How long to charge Dead Car Battery

[Borg]

How long do you expect to keep the car? If no more than a few years, I would just opt for a cheap battery with a 24 month warrenty.

BTW, congrats on the round number Russ. 23,000! :w

 

[russ_watters]

How long do you expect to keep the car? If no more than a few years, I would just opt for a cheap battery with a 24 month warrenty.

No less than 3 more years, probably more like 5 (it is less than 3 years old now: 50,000 miles). So if I replace it, it will be with a good battery.

BTW, congrats on the round number Russ. 23,000! :w

Thanks!

 

[Bystander]

it overnight, it decays to 11.3.

That has the ugly sound of one cell having an "adolescent identity crisis." I've never been able to straighten them out when they "rebel" and reverse polarity.

 

[psycho rich]

My automotive electrican sez that you'll over work the alternator, you really should charge the battery.

 

[jim hardy]

It got me to Harrisburg, so I'm good for now...

As they age they lose capacity. It's a gradual tapering .
I learned to tell by the sound of the starter when a battery was nearing end of life. It's more pronounced in a diesel with its twenty-something to one compression... if it drops below 9 volts while cranking it's weak.
Five years isn't too bad for a OEM battery.
Dont buy a cheap one is my advice. I've had two from "bargain" auto parts stores fail when inter-cell connectors inside cracked. One of them i tried to check cranking voltage and it exploded in my face, blew the top off and spattered acid everywhere. Good thing i was wearing glasses.. acid wrecked a pair of Dockers and a good shirt.
The neighbors came running over thinking somebody had got shot.
Moral: only check cranking voltage from cigarette lighter socket with hood closed.

About fifteen years ago Consumer Reports did one of their studies and concluded that over 3/4 of the batteries in US are made by Johnson Controls. They're sold under myriad brand names.
At the time that's where Wal-Mart got their batteries. CR recommended Walmart because they sell so many they're always fresh.

my two cents

old jim

 

[jim hardy]

ps i use the generic 6 amp charger. I prefer the heavy ones with a ferroresonant transformer, but they're getting hard to find.
My neighbors have not had good luck with the all electronic computerized-inverter ones.
http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/travellerreg;-2-6a-manual-battery-charger-101588799--1

http://media.tractorsupply.com/s7viewers/dhtml/images/spacer.gif

http://media.tractorsupply.com/s7viewers/dhtml/images/spacer.gif
Get one at a yard sale and replace the wires. Sniff it for burnt transformer smell, though.

old jim

 

[OmCheeto]

...
Five years isn't too bad for a OEM battery...

my two cents

old jim

That reminds me. My brand new truck is now 6 years old, and hasn't been starting as fast as she used to. hmmmm...

12.46 VDC

Time for a new battery.

Although a value of 12.46 indicates my battery is at around 80% charge, it should be reading 100%, which is around 12.6 volts.
I destroyed my last deep cycle battery this winter, by ignoring it. I just checked it, and it's reading about 12.3 volts, which indicates that it's 50% charged.
But, my last test discharge, even after being fully charged, indicated it had pretty much zero capacity left.

@russ_watters , you never did tell us what kind of new battery you got. As I mentioned, I'm now in the market for a new one.

ps. This thread reminds me of my very first "helpy" post.
Danger seemed to approve.
Probably a bad sign.