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She left the sidelights on. There was enough charge in the morning to turn the engine over once but it wouldn't start. After a jump start I drove for two hours non-stop and the car has been fine for a week of daily starts. But I was told today that I can never get back to full charge on the alternator and must put the battery on a trickle charger, at least overnight. As I haven't met any starting problem, is this true?
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I would say the alternator is working ok.if not battery would not have lasted as long.be inclined to go for battery.if alternator I doubt you would get enough charge in battery to carry on for the week?
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Modern alternators are powerful enough to charge a battery from scratch on a 2hour trip in daylight - average speed >40mph..
Only time they would not is if you have lights/heated windows and wipers working - i.e. wet and cold winter nights.
madf
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I don't think anyone doubts that a 60 amp output alternator is capable of charging a battery from flat in a matter of hours.
The question seems to hang round this idea that there is a kind of top 2% of battery capacity that can be filled only by trickling the charge in.
I have always been very dubious about that theory. Firstly surely the regulators on alternators do just that - reduce the charge rate down to a trickle once the battery is 98% charged? Secondly, if the top 2% can be used only by means of an external charger, then why does it matter? The bulk of the battery's capacity that the alternator can charge seems to be more than capable of sustaining all reasonable car usage, including the odd episode of leaving the lights on.
I have often used car batteries to jump start other reluctant starters, or in one case to wind a non-running LandRover up onto a transporter using the starter motor. The battery was flattened, but 5 years later it is still going strong.
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Batteries can take a lot providing a couple of points are noted:
Don't overheat the battery - putting a heavy load through a battery will generate heat, too much and you either boil or warp the internal plates.
I too have used the starter motor to move a non-runner, when I thought to check the battery - I thought I'd cooked it but got away with it (this was an MX-5 which has a tiny motorcyle battery).
Don't leave a battery fully discharged - once fully discharged the plates will become covered in sulphate which reduces the
total charge capacity.
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It also depends on the battery charger-modern chargers are so sophisticated you will never get the last bit of a charge in.My Marble Arch Motor Supplies(circa 1958)has no electronic controls whatsoever and is excellent for put life back into old batteries.
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Sorry, modern (electronic multi-stage chargers) are the ONLY chargers that are able to achieve a full charge. No trickle charger whether its modern or dating from 1958 (in other words a voltage regulated charger) can achieve that. But its great to see that name again, Marble Arch Motor Supplies. The only place that gave a hint of where the ordinary MOTORIST could obtain the kind of equipment that every DIY person now accepts for granted. Edwardian Leather Gloves for the keen DRIVER. Huge consignment just released from store offered at 19/6 including magnetic Sputnik spark plug attachment giving SPACE AGE 10000 volt spark with BETTER petrol consumption, SMOOTH running, SURGE of POWER also cures smoky EXHAUST, difficult gearbox, slack clutch, noisy axle, squeaking brakes, complaining wife. A must for every OWNER DRIVER. As recommended by the Isle of Wight OBSERVER, the Shetland TIMES and American Farm Machinery News. SPACE AGE invention. Fit one this weekend and enjoy RELAXED super power. No more STARTING PROBLEMS!! Amazing 10000 feet beam of light. No more DARK corners, see the OPEN ROAD. Cuts through rain and drizzle. Guaranteed satisfaction. Together with de-carbonizing tool kit: 1.9/16th scraper; 3 and 14/16th scraper; 2 x 4/5th super-hone abrasive (excludes handle) and new NT compound to CUT THROUGH hard baked carbon deposits. New ENHANCED power for your engine. Also cleans garden sheds etc. Many uses around the home! Send Cheque, postal order today. DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR!!!
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Sorry, modern (electronic multi-stage chargers) are the ONLY chargers that are able to achieve a full charge. No trickle charger whether its modern or dating from 1958 (in other words a voltage regulated charger) can achieve that.
That may be so, but I was just wondering what exactly was the point?
If the last little bit of battery capacity cannot be filled by the car's alternator in ordinary use, then effectively that capacity might just as well not be there.
In the old days people fussed about with trickle chargers, and tablets supposed to "recondition" the battery. Now surely no-one bothers. I just let the alternator get on with the job.
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If the last little bit of battery capacity cannot be filled by the car's alternator in ordinary use, then effectively that capacity might just as well not be there.
In the old days people fussed about with trickle chargers, and tablets supposed to "recondition" the battery. Now surely no-one bothers. I just let the alternator get on with the job.
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I'm with you 100%, Cliff.
I think we spend too much time looking for tricks and gadgets to make our cars run better when they will run just as well without all that stuff.
As I mentioned on another thread, the battery on my 1972 Triumph 2500 never fails to start the car after standing over the winter, and this never gets the luxury of a trickle-charge. The car is used for generally short runs but its 20-something ampere alternator keeps it all going with no problem.
OK, the Triumph doesn't have electric windows, heated seats, etc. but it has a fairly big engine using high viscosity oil, and the alternator is puny by modern standards. If that old car will start with no problem after 4 months of standing, why is there a (perceived?) problem with modern cars?
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Same here, Dizzy, but mine has the original generator and old fashioned control box. The battery is at least 8 years old - it came with the car.
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Modern cars (as opposed to clapped out classics:-) have central locking and alarm systems and clocks.
I know BL only believed in heaters as standard in 1996 so I am not surprised you classic draws no current when unused..:-)
All modern cars have some form of current drain. A diesel with glow plugs , high compression and a high speed electric pump needs an awful lot of current to start a cold engine in freezing weather..
But then your classic will have hardly any compression left if it has managed to achieve 50,000 miles without at least one engine rebuild:-)
madf
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But then your classic will have hardly any compression left if it has managed to achieve 50,000 miles without at least one engine rebuild:-)
I dont think you know much about BL some are still going strong at over 200k miles.Battery probs in some cases depend on how it was built or made in the first place.ok BL did not have a good reputation for the bodywork but most engines were good.:-)
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I dont think you know much about BL some are still going strong at over 200k miles.
Quite so. I have just met a man with a 1965 Morris Minor. It has done 265,000 miles and he has never touched the engine.
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Do you need to disconnect the battery whilst using a multi stage charger as removing it may need all the codes resetting evn though they are supposed to reset themselves.
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