Our car is not just a means by which we move from one point to another. For many, a car is a matter of pride, an indicator of status, an opportunity to express oneself loudly or a way to amuse one’s male / female vanity. Tuning, airbrushing, sound and video on the brink of science fiction, a forced engine, direct exhaust pipes, spoilers and a bunch of other "lotions" - all this is a lifestyle for a certain category of fans.
There is a detail in the car, without which any miracle of engineering worth hundreds of thousands of evergreen units turns into a pile of beautiful, but completely useless trash. It's about a car battery. It can be safely called the most important part of the car. This quiet and inconspicuous worker is the alpha and omega in the life of our iron friend. And let almost nothing remain of our tenderness and affection on him - from this he does not become less important. Proper operation and timely maintenance of the car battery (with the exception of a maintenance-free battery) is the best guarantee of our joyful and cloudless driver's biography.
What symptoms may indicate problems with the battery of your car?
- Signals of a problem with the battery on the instrument panel.
- Problems starting the engine.
- Lack of charging during operation (does not charge).
- Very fast battery discharge.
The trouble for some motorists is the "Russian maybe", on which they rely on the commissioning of a new battery and the operation of an existing one. And this is not right. So, let's look at how to charge a car battery.
If your car uses a maintenance-free battery model, the output is obvious. You need to purchase and install a new one. The question arises: how to charge a car battery if it has just arrived from the store and is maintenance free? Experts recommend charging a new maintenance-free battery in professional car service conditions. So most reliable.
If the serviced battery does not work, do not immediately rush to the store for a new device. You need to conduct a series of "resuscitation procedures" that will bring back to life the electric heart of your car. For the resuscitation procedure, you will need an electrolyte, distilled water, a hydrometer (a device for measuring electrolyte density ) and a charger.
Before we look at how to charge a car battery, I want to say a few words about the charger (charger). A charger (popularly called a “rectifier”) is best to buy a factory type, and you should not save on this - the low price of a homemade device is not the best argument. Especially when the "health and longevity" of your new expensive battery is at stake.
When buying a “rectifier”, pay attention to the voltage with which it works. It is desirable that this be 12 volts, which can be increased to 16 volts (for charging maintenance-free batteries).
How to charge a car battery:
- Check the electrolyte level in each jar; if necessary, add electrolyte to the desired level. It is advisable to purchase electrolyte in specialized car dealerships, a quality certificate that the seller will show is not out of place.
- Open the plugs that are on all battery banks.
- Connect the charger terminals to the battery.
- Plug in the charger.
- Set the correct value of the charging current: it should be a value equal to 10% of the battery capacity (with a battery capacity of 55 amperes / hour - the current strength on the charger should be 5.5 amperes).
- The correct charging process is indicated by the scale on the charger, which tends to approach zero.
- At the end of charging, you need to check the voltage and density of the electrolyte. Measurements need to be done in each bank. If necessary, add distilled water to banks to the desired level.
- Each bank of a fully charged battery should show a voltage of 1.7 -1.8 volts. The voltage can be checked using a load plug.
Preparation for use: how to charge a car battery for the first time
The process of charging a new serviced battery looks a little different than the above charging procedure. A new battery is typically dry-charged. To start its operation, you must first pour the electrolyte into the cans and only after a couple of hours start the charging procedure.
Further actions are similar to those described in the charging rules. Now you have an idea of how to properly charge a car battery.