charging car batteries

[Sniper82]

Curious how you check the cycle amps on a 12v car battery to see how long it will take to charge. Have a Schumacher 1562A 1.5amp trick charger. It says in the manual the battery cycle to hour and listed 2,4,6,ect amps and how many hours it takes to charge each. How do I find out how many my battery is and also should I buy something that uses more amps? Or is it best to charge as slow as possible?

 

[AlienCraft]

Re-charge as slowly as you can afford. It reduces the level of "scaleing" that will occur anyway on the battery plates.

 

[fs5]

um... on an unrelated note where can I get my car battery recharged?

 

[MikePanic]

Originally posted by: fivespeed5
um... on an unrelated note where can I get my car battery recharged?

go to walmart and by a slow trickle charger... takes overnight

 

[fs5]

Originally posted by: MikePanic

Originally posted by: fivespeed5

um... on an unrelated note where can I get my car battery recharged?

go to walmart and by a slow trickle charger... takes overnight

how much? I only need it as a one time thing...

 

[Sniper82]

I bought the mentioned charger for I think $17.99 at Wal-Mart. Use it and take it back. But does anyone know how to check amps like its saying in the manual? One batter says 900 cold cranking amps and another says like 524.

 

[AlienCraft]

Originally posted by: ^Sniper^
I bought the mentioned charger for I think $17.99 at Wal-Mart. Use it and take it back. But does anyone know how to check amps like its saying in the manual? One batter says 900 cold cranking amps and another says like 524.

Cranking amps can only be checked under load. Simply re-charge at the slowest rate possible for best results, long term. If you need to get going and will be driving awhile and the charging system is in good shape, more won't be too detrimental.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: ^Sniper^
I bought the mentioned charger for I think $17.99 at Wal-Mart. Use it and take it back. But does anyone know how to check amps like its saying in the manual? One batter says 900 cold cranking amps and another says like 524.

Different automotive batteries have vastly differing amperage ratings. The battery in my 914 in around 575 CCA, and the battery in my Mark VIII is over 1,000 CCA. Different engines draw different amounts of power when starting. Each battery will show a different CCA rating. It should be listed on the battery somewhere.

ZV

 

[Heisenberg]

Originally posted by: fivespeed5

Originally posted by: MikePanic

Originally posted by: fivespeed5

um... on an unrelated note where can I get my car battery recharged?

go to walmart and by a slow trickle charger... takes overnight

how much? I only need it as a one time thing...

A battery charger is one of those things everybody should have in their garage. At $18 from Walmart, there's really no excuse not to.

 

[fs5]

Originally posted by: Heisenberg

Originally posted by: fivespeed5

Originally posted by: MikePanic

Originally posted by: fivespeed5

um... on an unrelated note where can I get my car battery recharged?

go to walmart and by a slow trickle charger... takes overnight

how much? I only need it as a one time thing...

A battery charger is one of those things everybody should have in their garage. At $18 from Walmart, there's really no excuse not to.

you're right for $18. I thought it was more like $50-$100.

 

[CraigRT]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: ^Sniper^
I bought the mentioned charger for I think $17.99 at Wal-Mart. Use it and take it back. But does anyone know how to check amps like its saying in the manual? One batter says 900 cold cranking amps and another says like 524.

Different automotive batteries have vastly differing amperage ratings. The battery in my 914 in around 575 CCA, and the battery in my Mark VIII is over 1,000 CCA. Different engines draw different amounts of power when starting. Each battery will show a different CCA rating. It should be listed on the battery somewhere.

ZV

yep, usually larger cars have more CCA requirements, too
my Neon, the largest battery I found visiting a few local shops was a 540CCA. the more CCA the better. (not that it's necessary, but will be better for winter sub-zero starts and such)
the stock from factory was 450CCA..

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: CraigRT

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: ^Sniper^
I bought the mentioned charger for I think $17.99 at Wal-Mart. Use it and take it back. But does anyone know how to check amps like its saying in the manual? One batter says 900 cold cranking amps and another says like 524.

Different automotive batteries have vastly differing amperage ratings. The battery in my 914 in around 575 CCA, and the battery in my Mark VIII is over 1,000 CCA. Different engines draw different amounts of power when starting. Each battery will show a different CCA rating. It should be listed on the battery somewhere.

ZV

yep, usually larger cars have more CCA requirements, too
my Neon, the largest battery I found visiting a few local shops was a 540CCA. the more CCA the better. (not that it's necessary, but will be better for winter sub-zero starts and such)
the stock from factory was 450CCA..

I think that a lot of the issue with the Mark is that there are a myriad of electrical devices that can run for several minutes after the car is turned off and can draw a good amount of power so the battery has a large reserve capacity above and beyond what the engine demands for simple cranking.

ZV