Charging a car battery by driving it

[pappyon]

My car is normally only out of the lockup once a week to be driven a distance of about 4 miles, and invariably it is very hard to start in this weather.

On more than one occasion I have to call out the AA because it wouldn't start at all.

For how many miles would I have to drive the car and at what speed to ensure that the battery is well enough charged that it will start OK on the one day of the week that I want to use it?

 

[big-all]

how old is the battery !!!

if you have an alternator it will charge at tickover but very slowly

i would have though a 10 mile drive would get it well charge up
all depends on so many things though if you take it out at night it will take a lot longer for example

 

[Belle427]

your better off using a battery charger to get it up to full capacity and try to get it out for a decent run at least once a week

 

[JohnD]

As you mention a lockup I take it you have no electricity available to run a charger

Do you have any scope for parking it outside your house (or anyone elses) with an extension lead on the days you use it?

It would be worth you buying some jump leads and keeping thenm in the car to make it easy for any kind person to help you. Get the longer, heavy duty ones.

You can get a portable jump-start device that you could charge up at home and take with you.

A newish battery will hold its charge better than one that is 5yrs+ old.

Other suggestions: Try not to use battery-draining devices like heated hear window, fast fan, electric windows, headlamps except when the engine is running fairly fast (i.e. not at tickover). Run the engine at fast idle for a few minutes with no accessories switched on at the beginning and end of each journey to help charge the batt. Make sure there is no current-draining thing on while it is parked (interior or boot lamp; alarm are common). Verify that your rear foglamp is not switched on (except in fog or falling snow).

If yours is an oldish car with a carburettor, or it is possible in some way to adjust tickover speed, set it fairly fast.

I believe a 20-minute run is usually considerdd enough to keep a (not flat) battery topped up. But if you are stuck in traffic jams with the engine at tickover with headlamps, fan, HRW and wipers all going, this will flatten the battery as you are using more energy than the alternator is delivering.

 

[Stivino]

Yeah, set it very fast so that you'll run up the *rse of everybody in front of you. And remember to tell your insurance company that JohnD on the diy"NOT" forum told you to do it.

 

[JohnD]

I am guessing that you do not have an automatic.

 

[Steve]

Try not to run your heated windscreen and wing mirrors too much too! I love my Fiesta (only found out i had heated wing mirrors yesterday when i saw steam coming off them!)

Why be a member of the AA when you only drive 8 miles a week?

 

[pappyon]

Thanks to everybody who responded to my posts.

The car is nearly 12 years old and never gets a good run. There is only 12500 miles on the clock from brand new.

The battery was replaced on the 1st May, 2006 by the AA when the old one supplied by them went dud. They told me the previous battery went done prematurely because I wasn't running the car enough!

John D
You are correct it is a lockup and there is no electricity. I live in a flat 3 flights up and an extension is out of the question. I have jump leads, but have been calling out the AA as I have complimentary home start, but the AA geezers don't like pushing the car out of the lockup, and I certainly couldn't do this to get a neighbour to give me a jump start.

I have an old-fashioned battery charger. Taking the battery out of the car to charge it in the house would mean carrying it up 3 flights of stairs, and disconnecting the battery plays havoc with the alarm, door key settings and the electronics.

The car is nearly 12 years old, but I am afraid I would have no idea how to adjust the carburettor. I'd be frightened to attempt it. Cars are not what they used to be like 20 years ago. The car has an automatic choke anyway.

I take it you mean an automatic gear box? if so then the car is not an automatic.

That's a good question about why I am a member of the AA. Force of habit, and it's only £43 a year. I am also a member of Green Flag. I get it thrown in with my car insurance. It's not 8 miles a week by the way it's only 4 miles a week!

I would like to know the minimum amount of miles I would have to do once a week, so that the car starts when I want to go to ASDA.

 

[big-all]

there is no way off telling how for you would need to as we dont know how fast you travel 'whether you travel at night' the state of your battery/alternator ect

may i suggest that once a month you pick a destination around 4 miles away [ikea ' bingo'cinema'freinds' ladies /men of the day whatever ]that you know wont be a crawl through traffic
and if after 6 months your batterys great try reducing the journy to 3 miles away
or if it plays up extend the journey slightly


or sell the car the garage spend £10 a week on bus /taxi /train fares for your shopping trip and save money

 

[Belle427]

you may consider a solar trickle charger but thats not much help if the lock up is windowless!

 

[breezer]

don't know how good they are (or not) but get one of these

but you would probably have to fix it to the outside of the lock up roof (no use if it snows)

but thwen perhaps t could sit on the dash when you arrive at your destination

__________________________

ch427, snap

 

[nstreet]

I you only have one journey of four miles a week, would it not be cheaper just to get a taxi or a bus? (depending upon mobility circumstances)

You're paying for insurance, MOT, road tax, petrol (although most of it probably evaporates) and AA cover for 200 miles a year

 

[pappyon]

Lockup only has a grill for ventilation.

If I put a solar charger on the lockup roof it would be vandalised or stolen in minutes.

It would be different if I had a garage on my own premises, but this is one of four council-rented lockups out in the street. It has a flat roof, which the local cretins use as a play area.

Apart from that I think it is a tremendous idea.

Thanks everybody for your contributions.

 

[Belle427]

personally id get the battery off and charge it up overnight using a suitable charger to get it back up to capacity,then a decent run once a week to keep it topped up without using too many electrical items

 

[naebothernoo]

You could reverse the car into the lock up to make it easier to use jump leads if necessary. But a long run occasionallly will be better for the car.