NEw car battery require charge.?
Discussion
They usually have a decent charge when you buy 'em, but I always like to take a reading with a multi-meter and put the new battery on charge for as long as necessary.
Replaced the battery in my girlfriend's V70 last autumn. Seem to recall it was holding 12.8 volts after we picked it up from ECP but after I put the new unit on charge for a few hours the new battery was showing 13.3 volts...
Always better to top up/charge the battery when it's off the car IMO.
Replaced the battery in my girlfriend's V70 last autumn. Seem to recall it was holding 12.8 volts after we picked it up from ECP but after I put the new unit on charge for a few hours the new battery was showing 13.3 volts...
Always better to top up/charge the battery when it's off the car IMO.
Don't confused terminal voltage with state of charge. Lead-acid batteries have an initial voltage drop as soon as they're at anything less than fully charged, but then settle to a pretty steady level as they discharge further.
The typical car battery might show 13.5V or higher when it's freshly charged, but 90% charge will be more like 12.6-12.8V. It then steadily drops towards 11.5V or so, only falling off sharply from there when below ~10% charge.
That's not to say it's not worth topping it up before fitting if you can, though
The typical car battery might show 13.5V or higher when it's freshly charged, but 90% charge will be more like 12.6-12.8V. It then steadily drops towards 11.5V or so, only falling off sharply from there when below ~10% charge.
That's not to say it's not worth topping it up before fitting if you can, though
All depends on the type of battery construction. An old type lead plate acid battery will always lose a bit of charge whilst standing. And typically when you fit it on a car it will start it easily, but once the small build up of sulphur on the plates drops off as the alternator starts to top it up, it will then be fully charged and will recharge discharge well.
Other batteries, like gel, or glass matt should be charged fully when fitted. Usually they are now tested before they are sold to ensure they are tip top.
9 times out of ten, when people say they are having an issue with a new battery, there is an underlying problem with the charging system on the car.
Other batteries, like gel, or glass matt should be charged fully when fitted. Usually they are now tested before they are sold to ensure they are tip top.
9 times out of ten, when people say they are having an issue with a new battery, there is an underlying problem with the charging system on the car.
For the benefit of those who are unaware, when a car battery is first made it does not need to be charged.
The "chemical energy" of the battery is already contained in the acid which is added to the cells. So the battery is at full energy, or "fully charged", as soon as cells are filled. However, car batteries will gradually lose charge if left standing.
So, you might ask, if my battery goes flat why can't I just chuck out the old acid, fill with fresh acid and Bob's your uncle?! The answer is, you can, and it will work. However, the "plates" inside the battery suffer wear and tear over time due to the ion exchange process which makes a battery work. Further, the plates of a flattened battery are likely to have suffered from a process called sulphation.
Car batteries really do wear out, especially if they aren't kept fully charged all the time. They're not like a phone battery which is happy to be flattened and then recharged over and over again. This process will rapidly kill a car battery.
The "chemical energy" of the battery is already contained in the acid which is added to the cells. So the battery is at full energy, or "fully charged", as soon as cells are filled. However, car batteries will gradually lose charge if left standing.
So, you might ask, if my battery goes flat why can't I just chuck out the old acid, fill with fresh acid and Bob's your uncle?! The answer is, you can, and it will work. However, the "plates" inside the battery suffer wear and tear over time due to the ion exchange process which makes a battery work. Further, the plates of a flattened battery are likely to have suffered from a process called sulphation.
Car batteries really do wear out, especially if they aren't kept fully charged all the time. They're not like a phone battery which is happy to be flattened and then recharged over and over again. This process will rapidly kill a car battery.
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