The electrical system of a car is composed of two main items, which are highly important – the alternator and the battery. They allow the car to run all needed electronics when the engine is running and when it isn’t. Back in the days, systems didn’t need a battery, but more sophisticated systems require it nowadays.
When your battery is dead, the car won’t be able to start, and the alternator must work at full capacity in order to ignite the engine. However, it might experience a failure if you don’t charge the battery properly.
What charges the battery?
A fully functional battery will have between 12.4 and 12.6 volts, and it must be able to power a 25A load for about fifteen hours. The capacity can be easily reduced throughout the years from extreme temperatures, dust, and other factors.
If your battery dies, there are two ways to charge it: with an external charger (jump starter) or by using the alternator. The amount of electricity generated increases as the RPM of the engine increases, which means that your battery fills up significantly faster when driving.
How to charge the battery?
As we have said, there are two ways to charge, and if the alternator is not an option, then you have to consider an external charger. The external batteries offer a 12V charge at low voltage in order to avoid the leakage of hydrogen or ignition. You must be extremely careful when hooking the car for a charger so that you don’t harm yourself.
You can charge a car with jumper cables by hooking them to a donor vehicle. Starting and running that car should charge the dead battery, but you must be careful as there is a slight risk.
While doing this, you should turn all lights, chargers and other accessories from the vehicles as they drain a considerable amount of power. In most cases, the whole process should take a couple of minutes.
Afterward, you have to go for a bit longer ride and let the car charge from the alternator. Remember to keep the accessories off during that first trip, so that they don’t drain the battery again.
Maintaining a battery
The easiest thing you can do is ensure that you don’t leave the car with the lights on during the night. Always check the electrolyte levels every once in awhile, as well as the specific gravity. You can do that by yourself, but it is better to leave that to the hands of competent mechanics, who will do the whole procedure for a few minutes.
The electrolyte serves to protect the lead plates in each cell because air can harm them considerably. This is a combination of water and hydrochloric acid, and it is mandatory for every battery to have it.
Moreover, the specific gravity indicates whether there are any issues with the battery and whether it requires a charge.
