987 battery needs charging
Discussion
My 2005 987S has a flat battery (been left in the drive for a couple of months). Have bought myself a charger and wish to put it on charge. I am a bit unsure of the best way;
Should I take the battery out of the car or just disconnect the terminals and charge it whilst it sits in its usual place?
If I take it out of the car, I see there is a little tube connected to the top of one side of the battery, which would need disconnecting to take the battery out. Will disconnecting this cause any 'issues' (liquid leaking out or anything) that could cause problems whilst I charge it?
If I leave the battery in the car, should I connect both cables from the charger to the respective battery terminals, or should the negative cable be connected somewhere on the frame of the car? (the instructions which came with the charger suggest connecting to the engine bock - obviously not an option with the Boxster).
Thanks for any assistance
Should I take the battery out of the car or just disconnect the terminals and charge it whilst it sits in its usual place?
If I take it out of the car, I see there is a little tube connected to the top of one side of the battery, which would need disconnecting to take the battery out. Will disconnecting this cause any 'issues' (liquid leaking out or anything) that could cause problems whilst I charge it?
If I leave the battery in the car, should I connect both cables from the charger to the respective battery terminals, or should the negative cable be connected somewhere on the frame of the car? (the instructions which came with the charger suggest connecting to the engine bock - obviously not an option with the Boxster).
Thanks for any assistance
Nine times out of ten a battery that needs charging is a battery that needs replacing.
Car batteries like to be kept fully charged all the time. They are not like, say, a phone battery which is designed to be flattened and charged, flattened and charged etc. The only job a car battery is designed to do is deliver a high starting current for a few seconds and then be returned to full charge from the alternator. Car batteries which are allowed to slowly run flat suffer internal damage that tends to get worse over time.
Most of the instructions around battery charging are intended to reduce the risk of a hydrogen explosion. Charging can cause hydrogen to be driven off the electrolyte which may accumulate around the battery and then be ignited by a spark when the leads are disconnected/connected. So long as you watch out for that risk you should be fine.
My rule of thumb is that if you get a "fail to start" from a car battery that's more than two years old you might as well buy a new one. Equally well, I replace a 10 year old car battery as a precaution even if it's never given the slightest hiccup. They have an awkward habit of dying suddenly at the most inconvenient moment!
Car batteries like to be kept fully charged all the time. They are not like, say, a phone battery which is designed to be flattened and charged, flattened and charged etc. The only job a car battery is designed to do is deliver a high starting current for a few seconds and then be returned to full charge from the alternator. Car batteries which are allowed to slowly run flat suffer internal damage that tends to get worse over time.
Most of the instructions around battery charging are intended to reduce the risk of a hydrogen explosion. Charging can cause hydrogen to be driven off the electrolyte which may accumulate around the battery and then be ignited by a spark when the leads are disconnected/connected. So long as you watch out for that risk you should be fine.
My rule of thumb is that if you get a "fail to start" from a car battery that's more than two years old you might as well buy a new one. Equally well, I replace a 10 year old car battery as a precaution even if it's never given the slightest hiccup. They have an awkward habit of dying suddenly at the most inconvenient moment!
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