I put mine on the batteryMINDer overnight the day I installed it, and will hook it up once a month or so
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Charge New Battery?
- Thread starter Old Mustang Guy
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Its a good idea to charge any new battery that comes into your possession, either in a new to you car or an off the shelf replacement. And I will throw it on the charger every month or so, especially if the car is not used all that often.
JHZR2
Staff member
Originally Posted By: Old Mustang Guy
My wife bought a new Highlander just two weeks ago. I have read here that charging a battery can make it last longer. Last night I put my charger on her battery. I was shocked that it only showed 50 percent charge. Could sitting on a lot cause this? She had taken one trip of about 50 miles. It showed full charge after about 4 hours on 4 amps.
Did it sit on the lot for a long time? Has she only short tripped it? Does she have the lights come on with doors, etc?
Seems odd that it wouldn't be a bit higher than that with some reasonable use.
IMO it's always prudent to charge a new battery that was sitting at a parts store, even with a recent date code. For a car that sat/sits a long while, the same... but if a vehicle is routinely used and run long enough, state of charge shouldn't be an issue within reason... of course alternators never charge a battery fully. But 50% is low.
You sure there wasn't a dome light or something on?
I say charge it....
My wife bought a new Highlander just two weeks ago. I have read here that charging a battery can make it last longer. Last night I put my charger on her battery. I was shocked that it only showed 50 percent charge. Could sitting on a lot cause this? She had taken one trip of about 50 miles. It showed full charge after about 4 hours on 4 amps.
Did it sit on the lot for a long time? Has she only short tripped it? Does she have the lights come on with doors, etc?
Seems odd that it wouldn't be a bit higher than that with some reasonable use.
IMO it's always prudent to charge a new battery that was sitting at a parts store, even with a recent date code. For a car that sat/sits a long while, the same... but if a vehicle is routinely used and run long enough, state of charge shouldn't be an issue within reason... of course alternators never charge a battery fully. But 50% is low.
You sure there wasn't a dome light or something on?
I say charge it....
I don't know how long it sat. It has mainly been short tripped with one 50 mi. Yes it has all the new power draining features.
The owners manual for one of my (GM?) cars mentions that with under 25 miles on the odometer the body control module will shorten stuff like the retained headlight timer, dome light timer etc, presumably to save the battery while short-tripping around the dealer lot.
You did good by charging her up.
Dealers suck and are jump-starting their own stock all. the. time. Ask a mechanic about how they maintain their jump-packs because the troglodyte sales people borrow them and leave them in a poor state. I have not known them to pull the battery cables because they have lot boys going out and moving them a few feet for plowing snow or whatever other reason.
VWs used to ship with little solar panels reverse-feeding the cigarette lighter. You can find them on ebay, presumably pinched by the dealership mechanics.
You did good by charging her up.
Dealers suck and are jump-starting their own stock all. the. time. Ask a mechanic about how they maintain their jump-packs because the troglodyte sales people borrow them and leave them in a poor state. I have not known them to pull the battery cables because they have lot boys going out and moving them a few feet for plowing snow or whatever other reason.
VWs used to ship with little solar panels reverse-feeding the cigarette lighter. You can find them on ebay, presumably pinched by the dealership mechanics.
Had this happen to me a month or so back. The GTI had sat about 3 weeks and I wanted to put the charger on it just to keep it up. Like the OP it started off at something like 55%, but the percentage quickly jumped to the 90's where it took longer to raise in percentage. Figured it was just something with the smart charge. Now on my mower battery it's sitting on a shelf in the basement. Every couple weeks I'll put the charger on it and it typically says 95%, but it's a completely different battery than the VW.
You guys are all over exaggerating and tilting at windmills.
If it is a 4amp smart charger that only took 4 hours to say it was done, the real state of charge was more along the lines of 90%+ which is completely fine to sell the car.
End of story.
If it is a 4amp smart charger that only took 4 hours to say it was done, the real state of charge was more along the lines of 90%+ which is completely fine to sell the car.
End of story.
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A battery dictates how much amperage it will accept at the voltage at the battery terminals.
A charger rated at 1.5 amps, will only produce 1.5 amps, when the battery is still depleted and ther eis enough of a difference between the battery voltage and the max voltage the charging source will allow.
A 1.5 amp charger mught just be a maintainer and never allow voltage to go above 13.6v.
While a 95% charged battery might require 1.5 amps to be held at 14.5v, the same battery at the same state of charge, but at 13.6v, might only require 0.6 amps of that 1.5 amp maximum capability.
Each and every lead acid battery out there would prefer to be 100% charged, rather than anything less.
Actually achieving 100% state of charge, especially on an older battery, is not just a matter of hooking up the latest and greatest smart charger whose marketing department spent the most, but it is certainly better than leaving the alternator to do the task that it cannot, and will not. It is not allowed, by its voltage regulator, to produce enough amperage to hold the higher voltages for the duration needed to actually get the battery to a true 100%. Getting from 80% to 100% state of charge, takes no LEss than 3.5 hours, no matter how powerful the charging source might be.
Always recharge any Lead acid battery to as close as possible to 100%, for best battery longevity, and performance and reliability during that lifespan.
How many amps are flowing at the voltage at the battery terminals? If the voltage is higha nd the amps are low, the battery is nearly fully charged, if the vltage is still below the mid 14's and the amperage is still high, the battery is no where near fully charged.
Those with ultimate condfidence in their smart chrgers would be disappointed if they were to see how much amperage was still flowing when the charger reverted to float voltage, especially on an older battery unintentionally deeply discharged.
No ammeter to see how much amperage is flowing a the voltage at battery terminals, means one is blind and running on faith in the marketing department of their charger manufacturer.
A charger rated at 1.5 amps, will only produce 1.5 amps, when the battery is still depleted and ther eis enough of a difference between the battery voltage and the max voltage the charging source will allow.
A 1.5 amp charger mught just be a maintainer and never allow voltage to go above 13.6v.
While a 95% charged battery might require 1.5 amps to be held at 14.5v, the same battery at the same state of charge, but at 13.6v, might only require 0.6 amps of that 1.5 amp maximum capability.
Each and every lead acid battery out there would prefer to be 100% charged, rather than anything less.
Actually achieving 100% state of charge, especially on an older battery, is not just a matter of hooking up the latest and greatest smart charger whose marketing department spent the most, but it is certainly better than leaving the alternator to do the task that it cannot, and will not. It is not allowed, by its voltage regulator, to produce enough amperage to hold the higher voltages for the duration needed to actually get the battery to a true 100%. Getting from 80% to 100% state of charge, takes no LEss than 3.5 hours, no matter how powerful the charging source might be.
Always recharge any Lead acid battery to as close as possible to 100%, for best battery longevity, and performance and reliability during that lifespan.
How many amps are flowing at the voltage at the battery terminals? If the voltage is higha nd the amps are low, the battery is nearly fully charged, if the vltage is still below the mid 14's and the amperage is still high, the battery is no where near fully charged.
Those with ultimate condfidence in their smart chrgers would be disappointed if they were to see how much amperage was still flowing when the charger reverted to float voltage, especially on an older battery unintentionally deeply discharged.
No ammeter to see how much amperage is flowing a the voltage at battery terminals, means one is blind and running on faith in the marketing department of their charger manufacturer.
Several months ago, I read an article concerning new batteries. It claimed that you should always charge a new battery before installing it. Furthermore; most alternators will never completely charge a car battery. Alternators only charge the battery what is required for the engine.
I recently purchased a new Odyssey battery group 65 and it was not fully charged.
Maybe some Master Mechanics can chime in. Now, I don't know if this is 100% correct.
Respectfully,
Pajero!
I recently purchased a new Odyssey battery group 65 and it was not fully charged.
Maybe some Master Mechanics can chime in. Now, I don't know if this is 100% correct.
Respectfully,
Pajero!
I charge mine before installation.
It's a losing battle. Has anyone noticed the warranties are not as long now? We charge them on the bench far better than the vehicle does. I don't necessarily disagree with the newer strategies, but they aren't as battery-friendly. Charge voltage seems highly dependent on real-time driving. For instance, a vehicle may not provide higher voltages needed for deep charging except during deceleration, or when the headlights are on. I try to put the cars on a computer-based hobby charger set to charge and hold at 14.4V from time to time, but it's not everyday. A small always-on solar charger would probably be a huge benefit to these batteries which never have a chance to get a full deep charge.
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