I'd have it on a charger for awhile... I charge them every oil change. sometimes in between... always down pretty good...
Before i pull the trigger on a new battery
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My charger has a 10 amp rate , I generally charge at a 2 amp rate overnight whenever a battery wont start something. The battery in the Rat goes flat when its sit for 3 weeks. Would a quick 2 or 3 hrs at 10 amps prevent sulfating?
Originally Posted By: andyd
My charger has a 10 amp rate , I generally charge at a 2 amp rate overnight whenever a battery wont start something. The battery in the Rat goes flat when its sit for 3 weeks. Would a quick 2 or 3 hrs at 10 amps prevent sulfating?
Yeah you should do this as German cars like to charge at around 13.8 volts which is just baaarely enough. Especially if you put a Maintenance Free battery in there- they like a few 1/10s more.
You may however be able to yank the regulator and frig with it.
My charger has a 10 amp rate , I generally charge at a 2 amp rate overnight whenever a battery wont start something. The battery in the Rat goes flat when its sit for 3 weeks. Would a quick 2 or 3 hrs at 10 amps prevent sulfating?
Yeah you should do this as German cars like to charge at around 13.8 volts which is just baaarely enough. Especially if you put a Maintenance Free battery in there- they like a few 1/10s more.
You may however be able to yank the regulator and frig with it.
When the battery goes below 11 volts its always best to charge it with the highest amerage available to help with sulfation, the extra temperature the charge creates will help dissolve the crystals.
If all you got is a 2 amp charge, its better than nothing obviously, but like i said i took mine to the auto parts store, where it went from 10.5v to full in about 2 hours+, it must have been a very rapid charger, which i am sure helped with the sulfation. My charger only goes up to 15 amps but i wanted a higher amp charge since it went flat.
If all you got is a 2 amp charge, its better than nothing obviously, but like i said i took mine to the auto parts store, where it went from 10.5v to full in about 2 hours+, it must have been a very rapid charger, which i am sure helped with the sulfation. My charger only goes up to 15 amps but i wanted a higher amp charge since it went flat.
UPDATE: I went home and plugged in the trickle charger, i let it charge all night and today it indicated 100% fully charged and the trickle was in float mode. I inserted the key and turned on the access. : "door adjar" then "check charging system" i went ahead and cranked it over, as usual super fast turn over with no idication of a low battery.
So i called FORD to ask. I described what i was seeing and the man on the phone seemed a little puzzled, he asked if the indication stayed on with the car running, i said NO. He stated the warning was just the car checking the charging system as the key is being turned on without the car being started, He said its normal and nothing to worry about. He stated "check charging system" is not a warning for you, its letting you know the car is checking the charging system.
I still find it puzzling that i never noticed it before if its normal. Im going to monitor the battery and if there is any indication of it getting slow i will replace it.
So i called FORD to ask. I described what i was seeing and the man on the phone seemed a little puzzled, he asked if the indication stayed on with the car running, i said NO. He stated the warning was just the car checking the charging system as the key is being turned on without the car being started, He said its normal and nothing to worry about. He stated "check charging system" is not a warning for you, its letting you know the car is checking the charging system.
I still find it puzzling that i never noticed it before if its normal. Im going to monitor the battery and if there is any indication of it getting slow i will replace it.
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Does your car have the little battery icon that's lit in addition to that "check charging system" message?
If so, the battery icon would have been normal to be illuminated if the engine was not running. But if you get that "check charging system" message in addition to the icon, then that's somewhat strange.
Suggest you ask on a Milan forum to see if other's cars behave the same.
If so, the battery icon would have been normal to be illuminated if the engine was not running. But if you get that "check charging system" message in addition to the icon, then that's somewhat strange.
Suggest you ask on a Milan forum to see if other's cars behave the same.
Originally Posted By: OtisBlkR1
No, no dummy lights, nothing else, just that "check charging system" when the key is turned into the ON position. start the motor and its business as usual.. im not sweating it, car starts and runs fine.
That's normal. Basically, it's a bulb check.
No, no dummy lights, nothing else, just that "check charging system" when the key is turned into the ON position. start the motor and its business as usual.. im not sweating it, car starts and runs fine.
That's normal. Basically, it's a bulb check.
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