle chargers, these cannot overcharge/overheat/dry out batteries. I've never come out to ride and found a flat battery.
After a ride, I pull it into the garage and the Battery Tender is hooked up, whether I'm going out in an hour. a week, or after Winter is done.

#12 markie on 2020-08-22 04:36 (Reply)

Re: idling—Put a meter across the battery when the engine is idling and I suspect you'll read something like 13-point-something volts. The battery is charging any time A) the voltage is greater than 12.6 volts (plus or minus a few hundredths for temperature) and B) the battery is not fully charged.

If not, bad alternator, regulator, or dirty connections. The battery should be charging at idle, and the alternator should also provide sufficient excess power for the ignition, headlights, etc. (Maybe not a ten-ton winch, better rev it up a bit for that.)

If the voltmeter reads less than 12.6 (again, a little more inhot weatherand less in cold) with the engine off, bad battery.

Who remembers cars with voltmeters and ammeters instead of a stupid little red light shaped like a battery? Turn the key to on, 12.6 volts and slight negative current—you’re good. Start the car, voltage bumps up to 13.5 and current goes slightly positive—you’re good.

#13 Bruce Anderson on 2020-08-22 08:30 (Reply)

Did that very thing yesterday with an inexpensive voltmeter from Harbor Freight. Actually had to figure out how to make the measurement, but that only took 10 seconds. Battery read exactly 12.6 volts. She will pick up from the auto parts store where they charge it overnight, and we will go from there.

This is after we took the alternator out, because she forgot the basic troubleshooting rules when the car won't start. I ended up bleeding from big scrapes on one hand because I assumed she had done that. We had an intense discussion about that.

#13.1 barnhill on 2020-08-22 12:19 (Reply)

The "battery" light is actually an indicator of whether the alternator is working and producing a voltage to charge the battery. It is wired up so the battery feeds the bulb (and resistor) then finds ground at the alternator. At the alternator, the alternator voltage is fed into the circuit. If the battery voltage and alternator voltage are close to each other, no voltage difference across the bulb, bulb not lit, so alternator is working. But the alternator won't start producing if there isn't the initial voltage through the light, hence the resistor incase the bulb burns out.

#13.2 JK Brown on 2020-08-22 14:29 (Reply)

My suggestion is to rig up a couple dozen car batteries in series, make sure they're fully charged, and then use them to "educate" Zuckerberg and Zucker and Schiff and Nadler and Schumer and Schwartz György!!!

#14 Mark Matis on 2020-08-22 08:35 (Reply)

DAYAM!! Gotta go to Canada to get them Royal Mounted PO-leese to charge yer batteries!

#15 Sam L. on 2020-08-22 10:09 (Reply)

bought a little tiny battery starter. It's in the car always and will start the suburu when it decides to flame out on a full battery charge. Once was enough.

#16 curtis on 2020-08-22 11:33 (Reply)

I contend, that until someone can come up with a warning light that says "you've just got your last start out of me", nobody really understands batteries :)

#17 u.k.(us) on 2020-08-22 13:11 (Reply)

First, your car battery is a starting battery. It is designed for the short-time, high amp discharge at starting. Then it recharges. This assumes your alternator is working. The alternator provides the power while the car is running. More amperage at higher rpm, but still charges the battery at idle.

Modern cars have a constant low amp draw to keep the computer, etc. from resetting and watch for the unlock signals. But if your draw is more than 30 mA, after the car goes to sleep 10-30 minutes after last interaction you need to have the battery drain found. But a constant 30 mA will drain a battery after a month or so and if the battery is in a discharged state for a long time, it will severely shorten its life. Discharged batteries will freeze, killing them.

A battery maintainer is good for long storage of an in-circuit battery. These days you could go for a long-life lithium keep alive battery to provide the computer backup power and disconnect the starting battery. Just don't try to start until you reconnect.

#18 JK Brown on 2020-08-22 14:23 (Reply)

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Friday, August 21. 2020

Car batteries