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Battery chargingViews : 2866 Replies : 23Users Viewing This Thread : |
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Dec 6th, 2019, 14:34 | #11 |
VOC Member
Last Online: Jul 18th, 2024 14:01
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Grays
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If you only do low mileage especially at this time of year with lights on, heated screens, heated seats etc your battery will get low.
I suggest buying a simple charger from a reputable maker and give it a full charge which may take 24 hours or more. Good ones have polarity protection and an indicator when fully charged. Leave the bonnet ajar for ventilation. You can safely do this with the battery attached and you are correct it is safer to connect the negative to an earth on the other side of the engine bay, I use the engine lifting eye. Disconnect this first when you remove the charger so if there is a spark it is not next to the battery. You will probably find you only have to do this once a year as during the summer the electrical loads are much lower. Batteries do have a limited life but Volvo original and Bosch silver often exceed 10 years if looked after. John
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This is a Bike friendly Volvo-N.A.B.D. member 2000 V70R AWD - SWMBO 2017 XC60 D5 AWD --- Previous - 2009 V50 D5 SE LUX - 2000 V40 SE 2.0 - 1986 760 GLE 2.8 |
Dec 6th, 2019, 16:34 | #12 |
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Location: Chatham
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I do wonder if you have an underlying problem because I could leave my D5 C70 for up to a month & it always started no problem. And diesels are harder on their batteries than their petrol counterparts
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2008 C70 D5 SE Lux Nav Geartronic |
Dec 7th, 2019, 11:42 | #13 |
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https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vehicle-C...gAAOSwFp5crVCh
These voltage testers are quite handy to have- a quick & cheerful - economical fitting to have in the car: ~ Bob |
Dec 7th, 2019, 12:32 | #14 | |
Non Fragile
Last Online: Yesterday 18:10
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Location: Chadderton, Oldham
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I'm pig-sick of "intelligent" cars. I just want everything on a toggle switch, in a bank of switches in the middle of the dashboard. I could tell at a glance which circuits are switch off, if they're all up everything is off. Simple. Honestly, all these features such as automatic rear wipe - why do I want that? What was wrong with a switch and me switching it? Why can't I be the decision-maker and the car just do as it's told. I wish it would stop trying to be clever! |
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Dec 7th, 2019, 12:34 | #15 | |
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Last Online: Mar 20th, 2024 18:26
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Cross Country
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Realistically, that's not going to happen. I also drive infrequently and have one of these to monitor my XC90 battery: https://www.ctek.com/products/vehicle/ctx-battery-sense And one of these to charge it up overnight once a month or so: https://www.ctek.com/products/vehicle/mxs-5-0 That way I keep my battery in top condition and I know when I should charge it or not.
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XC90 R-Design MY2009, Black Sapphire Metallic. HP-Sound, RSE, Nav, Tel, ParkingCam, BLIS, ParkingHeater, RestHeat, Removable Towbar, Summer: CRATUS 20x8 on Pirelli Scorpion Zeros 255/45, Winter: NEPTUNE 17x7 on Continental WinterContact 4x4 235/65. |
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Dec 7th, 2019, 18:16 | #16 | |
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Last Online: Feb 11th, 2023 20:32
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Location: Blyth, Northumberland
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Curiously, after standing outside overnight, at first switch on shows only 11.0 volts. Starter operates correctly and engine signs over and starts no problem. When engine running device display varies up and down between 13.2v and 13.4v. Haven’t yet checked to compare it with my battery terminal voltage. I checked my battery terminal voltage with a multimeter a few weeks ago after reading that thread about uprating an alternator. (Yes Dave, I checked and replaced the multimeter batteries but the results were no different.) Before starting engine: 12.7 v No electrical load : at idle = 13.73 v at 1500rpm = 13.73 v Everything switched on: at idle = 12.4 v but gradually reducing. at 1500 rpm = 12.9 v After testing battery = 12.38 v Charged overnight with very basic charger, started at 1.9 amp. Following morning charger showing 1.0 amp. When disconnected battery voltage = 12.38 v same as before charging. Car has never refused to turn over normally and has started easily as usual.
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Dec 7th, 2019, 23:42 | #17 |
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My 1996 960 gets a 50 mile run once a fortnight. The rest of the time it sits in the garage connected to a CTEK smart charger. The present battery, a Bosch, is 15 years old and (touch wood) is still working like new.
Some test work I did a few years ago, which led to me buying the smart charger, showed that when the car is parked-up in the garage with everything, including the alarm, switched off the drain on the battery is about 40 mA. This drain is mainly down to the ECU, the clock, the radio code and the electric seat memory function. The drain of 40 mA might not sound much, but it equates to 1 Ah per 24 hours that the car is parked, or 7 Ah per week. On a 77 Ah battery that's not much but when the car is parked for a fortnight at a time even a long-ish run might not put back 14 Ah of charge and the battery slowly discharges over a period of months. And when a battery sits in a partially discharged state for weeks on end it loses its ability to accept charge, which results in a vicious circle, with the battery charge spiralling downwards. With the battery permanently connected to a smart charger this doesn't happen and the battery is maintained almost like new. Stan. |
Dec 8th, 2019, 11:33 | #18 |
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Mmm. My xc70 sits on the drive for months, gets a run of 186 miles then sits for another couple of months. Not failed to start yet and not had low volts warning. Battery probably original and 10 years old but defiantly 6 because I've not put a new battery on it.
Only time I've had a problem is when I've left the lights on , mine can be switched off on the switch but that means if you leave side lights on its a flat battery, then overnight charge and all is good again. Never had a problem with batteries on my volvos, 460, S40 V70 or XC70. Yes they eventually wore out and needed replacing but ongoing problems no. Prehaps my likeing of poverty spec cars has something to do with it. All the toys are just more things to go wrong. Paul. |
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Dec 8th, 2019, 12:02 | #19 | |
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Dec 8th, 2019, 12:04 | #20 | |
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