Ibbotson suggests using quick connectors, often called pigtails. “These chargers address a wide range of needs, and they work automatically.” “My preference is a smart battery maintainer,” says John Ibbotson, Consumer Reports’ chief mechanic. Verify that the model you are considering has this feature.
Most solar chargers come with a reverse charge blocking diode to prevent it from draining the car battery at night. Because of their low amperage, a solar unit is used to offset any natural battery discharge, rather than recharge a weak battery. These connect to the car battery, and some cars can be charged via the 12-volt power point inside. These full-featured chargers typically have modes for maintaining a lawn tractor or motorcycle battery, adding to their value.įor those who park outdoors, away from a power source, there are solar-powered battery maintainers. And there is often a feature to de-sulfate the lead in traditional flooded batteries that reverses some crystallization that occurs when batteries go unused, extending the battery’s life. Advanced maintainers, often called “smart” chargers, typically have modes to address the needs of absorbed glass mat (AGM) batteries, ensuring that they are charged fully and properly. In this case, bring your battery or your vehicle with your battery to a local Meineke Car Care Center and we will change your vehicle’s battery.A battery maintainer will charge as needed, automatically. If a cell is bad, the battery won’t hold a charge. The lower the open-circuit voltage in the battery and the more cold-cranking amps, the longer it will take to charge the battery. The same battery will take about 6 hours to fully charge if the charge rate is 10 amps.
If the battery voltage is below 11.85 and your charger is putting out a 5-amp charge rate, it will take about 12 hours to fully charge a battery with 400 to 500 cold-cranking amps. How Long Should You Charge a Car Battery? When removing the charger, turn it off first, then remove the positive then negative cable. Set the charger to the slowest charge rate. Hook up the negative cable on the charger to the negative terminal on the battery. Hook-up the positive cable on the charger to the positive terminal on the battery. Basic instructions for most chargers include: We Can Replace Your Car Battery! Find a Meineke Shop Nearby Hooking up the Battery Chargerįollow the instructions for your particular charger. Most batteries today are “maintenance-free” so you won’t be able to open them to check the acid level. If any of the cells looks low, add distilled water only and take care to not overfill the battery. If the battery has removable caps, carefully pry the caps off and check the level of the water. Don’t touch your face until after you’ve washed your hands. If the battery terminals and posts have a lot of acid buildup, wear eye protection and a mask so the airborne corrosion does not contact your eyes, nose and mouth.
If you look on the top of the battery, you can see which is which – the ground cable will have a negative (-) sign and the power or positive cable will have a plus (+) sign.Ĭlean the battery terminals with a terminal cleaning brush and a mixture of baking soda and water to neutralize the battery acid. This is always the black cable unless someone replaced the cables with the wrong colors. Once you get down to the battery, remove the negative or ground cable first. If you have anything on, it could cause the battery to arc while you are working with it.
Some batteries are easily accessible however, some are under or in the fender and some may even be in the trunk or under the seat depending on the make and model of your vehicle.īe sure all accessories are off and the lights, including the interior light, are off. Before you even get started, if you have to remove the battery from the vehicle to charge it, be sure you have the tools for the job. It is very easy to get a good shock if the battery does have some juice.
You should know which terminal to remove first if you have to remove the battery, which terminal to hook up first on the charger, how long to charge a dead car battery and more.īefore we get into how to charge a car battery at home, you need to know how to prepare to charge the battery. Charging a dead car battery is more than simply hooking up a charger if you want to do this job safely.