V8V battery recharge - remove battery from car?

[drcarrera]

Hi

Searched for help on this but still unsure so any experience/advice gratefully received ...

Not wanting to get my baby mucky in the recent weather I haven't taken her out for a while and predictably the battery is now flat. I know, I know - I should have got a trickle charger ... It's a MY11 V8V by the way.

Anyway, I need to recharge the battery using my all-purpose batter charger but is it best to :
a) Remove the battery from the car
b) disconnect the terminals but charge the battery in-situ
c) Leave the battery connected and charge via the connection point in the engine bay

Obviously I don't want to stuff up the electrics or get battery acid over the upholstery! I would consult the owners manual but it's in the glove compartment which I can't open as the battery's flat . Probably wouldn't be much help anyway!


cheers,

Chris

[V12woollie]

I use a Ctek charger plugged into the boot socket and have seen cars at dealers being charged with a charger connected to the point under the bonnet. I guess either is fine.

[snuffy]

drcarrera said:

or get battery acid over the upholstery!

Errr....

You're not the same person who asked if their Vantage had synchromesh a while ago are you ?

Edited by snuffy on Monday 17th February 16:51

[drcarrera]

snuffy said:

Errr....

You're not the same person who asked if their car had synchromesh a while ago are you ?

Don't be daft! I know that's the coloured stuff they put over the bonnet vents ....


The reason I mentioned acid is that if I use a full-power charger rather than a trickle, I don't want to "over charge" the battery so it vents electrolyte (or cracks and leaks!). If it's a stupid thought then I bow to your superior knowledge - I'm only used to recharging batteries on tractors!

[V12woollie]

How about using a booster pack just to get the car open and started? Or get an intelligent charger like the Ctek and plug it in and leave it. It cannot overcharge the battery.

[snuffy]

drcarrera said:

Don't be daft! I know that's the coloured stuff they put over the bonnet vents ....


The reason I mentioned acid is that if I use a full-power charger rather than a trickle, I don't want to "over charge" the battery so it vents electrolyte (or cracks and leaks!). If it's a stupid thought then I bow to your superior knowledge - I'm only used to recharging batteries on tractors!

All modern battery chargers will indicate when the battery is fully charged and turn itself off, it won't overcharge.

You can charge it the same way as you would jump start it; connect the +ve to the jump start terminal which is in the engine bay and connect the -ve to a suitable earth.

[V12Vanquish]

If the battery is really flat connect a proper battery charger on the jumping point under the bonnet. When fully charged remove the battery charger and then permanently use a battery tender connected to the charging socket in the boot.

I ran the battery flat on my Vanquish playing with the radio, to the point it would not start the car. I used this method with no problems.

I have found that battery tenders don't seem to charge a flat battery back to 100% charge, or else take a very long time. The proper battery charger used first seems to work better.

If you have a volt meter you want to see a battery voltage of approx 12.6 - 12.7 volts a few hours after the battery has been standing after charging (no tender etc connected).

If the battery is over 4 years old or has been left flat for a few weeks, scrap it and get a new battery. Modern batteries don't seem to like being left flat.

[V12woollie]

A Ctek MSX 5.0 or higher spec charger will charge a battery from flat - I had to do it on my old V8V. Went form flat to maintain state in around 5-6 hours. They also have a recondition cycle for older batteries that can be manually initiated as well.

[drcarrera]

Thanks for the responses, guys. I'll charge it in situ and see how it goes.

Cheers,

Chris

[Tony V12V]

V12woollie said:

A Ctek MSX 5.0 or higher spec charger will charge a battery from flat - I had to do it on my old V8V. Went form flat to maintain state in around 5-6 hours. They also have a recondition cycle for older batteries that can be manually initiated as well.

^^^^^ this ^^^^^

We have three cteks and they are the best chargers I have ever used. The recon cycle works extremely well on older supposedly dead batteries. Have used many makes/types of chargers over the years I would never use anything else now.

[FrankieBee50]

Does the V8V have a trickle charger point that you connect the charger to (like Ferrari F430) or do you have to connect one onto the battery terminals?

Just thinking that it would be good to connect a trickle charger if car not used for a while.

Cheers

[V12Vanquish]

It's in the boot.

[FrankieBee50]

Thanks.

[montecristo]

snuffy said:

You're not the same person who asked if their Vantage had synchromesh a while ago are you ?

No, that was me, asking if you had to double clutch on the Vantage. I was young, naive and in love, but now I Know Better.

Meanwhile, in a galaxy far far away, the Lamborghini Huracan has a double clutch.

[MichaelV8V]

FrankieBee50 said:

Does the V8V have a trickle charger point that you connect the charger to (like Ferrari F430) or do you have to connect one onto the battery terminals?

Just thinking that it would be good to connect a trickle charger if car not used for a while.

Cheers

You can get an adaptor for the ctek that lets you plug the charger into the 12v outlet in the boot. That seems to be the most convenient way to do it