Car Battery Charging

Well, this is the first time I've ever charged the battery without help and I'm hoping it's charging up OK. My question is this - the charger just shows a marking 1 - 5 and three colours - blue, yellow and red. The pointer is at the moment on blue (No. 1). I'm not sure which colour indicates fully charged. Also, what is trickle charging and how do you do it?

I don't care what feminists say, I need a man here with confidence .....

Re: Car Battery Charging

Hi Eccles...
I'm no expert, but it sounds like the charger you are using is a 'trickle charger' and it won't tell you when it's fully charged. That's not a problem, though. I would give it a charge of, say 12 hours, then if it is able to start the car.
I forgot to ask, is the battery still connected to the car, or disconnected from the car?
Hope that helps, Malc.

Re: Car Battery Charging

It's been charging for 4 hours now. I'm just going out to see if the car starts. thanks for the info. Fingers crossed ....

Re: Car Battery Charging

Trickle charging is a long, slow, way to re-charge a car battery. It is also the best way to re-charge the battery.

I don't know if you are located where the temperature drops well below freezing at night but trickle charging a battery is also, a great way to keep the battery warm during long super cold nights.

I hope this helps.

Re: Car Battery Charging

What is the make and model number of your charger; also the age might help me find the specifications.

Re: Car Battery Charging

Eccles, if your battery was flat to start with, it might take as long as a couple of days to get enough charge into it to start your car. I know mine does.

Re: Car Battery Charging

Very grateful for all the advice. After 4 hours it got me down the road and back - the car's 20 yrs old and I suspect the starter motor is knackered as it doesn't "catch" first time any more. Can't remember the last time it had a new battery. I'm not in a particularly low lying or freezing part of the country. I reckon, like its owner, it's on its last legs .....

Re: Car Battery Charging

I suspect the meter on the front of the charger will gradually return to its resting position as the battery gets fully charged, it measures the current being used, and as the battery gets charged, the less current is needed to charge the battery. When connecting a flat battery the needle will go into the yellow or even the red.

Imagine connecting two buckets together with a pipe at the bottom. Imagine one bucket is full of water (the charger) and the other bucket is empty (the battery). As water flows from the full bucket to the empty one, the flow will be strong, but as the levels of water equalise in both buckets the flow will be reduced until no flow will occur.

The amp meter on the charger measures the flow.....
It is impossible to overcharge a battery using a trickle charger.
I have started a car from a flat battery with just fifteen minutes of charge using the same type of charger as you.
Hope this helps

Re: Car Battery Charging

Eccles, there are 3 main parts to starting a car: a fully charged battery, a starter motor AND a solenoid. Any one of which can give trouble starting a car. If you decide to have a mechanic check it out, and possibly do the work, please don't assume that the problem is the starter motor. It MIGHT be the solenoid. If you happen to have a trustworthy mechanic he can easily tell you what the exact problem is. Suggestion : act like you know about cars and tell him to check out the solenoid, the starter, and battery condition.

If you plan on keeping the car, drive it to the mechanic BEFORE it dies completely and you end up paying to have it towed.
PS: dealerships charge way, way more than an ordinary mechanic.

Re: Car Battery Charging

If you cannot remember getting a new battery fitted it looks like you will need it replaced. I had to replace my one which had given me 10 years service.