Battery Charger Question

[jmenacker]

RQB 3496 hibernated most of the winter and now the battery doesn't have enough voltage to start the car. I've never had a battery charger before but suddenly it seems like a good idea.

I was looking at this one: Harbor Freight Battery Charger

but it looks a bit cheaply made.

Any recommendations for a light use battery charger are welcome.

Thanks in advance,

Joe Menacker

[Gunslinger]

What I use on each car is a Battery Tender Plus, though there are other brands available. Just hook them up and leave them on the battery all winter. They have an electronic regulator that when it detects the battery drops to an 80% state of charge, it kicks in and brings it back up. You can't hurt the battery if you hook it up backwards as it has electronic circuitry to prevent damage. It helps a battery last far longer than it would otherwise from constant drops in charge and recharging.

The Battery Tender Plus is pretty widely available at places like Pep Boys, Auto Zone, etc., as well as on-line.

[jmenacker]

Bruce:

A battery tender is exactly what should have been used to prevent battery discharge. Once battery voltage is too low to crank the engine, isn't a "battery charger" required? Should I jump start the car, take a nice extended highway cruise to recharge the battery and then use the tender to maintain battery charge?

Best regards,

Joe M in WV

[Gunslinger]

Joe...

You can jump start it though it might take letting the other car run awhile with the battery cables connected before enough charge is transferred to crank and fire your Avanti. If you do jump start it, it will probably need a bit of driving to bring the battery up to full charge. It would probably be better to simply hook up a battery charger and let it bring the battery up over several hours or however long it takes.

I use a battery tender over the winter or whenever I know the cars will sit for extended periods. The '02 Avanti is probably the more critical one as modern cars with lots of electronics can run a battery down in about a month of sitting.

BTW - I had planned on coming up your way for a car show today at Hedgesvile High School, but the weather put the kibosh on that!

Bruce

[Ernie]

My 1989 was "eating" batteries every 18 months. I now use the Battery Tender Plus and the Avanti is already ready. It is the best charger for the price, and is electronically safe!

http://www.batterytender.com/

Ernie N