Battery Charger

BlackEdelweiss

Do I have to disconnect the cables at the terminals to use a battery charger?

My battery is working but just down on charge a bit. I went to Halfords and the guy advised me to buy a charger rather than replace the battery. He said to disconnect the cables but any photos i see online have the clamps connected onto the terminals as you would when jumpstarting.

I'm not mechanically minded in any way so would be happy to do as little as possible to disconnect things and potentially not put them back right. It is a Ford Focus so the terminals seem to be tucked in at the back.

Is it an easy enough process if I have to disconnect and reconnect the cables?

Slightly Kwackers

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058296396/battery-charger

Well if the battery is working, the car will charge it better than an external charger anyway so save your money.

In theory the battery can be charged with the cables connected, but I would isolate the battery for three reasons. You may not have a battery problem something on the car might be draining the battery. A very cheap charger might deliver a high off load Voltage and if your battery happens to fail open cct, you will apply the Voltage to your car electronics and finally if the charger is more complex, the car circuitry might confuse the current sensing.

The problems are unlikely, but to be honest if you find it difficult to disconnect terminals then I would be inclined to just drop the car in wherever you get it serviced and let them see to it.

The advice sounds weird actually, if a battery is below par, it needs replacing. If you have particular circumstances such as leaving the car idle in a garage for months, I can see some logic, but frankly the battery will not improve and you will find that the thing lets you down at the worst possible moment.

Batteries have an inbuilt sensor that ensures failiure occurs at the worst possible time, usually a Moday morning when hung over, you are late for work and the freezing point on the thermometer was just a distant memory of warmer times :-)

If faulty you will have to replace it and the last two lead acid batteries I bought have risen considerably in the couple of years since their purchase.

BlackEdelweiss

The guy in the garage gave me the same advice. He checked it and said it was sound but just needed charging up. It has sat largely unused for a few months.

mk7r

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120594959#Comment_120594959

The car has a built in battery charger, it makes no sense to use an external changer? It sounds like you need a new battery

Cerco

If there is sufficient charge to start the car then go for a long run on a motorway and allow the battery to recharge. From the information provide there is nothing to indicate the battery needs to be replaced.

if there is insufficient charge then charge it up withe battery in situ. There are tube videos with a step by step guide.

BlackEdelweiss

The 2 people who tested the battery said it was grand but just low in charge. It took a bit if turning over when starting from cold. The guy in halfords showed me the meter when he tested it and it showed it was not on full charge. I had driven it around but this did not help the charge. I bought the battery charger, hooked it up and left it for 2 hours. When I came back the voltage reading had gone from 12.2 to full. Car now stays like new and the stop start function stays working again

mk7r

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120609322#Comment_120609322

Either the battery is dead or else you have a problem with the cars charging system. Your issues will be back