Routine inspection prior to getting back the car on road....
The EP6DT engine could be started at just one crank. The battery is still strong even though it was replaced more than a year ago and left idle for almost two months.
The battery needs 'boost charge' to bring back its full capacity and prolong life though.... Just bought a 6A 12V charger from eBay recently.
Understanding Battery Voltage and Alternator [or Charging] Voltage
To prevent hardship/frustration when the car battery is dead it is important to always know signs before the battery fails by making sure whether it can hold its charge and the alternator is capable of charging the battery.
A battery can hold its charge when the terminal voltage is maintained at least 12.63V [or 2.105V per cell] after the engine is switched off overnight or more than 12hrs. The alternator is OK and capable to charge the battery if the measured battery terminal voltage during engine running is within 13.5V~14.0V. Some old books suggest 13.2V~14.5V.
Quite some figures to remember, don't they? ...well, even though my nature of work is dealing with voltages and amperes I admit at times I don't remember the exact figures and always say nominal battery voltage is around 12.5V and the charging voltage should be around 14V and I don't carry with me a multimeter all the time - worse still, I have to open up the bonnet every time to take measurements.
Fortunately there is a simple but practical device which can be plugged into any cigarette lighter socket to monitor battery and alternator condition and you don't even need to have a degree in electrical/electronic to do the analysis. It is a device which can be bought around RM15 at most supermarkets...
The EP6DT engine could be started at just one crank. The battery is still strong even though it was replaced more than a year ago and left idle for almost two months.The battery needs 'boost charge' to bring back its full capacity and prolong life though.... Just bought a 6A 12V charger from eBay recently.
Understanding Battery Voltage and Alternator [or Charging] Voltage
To prevent hardship/frustration when the car battery is dead it is important to always know signs before the battery fails by making sure whether it can hold its charge and the alternator is capable of charging the battery.
A battery can hold its charge when the terminal voltage is maintained at least 12.63V [or 2.105V per cell] after the engine is switched off overnight or more than 12hrs. The alternator is OK and capable to charge the battery if the measured battery terminal voltage during engine running is within 13.5V~14.0V. Some old books suggest 13.2V~14.5V.
Quite some figures to remember, don't they? ...well, even though my nature of work is dealing with voltages and amperes I admit at times I don't remember the exact figures and always say nominal battery voltage is around 12.5V and the charging voltage should be around 14V and I don't carry with me a multimeter all the time - worse still, I have to open up the bonnet every time to take measurements.
Fortunately there is a simple but practical device which can be plugged into any cigarette lighter socket to monitor battery and alternator condition and you don't even need to have a degree in electrical/electronic to do the analysis. It is a device which can be bought around RM15 at most supermarkets...
A simple but practical car battery analyzerAt SC they use a battery tester with a very low-resistance dummy load to test how much current the battery can put out. The 'low-resistance' load test will determine whether there is a high internal resistance as a result of sulfation, etc.. took place inside the battery. The SC will make recommendation whether the battery needs replacement.
See how to remove the battery
No comments:
Post a Comment