rekab69 Posted August 11, 2012 Share Posted August 11, 2012 Hi Guys, I have installed an anderson plug set up i.e leads dirrect onto my battery then a plug bolted to the front of the seat box.. I had a flat battery due to to many short trips and wonder if it's ok to charge my battery by connecting my batt charger to my jump leads, saves dragging the battery out into my garage..? Also if I had another battery (flat) and sat it in the foot well for a few longer journeys would it charge up ok...? Cheers, Dave.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted August 11, 2012 Share Posted August 11, 2012 works on electric powered forklifts & the old milkfloats that Co-Op & Unigate used to deliver with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rekab69 Posted August 11, 2012 Author Share Posted August 11, 2012 Just wonder weather I have to disconnect the battery like it always advises in the manuals...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted August 11, 2012 Share Posted August 11, 2012 Depends on the charger. I (well dad, but I use it more) have a CTEC one, which says it can be used while attached to the vehicle . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miketomcat Posted August 11, 2012 Share Posted August 11, 2012 If you connect a flat battery in this way it will drag the good one down unless the engine is running before you connect it. Having said that it will still drag the good one down just the alt should be able to bring them both back up. But remember if the battery is below a certain level it needs charging properly and an alt only charges with surplus current so it may take a long time to bring two barretts back up to normal. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rekab69 Posted August 11, 2012 Author Share Posted August 11, 2012 I have an ancient crypton charger, it's the size of a small fridge, I doubt it has any electric trickery in it to allow charging on the car, so looks like I'll best disconnect to be on the safe side...!? Thanks for the advice guys.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sirocco Posted August 11, 2012 Share Posted August 11, 2012 CTEC chargers are great G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vulcan bomber Posted August 11, 2012 Share Posted August 11, 2012 A few mins after start up a battery will only accept around 8 amps of charge.. not everything the alt has in reserve. An alternator also wont fully charge a battery as the voltage difference isnt high enough. Put your flat battery on a proper charger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanuki Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 You should be able to push moe than 8 amps into a battery if there's any significant "flatness" - the current generation of Ford engines use a 'smart charge' system which will tweak the alternator to about 18 volts output when faced with cold weather and a discharged battery. I've seen 80 amps going into the battery for half an hour with one of these after someone left the interior lights on at the airport. A few mins after start up a battery will only accept around 8 amps of charge.. not everything the alt has in reserve. An alternator also wont fully charge a battery as the voltage difference isnt high enough. Put your flat battery on a proper charger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LandyManLuke Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 I often charge the battery whilst it is in-circuit, still mounted in the car. Be careful using jumpleads, if you short the crocodile clips whilst connected you are likely to make a mess of the leads or your pants. If the battery is flat, turning on the ignition will very likely pop the fuse in the charger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vulcan bomber Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 You should be able to push moe than 8 amps into a battery if there's any significant "flatness" - the current generation of Ford engines use a 'smart charge' system which will tweak the alternator to about 18 volts output when faced with cold weather and a discharged battery. I've seen 80 amps going into the battery for half an hour with one of these after someone left the interior lights on at the airport. thats a ford not a Land Rover.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRecklessEngineer Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 I have an ancient crypton charger, it's the size of a small fridge, I doubt it has any electric trickery in it to allow charging on the car, so looks like I'll best disconnect to be on the safe side...!? Thanks for the advice guys.. It's the complicated electronic ones that won't like charging on a car. If it's a simple charger, then it'll be just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanuki Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Mondeos, Transits, Defenders - it's the same engine; and I suspect the same basic ancillaries package (alternator/ECU) in all of 'em. thats a ford not a Land Rover.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UdderlyOffroad Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Point is, if it’s a ‘trickle’ maintenance-style charger (Ctek or the Lidl knock-off in my case), it should happily cope with being hooked up whilst the rest of the vehicle is connected. In fact most of them are even designed for permanent installation for garage-queen (rivet-counter) cars. This type of charger is unlikely to revive a truly dead battery however. However, I would still suggest not playing with jumpleads from your Anderson socket, as it won’t take much of a knock to short the two croc clips out, and you’ll be into under-wear change territory. Unless of course you wire up your charger with an Anderson plug… All of this of course is merely fixing the symptoms not the cause. Even if only used on short journeys, your LR’s starting and charging system should be able to cope. Give your battery a good charge and take it for a drive. Make sure you’re getting 14.4v at the terminals with the engine running. If not, suspect alternator+wiring. If you are, check it stays above 12.5v with the engine off. If it doesn’t, it’s either a suspect battery or a parasitic current drain. Much has been written on the subject of finding faults with the electrical system. A google site search of lr4x4.com should dig up some useful threads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.