How Much Juice is in My Batt.?

[solaris=amazing]

How can i tell if my battery is charged up to a good point..? Without using battery testers or any other similair device..

If i put my cars ignition in the ON position (to make the accesorys work/but not start the engine) my volts gauges has the needle right after 8 (the volt gauge says (8 volts 18) and the needle is on the v of volts.

Also, i have a very good battery charger (which don't display how much juice the battery has) but jumped several cars in the past, except mine. How would i use this to fully charge my battery-can i leave the battery connected in the engine bay, or should i dismount the entire battery, then connect my charger?

[solaris=amazing]

BTW, when the car is running, the needle on the volt gauges is on the T of volts..

[drdisque]

its generally a good idea to disconnect the battery terminals from your car when using a battery charger

[curtis73]

Depending on your charger, it should tell you. Most of the old style chargers have a gauge on the front that says how many amps its taking. The more amps its drawing the more charge it needs. I usually disconnect it when its below 2 amps since that is pretty well charged. Newer chargers turn off automatically.

The car's voltage gauge is a good representation, but it usually just tells you relative things like if its overcharging, undercharging, or somewhere acceptable in between. The numbers are usually just there for decoration

If it runs well and keeps the battery charged then it should be fine forever. Just keep that "T" reference in your head. If the gauge starts averaging out at the "V" instead, you know you've lost some voltage and its time to check other stuff.

[sracing]

Originally Posted by solaris=amazing

How can i tell if my battery is charged up to a good point..? Without using battery testers or any other similair device..

You can't without a tester or good digital volt-meter.

If i put my cars ignition in the ON position (to make the accesorys work/but not start the engine) my volts gauges has the needle right after 8 (the volt gauge says (8 volts 18) and the needle is on the v of volts.

The dash gauge is very inaccurate and only good for relative rough readings IE. It should read higher when the car is running than stopped. This at least tells you that the charging ciruit is working.

Also, i have a very good battery charger (which don't display how much juice the battery has) but jumped several cars in the past, except mine. How would i use this to fully charge my battery-can i leave the battery connected in the engine bay, or should i dismount the entire battery, then connect my charger?

If you trickle charge it below a 20 amp rate you can leave it connected. If you charge it at a rate higher than 25 or so, I would disconnect it, just to protect your ECM, radios, etc.

If you charge it at a 5 to 10 amp rate you can leave it on for many hours with no risk. I would simply check it periodically to make sure it stays below 10Amps.

If you charge it at a rate below 5 amps or so you can leave it on indefinately.

Jim
SR Racing

[LudeLuxury]

take it to Canadian Tire, they'll test it for free :P

(that is if you live in Canada)