theanswriz42

Ok this might sound a little odd but if I got my car jump started with a pretty dead battery, how long do you figure it would take for the alternator to charge it if it just sat in the parking lot at idle?

Thanks in advance
:cheers:

Guru_4_hire

I would give it at least an hour or 2. I lost juice once at college had a couple of chicks jump me(my car). By the time I got home I was straight about an hour later

theanswriz42

Thanks Guru, I'll probably do that. Since the car isn't insured yet, I do not want to take it out on the street but I want to be able to keep the battery charged.

:cheers:

Ron 75 L48

I had to jump mine last week. I had forgotten to use my battery kill switch and I hadn't started the car in over a month. Well when I went to start it the battery was dead. I let it idle for about 30 min and it was fine after that. If you haven't installed a battery kill switch it is worth the little bit of money that they cost.
:flag
Ron

Clink69

Where can you get a battery kill switch? I have Pep boys or Napa...

:flag

Touringpro

What you want is the WirthCo #20128 'Knife Blade' battery switch http://www.wirthco.com/

You can buy 'em online at J.C. Whitney. If you search the archives, I believe you can find a pic of one installed in a C3 posted by Paul79.

Paul L

This is the battery disconnect switch.






[Modified by paul79, 5:32 PM 12/27/2002]

Vetterodder

If the battery is totally discharged, it may take several hours at idle (assuming lights and other accessories are off) before it's fully recharged. Because your starter only needs a fraction of a new battery's power to start the car, your battery can have well less than a full charge before you realize that you have a problem. Typically, once a battery has discharged, the amount of charge it will accept will be less than before it would accept before it was discharged. For example, if you had a 700 amp battery before, you might now have a 650 amp batttery. The most complete charge of a battery is achieved by a long, low amp recharge. Ideally, invest in an automatic trickle charger to use overnight whenever the car sits or when you have any doubts.

PB82CE

If you don't run the car every day, get a trickle charger :yesnod:
It works great :yesnod:

LAvetteman

To my knowledge the "old style alternators" like whats in our C-3's are capable of rechargeing a dead battery to near full charge with in 30 minutes. In other words it works its butt off to get that battery charged, and gradualy charges less as the battery comes to life.

NOW, the "new style alternators", like whats in most C-4's and other new vehicles also charge full blast in a dead battery situation, but in most cases, it kills the internals of the alternator. Never let the alternator of newer vehicle bring a dead battery back to life, the less it has to work the longer it will last. Even a new battery should be fully charged by a charger before the alternator is run.

bigvette1

The alternator can charge the dead battery but will take hours at best and you may risk burning diodes as the o/p will be at full until the battery is fully charged. Best bet, get a charger for $30 and charge overnight. The alternator was designed as a maintenance charger not a full charger.

theanswriz42

I'm thinking about getting one of those. It would be a wise investment on my part :yesnod:

Yellow79

i use a trickle charger for the winter if i cant get the car started every month or so. its a good investment but imho i wouldnt let the car idle for a long time to charge the battery...puts unneeded strain on the alternator and ive found its not the best to let a car idle for long periods of time. :chevy


[Modified by Yellow79, 8:31 AM 12/28/2002]

Bacchus

Are corvette's prone to running batteries dead? I just got my '72 3 weeks ago. Ran great for the 650 mile trip home. Ammeter read solid the entire way. Ran it a couple times when I got it home, now it's been in the garage for 2.5 weeks. I went to start last night, and it's dead. That seemed kinda fast to me. Note, it is about 15 degrees here, but that still seems fast even with a weak battery. Any thoughts? Any common electrical gremlins I should be searching for?

Brian

SizzleChest

absolutely. charging a battery with an alternator is a :nono:

theanswriz42

It's not uncommon at all actually for C3's and early C4's to go through this. It sucks but as a couple people mentioned, you should invest in a trickle charger :yesnod:

Vetterodder

I don't think Corvettes are more prone to battery failure than other car but I do think that an older car with older wiring, older starter, etc.. would be more prone than a newer car. As long as the battery is putting out enough power to turn the starter, you may not realize that it's on the verge of failing. A 700 amp battery puts out 700 amps when new. Over time and use though it becomes a 600, 500, 400, etc until it doesn't have enough power to turn the starter. At the same time, battery cables deteriorate and starters wear, requiring more power to run than when new. The low temps are also an important factor. A new battery that is rated at 700 amps at 32º may only be rated at 500 amps at 0º.