Respect for taking the time to clarify any potential conflict of interest with the Ozcharge. That is a very rear thing in journalism these days. #respect!
Good video. I would have added that a dedicated 12v lithium power bank jump starter is a good option too. They are small, hold their charge much better than lead acid, and can double as a 5v usb charger if needed. I use a solar panel on the roofrack connected to a dcdc charger which keeps my batteries topped up. Pro tip: don't go and buy a 50 amp charger thinking you can charge your flat battery in an hour. That will likely boil your battery or worse. Charge at around 10% of the batteries capacity.
My long lost dad had a dead battery story the likes of which you’ll probably never hear, anywhere. Back in his young fella days ( the 50’s) he had some Pommy tent top 2 seater with a flat battery but had to wait till payday to get it.One day he stalled at a busy intersection & had to pull on the hand brake, put in in second gear, jack up the rear end, wind the rope around one of the rear wheels, pull it like hell, put it in neutral, lower the jack, get back in & voila.
Dear John C, we have two cars, both have 100amp batteries, and one is about 6years old. To manage them, I've found an 18watt Solar panel layed on the dashboard, inside the car, facing the sun, plugged into the OBD2 socket, has kept our cars ready for use. We only do about 6mls a week, with one or other, over the last month, both batteries are in good condition, well above the danger level of 12.4v, but at about 13v + each. Thank you for your continued inputs.
John, I have to say I was most concerned at the lack of editorial effort in this video. The was absolutely no contribution from the "Ming Molls" I cannot say how disappointed I was. I trust that this slip in content will be rectified by the time the next video is ready. :-) Stay safe, love the "Rant" videos, all the best from sunny England
And for those of us lucky enough to own an older car without trillions of computer bits - just disconnect the negative connection from the battery. Easy and cheap👍
@@SoulTouchMusic93: What if you live on a hill? It's fine if you live on the downhill side of the road but what if you live on the uphill side? Bit of a bummer!
What you really need Sensei in case of a flat battery is a Ming Moll that can suckstart it back up. Much better than hand cranking by yourself and you can also test those suckstarting abilities in other locations.
Hospitals are not any busy at all. Not in Australia anyway. Police and ambos are pretty quiet to. Something about not many cars no the road and people staying at home. I know this because I very recently spent some time in a major hospital and arrived via ambo (2 showed up because in their words "we are board". Emergency was very quiet as well. As pleasant a trip and stay in emergency that I've ever had. Do not get me wrong I'm not taking anything away from the great job these guys do.
With all that confusing jargon I think what John was trying to tell us plug the battery charger in last And you will live thank you so much for your content your great yours make me smile
Hi John. yes mine. died 2 days ago at woolies started fine no probs. then sitting for 30 mins and the dreaded click click click. Battery was 3 .5 years old and so not sure it was coincidence or the fact that i had listened to this video the night before love your work !!!
Back in college, when money was in short supply, I went for a few weeks with no battery, while still driving every day. But it was massively inconvenient, so I ended up buying a rebuilt battery for about $20.
I can relate to this. The 12v AGM battery on my Lexus Hybrid went as flat as the proverbial pancake this week. So flat in fact (3.6v) that a charger wouldn't work, luckily I keep a spare battery charged up and managed to jump start it. This is after I had managed to find out how to open the boot which locks automatically. Once the battery had a few volts in it, the charger worked fine. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the battery hasn't given up the ghost completely.
Grabbed myself a CTEK MXS 5.0 recently for the old RE Capella. Previously I was simply disconnecting the negative via an isolator. That was a PITA though lol! Got the CTEK on sale at REPCO for a smidge over $100. It works great at properly monitoring the batteries condition. You do need to pay attention to what setting you use though, as it also does the fancy optima/oddysey type batteries that uses a different charge cycle. I have heard people that use this setting "cook" their regular style battery. If my other cars have any dramas, I can just move the charger around.
Hmmmmm 16min 39sec and no Ming Molls....... John here’s my routine for battery heartache prevention.... 1. Perform obsessive compulsive oil change every 5,500km 2. Ensure that when I buy car batteries in the first place it’s the heaviest duty option available of the range offered e.g. century extra heavy duty three year warranty for starters 3. During said oil change pull out my CTek electronic battery condition tester which will tell me if the batteries okay replace charge or charge and re-test 4. In between times here and there - given I carpool alternating weeks to work - or in the event of a zombie apocalypse...... hook up the CTek0.8 amp trickle charger and leave it connected to the car for the whole week in the garage they’re pretty good have a look on RUclips - You can even get red and black connections mixed up and nothing happens guaranteed to not damage on-board computers in fact they are standard equipment now on new Mercedes and BMW’s 5. Carry a 500 Amp OzCharge battery jump starter capacitor thing in the boot..... I happened to have the first one they brought out it’s not the same as yours I think yours is the thousand Amp or something 6. Carry set of 6m Jumper leads in addition to the above curled up in the spare tyre well
Thanks again John...the rescue mate is brilliant. I use it on the farm...even starts the Kubota tractor if I haven't been here for a while !! Well done mate as always...here in Shitsville !!
One of the nice things about hybrids is you can charge the 12V in park mode, without the engine running. This saves a ton of fuel and means your 12V gets charged from the HV battery alone, so no need to drive it around to top up the 12V charge. The ICE engine starts up 2 or 3 times for about a minute and that's all that's needed for a 30 minute charge up.
I bought a RescueMate (as John tested a while back) - just brilliant! But a bit expensive. And delivered in about 24 hours after I ordered it online I would 100% recommend them. But I went to remove the CityLink TAG yesterday and it might be really dead this time even the central locking does not work :-( And my car that's been sitting in NZ for four years (I'm in Melbourne at present) with a small solar panel (about 4-6w from memory) and believe it or not that is enough, and even though it's a diesel bugger me it started after four years. So don't totally right off solar. Of course if your car is parked in the road (like mine is in Melbourne) then I expect some low life is going to steal it. When I can drive again I'll just pony up for a new battery.
Hi John, Some discussion re: battery terminal connections, should the negative clip not be connected to earth on the engine or body so as not to confuse the current drain monitor that some systems have on the negative terminal? BMW and others have complex battery initialisation procedures and monitors built into the ECU. An extra wire running to the negative terminal normally indicates this is in place, both VAG cars in the family have this set up. Cheers keep up the god work.
Pro tip 2# Keep the + and - battery cables and battery poles clean. Lead oxidizes and this causes bad electrical connections. Pro tip 3# Keep the battery itself clean. A dirty battery can cause small amperage shorts via the dirt/moisture, this also causes quicker discharge and damage.
I guess you believe leaving it on concrete also discharges it. Pro tip number 0 . Don't believe old wives tales. 13 volts isn't enough to overcome the resistance of dirt, water or oil.
LOL my dad had a Vangard with a hand crank (i was 4) he all ways had to krank it by hand , in winter no heater no radio,and no booster seat for the under age pasengers YOU YOUNG people are lucky to have electric start and seat belts with Android Entertaiment and dash cam to show just how braindead everone on the road is
I bought a 5 watt 12v solar panel and it's permanently connected via a fuse to the crank battery. This vehicle is always out in the sun, can be left for months without being driven and always starts with no issue. Before fitting the solar it'd last a couple weeks and die, well worth the purchase of $20 from jaycar. Technically speaking the land rover is now a hybrid diesel and solar power.
Subject for next video could be about tyres going flat. Good idea to check them anyway, and wheel nuts are tight. Don't forget the spare. Neighbour over the road had a flat, which I helped change. The spare was flat too: 5psi - most likely from sitting around for a long time, but I have compressed air and a tyre inflator at home.
I purchased a battery charger 25 years ago . Arc charger and analysis that shows the condition of battery prior to charging . still working well today . never over heats charger or battery & fully charged in 2 hours from dead . Its been a bloody ripper .
Many, many years ago (days of kingswoods etc ) I was charging my dads car battery, and when I went to turn it off at the mains, I knocked it off of its precarious perch on the radiator. As it fell, it pulled the crocodile clip off the battery, the spark ignited the hydrogen offgassing, and I had a lovely full body spray of sulphuric acid! So yeah - be carefull about sparks, flames and teenage clutzs when charging a battery.
I had recently purchased a CTEK MXS 5.0 for under $100, which is a fully automatic charger then becomes a trickle charger / battery conditioner. Seems to work really well and can be set and forget (for holidays away - remember that ??? ).
Not only do batteries need to remain charged, but all machines need to be run and tyres need to be pumped up. Take your car for a run every week on one of those 'acceptable' trips out and after you've done what you had to do, go for a drive and even if you don't need fuel, call in at a petrol station and check the tyres. Lockdown isn't nearly as bad as it sounds. You are allowed out to visit any shop that's open, to go somewhere for exercise, to get food, etc. There is no need for a battery to go flat during any of this.
Great advice. Here in Brexitstan, we're on lockdown, but I have to shop for aged parents, so it means me doing a bit of driving ..... giving the car a few longer runs to keep the battery going. If I don't drive much, I turn the car over for a few minutes every few days (I park on street and don't have a garage). I have a solar charger that seems to top up the battery ok. So far, so good. Famous last words.
Quick question- Do you prefer a maintainer that charges the battery continuously in float mode at around 13-13.2 volts such as a Battery Tender, or do you prefer a charger that turns off after charging the battery and only turns back on once the battery is slightly run down like the Noco chargers? I prefer the first type because it continuously keeps the battery fully charged, but I would be interested to hear your thoughts on this. Thanks
Found out the other month to my chagrin, after going to start the ride-on mower for the first time this year, that it has a quiescent current draw of around 8.5mA for *no fricken reason* that I can ascertain other than it does keep track of a clock, whose display is off unless the engine is running. Either way that means the battery will flatten anyway within months by my estimation.. I hope it's a bloody good clock for that.. Anyway I jumped it from the other mower and put it on charge after doing the lawn. Live and learn I suppose but had I not been prepared with jumper leads and charger, it could have been a right pain in the arse.
someone left an interior light on in the work car. It took 4 days to run flat while it wasnt being used, quite impressive. 2019 Subaru Forester looked like a Christmas tree with errors trying to start up when only the battery was flat.
I wear a tracksuit, keep a prescription and shopping list in the console... shopping bags in the back seat... I also find a “specialty” shop far from my house and put it on the list, such as an organic produce store etc... I also keep a shopping bag full of random stuff out of my kitchen cupboard on the passenger floor.. then just cruise around. My girlfriend keeps a packet of incontinence pads on her passenger seat.. that she says is to deliver to an elderly person in isolation who happens to live near me lol.
Empty Eski Adventures so you’re just an asshole flouting the rules. What a w*nk. Essential travel means just that. Not pretend essential travel. More like Empty Head Eski.
You can also get trickle chargers that run off LiON batteries rather than mains power if you park on the street which will be far more convenient for some people. But they aren't cheap.
I found a solar battery voltage maintainer that is able to remain installed with the cells roof mounted and a external supply "booster" port when needed, but havent found another like it recently when I was looking for a second.
Thanks for the video. I hope people paid attention to the implied instruction: don't let your battery get even close to empty our you will kill it - they are designed to be almost full all of the time. 50% empty is bad bad bad.
Before my grandfather gifted me his ute, he always had issues with battery charge due to a lack of use. Our solution is to run the engine for approximately half an hour to an hour every time the vehicle hasn't been used for longer than a week. Thankfully though I have only had to do it once.
5-7 years from a battery is doing good if your lucky. Extreame heat, cold, and vibration will shorten the lifespan. Skip the wet battery and get the sealed gel or agm battery( the lack of corrosion worth it). Avoid the cheap chargers (Dayton), it should be able to sense incorect polarity and switch from charge to trickle charge automatically when the battery is full.
I replaced the original battery in my Toyota Land Cruiser after 5 years, when it just died, with an RACV 4704 battery. It lasted 11 years. Needless to say that I replaced it with another RACV 4704.
@@andregreen8040 I have seen a sears diehard last 12 years(with a solar charger). Getting more time out of a battery is possible, but don't ecpect that from a OEM battery.
Saw a bloke blow himself up once. Quite a large Battery too, so plenty of Hydrogen. Big shock for him, although not badly injured but also for those nearby. You could say, I was startled.
Our shop saw dead batteries, flat tires, rodents making nests and chewing wires. Especially from my customers that did infrequent or short trip driving before the lock down.
Some vehicles actually need to know that a new battery is being fitted, so keeping the vehicle energized when replacing the battery is not always a good idea. Also some vehicle manufacturers you have to register a battery replacement through the obd as well.
Batteries of old used to die slowly, now its quite quick. Interestingly, on the Isuzu DMax, an indicator that the battery is failing is the traction control light stays on after a cold start a bit longer than normal.
Hello John, greetings from Canada. Using your country naming nomenclature, I expect that we would be referenced as Polite-istan or Canuk-istan. I am surprised you did not get more push back in the comments about (long term) trickle charging. On some smaller automotive batteries one amp of perpetual trickle charging is too much. Think of this like a dripping tap in the bathtub where the drain stopper is in place. Eventually that trickle charging will cause the bathtub to overflow - analogous to overcharging a battery. Ideally a battery needs to be monitored and charged only as needed. This is the distinction between battery chargers and battery maintainers. I personally use battery maintainers for my motorcycle battery (motorcycle stored during the winter-Canada), for my emergency power plant and snow thrower with onboard electric starting. All these units have smaller batteries - that is less than 14aH. Two have AGM batteries and one has a conventional flood battery. In these applications the leads are directly connect to the battery terminals with a weatherproof connector on the other end. The maintainer connects to this weatherproof connector with the other end going to mains power. This allows simple and easy connect/disconnect. This is truly a “set it and forget it” arrangement. These battery maintainers constantly report (colour/flashing LEDs) on state of charge of the battery and will bring a battery from dead to fully charged given enough time. These units I have only charge at 0.75 amp so such a unit would take approximately 133 hours to charge a 100aH trailer (caravan) battery for example. I did not name a brand for a battery maintainer but there are many choices available. Just be sure when you go shopping that you don’t buy a charger instead. Many “automatic” chargers that charge quickly and then taper off (but don’t stop) charging as the battery comes up to full charge. Remember that tap is still dripping (trickle charging)
How about the tyres? Should I over inflate them a bit if I am going to leave the car sitting a long time, like car companies do for long term transit/storage from factory to dealer to customer etc...?
I agree James, The CTeK conditions the batter charges it then shuts down and fires up when the batter needs charging again...I have 2 on my cars leave them on all the time , no issues and from what I can see far better than the OzzCharger ?
1961 Series 2 Land Rover: Not used for months. Jump in, crank it and it starts. 2002 Land Rover Discovery 2: One week not used battery flat as a fart! Something eats the electricity when i don't use it. Brand new battery! Technology eh... Fortunately my everyday car(Seat Ibiza) sips fuel like it burns it's lips and always starts! Did endure three months with only the driver's door outer handle working though. Only an issue for me one morning on the way to work at 5:15am. After scraping the ice off the windows when i realised that the window was frozen shut. Spent a few minutes pressing the down then up button trying to open it. It opened about a mile from work. Had vision of driving around the carpark until i found someone to open the door for me :)
I just drive the car until the battery gets broken. Then I buy a new one. They usually last 5+ years anyway. I got a charger for winter maintenance charging for my last car, but I rarely used it because of the hassle. On my new car I got a Defa Block and cabin heating solution with integrated battery charger. So now I charge my almost battery daily even in summertime. Basically because cabin heating comfort beats the hassle of plugging in the cable. #70°N. Stay safe!
What?? No Ming Molls to jump start me... Down there? Oh John, my battery is dead flat... Gonna have to push start it manually... Myself... (on lockdown, isolation and solitude)
Hello John, can you leave the terminals connected while charging, in the past it was practice to disconnect the positive car lead. I would imagine modern cars are protected against electrical feedback? What is everyone's view?
Old chargers with a transformer and rectifier must have battery disconnected, newer intelligent smaller chargers are designed to charge/condition connected. I understand that the voltage ripple/low frequency impacts modern systems. Hope this helps.
I have more chargers than I can point a stick at. I built my first in the mid-Sixties when I was a trainee electronics technician. Then I modified a commercial charger based on a design in Electronics Australia. Since then I've bought several automatic chargers and been given several more. And there are a couple for my motorbikes.
I bought an automatic microprocessor controlled charger that you are supposed to be able to leave on indefinitely. I left it on for three days and found a blown fuse (central locking) and it stank out the interior of a burnt smell. I now disconnect it as soon as it switches to trickle mode (indicated by a light).
If you have the readies and a place to plug it into some coal fired goodness, a battery charger with auto modes is worth getting. I've got a Cetec 15amper but it cost a few hundred. You can get a 4, 6 or 8 Amper (of various brands) that runs through a set of charging profiles automatically as it charges for a lot less than that though. It does a bulk charge then tapers off down to float charge. Available from auto parts shops everywhere and is less prone to overcharge or take forever if you forget to use it correctly.
The computer will lose its memory of the tuning settings it has worked out for the engine, with a disconnected or completely flat battery. The engine will start, but may run roughly, until the vehicle is driven for some distance. The computer will then regain its tuning settings it works out from the various sensors on the engine.
Can also highlight service issues hidden by the diagnostics. Had a Mazda6 and replaced the battery. Engine idle would fluctuate between near stalling and 2000rpm. Turns out there was carbon build up on the air inlet around the throttle valve and the engine management couldn’t recalibrate. After cleaning car ran smooth again.
John, I work supplying car spares and this is advice I've been giving for years. Especially for Sunny Sunday cars where running the car for a couple of hours to the pub doesn't replace what the car systems drew out during the week. The battery loses charge incrementally week by week until 12 months later the week ends without enough charge to start the car. Cue the "it just died" warranty claim. I give out maintenance instructions with each battery and it reduced warranty claims by 90%. Just a bit of knowledge goes a long way to helping customers. Personally I use a 5w solar panel plugged into the OBD2 port for battery maintenance. Five watts should be enough to keep the balance of electrons in the black given the losses through the glass of the windscreen. Although not a good option if your car is in a garage. The worst culprits are sealed batteries (AGM or Gel) like you find on Hybrids. The batteries by design only have a low charge rate (usually under 2A) to minimise gassing and excess pressure in the battery case. People forget that even the alternator or invertor on a hybrid will still only charge the battery at a low charge rate. So from flat the car would take days to fully charge the 12v battery. In that case I recommend the solar charger/OBD2 port option or a good charger that can detect sealed AGM or Gel batteries, with a maintenance mode to keep the battery topped up. Blasting 4A or 6A through a sealed battery is a good way to kill the battery by making it gas and venting the gas out the vents to avoid excess pressure cracking the case. But that's your battery capacity going out the vents right there.
They obviously didn't heed your warning John about the connection and switch on sequence when they tried to charge the battery on the Hindenburg just before landing....
Hi John, very topical because my daughter's car battery failed and was replaced on Friday, car started at home and an hour later at the shops would barely crank the engine. Typically she drives 90 minutes or more each day, at the moment zero as you describe. Alas I have a question! The green indicator in the top of the standard calcium lead-acid battery was still showing green, so I guessed that it was worth an attempted recharge. The road service guy tested the battery and said "No good, needs replacing" and so it was replaced. I don't know the how old the battery was, she has only owned the car for 6 months. Are those battery status indicators reliable?
I mounted a Battery Tender Plus 1.25 amp battery charger and maintainer in my Civic's trunk (where I installed my battery) when I got my Optima Yellowtop battery 7 years ago and I just plug it in whenever I pull into my garage so the battery always stays fully charged. It takes 5 seconds to plug it in and I know my battery will always be fully charged so it as well as the alternator will probably last slightly longer. My battery is 7 years old and still in good condition, so something must be working right.
If you are disorganised get a lithium jump start battery from eBay. No need for jump leads anymore. Here’s how good they are. My neighbours old falcon Ute had been parked for 6 months, I checked his battery and it was reading less than 5 volts ie stuffed. Connected the lithium battery, he cranked it for a good 30 seconds and it started. Only yesterday, same deal except the other neighbour. 8 year old Lexus, battery reading 9 volts. Out comes the lithium battery, a few attempts at starting because of the insane amount of computer resetting then it started. And my battery was only showing 48% full.
I've got both a 5 Watt solar panel and an 80 Watt - little 5 Watt does a good job just to keep them topped for free. The 80 Watt is good for a MPPT squirt that freshens it up with a bit of a service charge. All for free from the sun.
Stupid me paid $120 for CTEK 5A charger that fits in the glovebox, uses a whopping 9c in electricity to charge my battery from flat, 1c per day to maintain and operates in a dark garage. What was I thinking when I could have gone for a large solar panel and MPPT charger given to me for free?
Hook the Car Battery up to a Battery Charger E.g. CTEK 8 step Battery Charger MXS 10 12V 10A or CTEK MXS 25 12V 25A or Cadogan recommended OzCharge OC-PRO600 Battery Charger & Maintainer (Trickle Charger)
Agree it’s important to turn on the power to the charger last after battery connection but not nearly as important to turn off the power to charger first once battery is charged before removing battery leads as this is when hydrogen gas (wet batteries) is at its greatest. None or little amount of gas around when connecting to a dead battery , but good practice to assume there is hydrogen gas around at all times.
If you have a manual, leave it parked on a slight hill and all sorted, big reason why ive always driven manuals. iI your caught stranded and on your own, you can rescue yourself.
That does not work if you have an ALTERNATOR. That requires some battery for it to make electricity...the battery excites it to do that. A generator generates its own excitement so in that car, the hill technique will work so long as the road is not gravel.
The problem with the Ozcharge rescue mate, is that if you have a ford ecolpi it needs to ‘prime’ the engine. This fucks up the timing of the charge delivered by the rescue mate.
John, I get the idea of keeping the battery up, but how often should I take the car out for a short run to keep the engine oil "in place"? Thanks for the many smiles and info you've given me. Keep it up! (Yes-s-s!)
I've got a Ring smart charger; not great but not _too_ shit either. What sold me on it was that you don't need to disconnect the battery from the car to charge it although the -ve clamp needs to connect to the chassis, preferably on that nice, chunky, easy to reach bolt head on alternator housing as it passes the current though the vehicle's own charging circuit.
Pffft. Don't talk to a Canadian about an "Australian winter" reducing battery cranking power. We routinely deal with -40C temperatures. What do your temperatures get down to? -10C? What a joke.
Lack of interludes with scantily clad women makes me wonder if John's S&M statement is overdrawn for this month! Needless to say, John's discussion of batteries barely got my juices flowing! 🤣
Should I connect the negative directly on the battery itself or should I connect it to ground(chassis)? I plan to use a 1A charger while the battery still connected in the car
I’d probably suggest not putting the Black into the terminal on a high performance car. I’d put the black before the sensor on the - terminal. Just put it on to a metal part of the engine/body before the battery sensor. For old cars don’t bother, but modern high tech cars, you charge or jump through that sensor, world of pain.
On most new cars in the fuse panel in the cabin like by your left knee or wherever it is there is a switch and transport mode I have noticed certain cars not only is it in the middle it seems it cuts even more but when you put it Transport
Just running a car a short distance is not going to fully charge it because the last bit of charge is over a slow rate. Lots of short trips may keep it at 80 or 90% but the only thing that will fully charge it is a long drive or a tickle on a charger. Leaving it flat will decrease its capacity due to sulphation of the plates which permanently reduces the active area of the battery. Sometimes it can be negated a bit by long trickle charging but best not to find out. Also if you do have to replace your battery, getting a higher capacity one ( More CCA) will greatly increase its lifespan and when it does start to sag, it will do so gracefully so you get a bit of notice as it gets a bit sluggish. The battery may be the same size but it has longer plates in it which is more active area. A good rule of thumb is the weight increases with capacity even in the same size case.
I live in a flat/apartment block where my car is parked quite a way away and there is no outside mains sockets or any realistic way of plugging my cars battery into the mains with a charger. I've heard solar trickle chargers often produce so little electrical charge that the battery can still discharge with them. I don't know what the solution is 😐😐
Hello John, I have tried to light a methane gas fire with a spark generated by a low voltage shot-circuit (12 volts and a couple of amps, maybe up to 10 or more) between two copper wires (I was trying to light my cigarette at that time) so I wonder if hydrogen would be able to ignite from a similar spark since methane did not - that leads me to believe that it may require a spark generated by a greater voltage, maybe in the tens of volts or more to ignite a fire. Thank you for the great work, sincerely - Me and my rooster.
I'm surprised you did not touch on one of the main reasons batteries fail, it's called sulphating. It's not covered under the battery's manufacturer's warranty, and it would have been a good point to touch on as it is common.
Most modern battery tenders will not have live leads when disconnected from a battery. They wont provide current until a voltage is detected on the leads, so connecting it directly to the battery with the power on is fine.
Also contrary to John's advice, won't the AC mains be the first thing to disconnect at the finish of charging (when there is more chance of an hydrogen/air cloud)?
Actually hospitals are very good at the moment for emergencies - lots of Nurses and doctors waiting for the rush. They've been waiting for about 3 weeks now... The Union has been in discussions because 'they' want to reduce the nurses' hours because they are so busy...
Went on a car ferry once and a Porsche was parked behind me. It's alarm was (probably) sounding most of the journey. Next morning it to was dead as a dodo. Funny (for me) the battery was in the boot? Which had an electric release, they may well still be there.
@@ElJohnerino I'm sure there's a way. On a deck of a car ferry is a fairly embarrassing time to find out especially as they were near the front so everyone had to pass their car.
My 2012 3 point suppository must have some on board memory storage battery because disconnecting it from the car even for multiple days does not require any feature or function resetting upon reconnection. Auto windows, seat settings, radio settings all remain as before. I was quite surprised at this upon discovery 😅 I wonder if that's normal on more cars these days.
Modern car battery chargers are switch mode devices which means instead of a using an isolation transformer (2 coils separate by an earthed iron core) they use high frequency pulse transformers. These are essentially 2 coils wound on top of one another around a lump of ferrite. Thus the only thing between you and 240V ac mains is a couple of wraps of insulation tape and a microscopic layer of enamel paint! So 1) don’t touch the car when it’s plugged in. 2) For god sake do as your mother told you and use protection! Fit an RCD.
Respect for taking the time to clarify any potential conflict of interest with the Ozcharge. That is a very rear thing in journalism these days. #respect!
Good video. I would have added that a dedicated 12v lithium power bank jump starter is a good option too. They are small, hold their charge much better than lead acid, and can double as a 5v usb charger if needed.
I use a solar panel on the roofrack connected to a dcdc charger which keeps my batteries topped up. Pro tip: don't go and buy a 50 amp charger thinking you can charge your flat battery in an hour. That will likely boil your battery or worse. Charge at around 10% of the batteries capacity.
Can confirm. New battery easy to procure - now just need somwhere to go.
My long lost dad had a dead battery story the likes of which you’ll probably never hear, anywhere.
Back in his young fella days ( the 50’s) he had some Pommy tent top 2 seater with a flat battery but had to wait till payday to get it.One day he stalled at a busy intersection & had to pull on the hand brake, put in in second gear, jack up the rear end, wind the rope around one of the rear wheels, pull it like hell, put it in neutral, lower the jack, get back in & voila.
The late, great Jack Absolom demonstrated that using a Chrysler Galant (remember them?) station-wagon, in one of his outback TV series.
Dear John C, we have two cars, both have 100amp batteries, and one is about 6years old. To manage them, I've found an 18watt Solar panel layed on the dashboard, inside the car, facing the sun, plugged into the OBD2 socket, has kept our cars ready for use. We only do about 6mls a week, with one or other, over the last month, both batteries are in good condition, well above the danger level of 12.4v, but at about 13v + each. Thank you for your continued inputs.
An unexpected bonus!. Keep them coming, John. Your work is much appreciated!
John, I have to say I was most concerned at the lack of editorial effort in this video. The was absolutely no contribution from the "Ming Molls" I cannot say how disappointed I was. I trust that this slip in content will be rectified by the time the next video is ready. :-) Stay safe, love the "Rant" videos, all the best from sunny England
And for those of us lucky enough to own an older car without trillions of computer bits - just disconnect the negative connection from the battery. Easy and cheap👍
Yes but the thing will discharge unless it is spotlessly clean and the humidity is very low.
Battery saving chargers are fantastic
Had a new battery on my shit box honda last year. No issues whatsoever. Heck if it's really not starting I could call a mate to give me a push.
@@SoulTouchMusic93: What if you live on a hill? It's fine if you live on the downhill side of the road but what if you live on the uphill side? Bit of a bummer!
@@jeanybeany7951 Reverse bump start if it's a manual
83 Datsun, and I built a starting ramp for the times it sits.
What you really need Sensei in case of a flat battery is a Ming Moll that can suckstart it back up. Much better than hand cranking by yourself and you can also test those suckstarting abilities in other locations.
G day john , sorry to hear that you"ve carrked it , Can I have the ming moles please ,goodonya mate , promise I'll look after em .
Yeeessssssss..ssss..ssssssss
you might have to ask nolsey for them back, I'm pretty sure he borrowed them off him
I called dibs a year ago on the spare ming molls
Hospitals are not any busy at all. Not in Australia anyway. Police and ambos are pretty quiet to.
Something about not many cars no the road and people staying at home. I know this because I very recently spent some time in a major hospital and arrived via ambo (2 showed up because in their words "we are board". Emergency was very quiet as well. As pleasant a trip and stay in emergency that I've ever had. Do not get me wrong I'm not taking anything away from the great job these guys do.
With all that confusing jargon I think what John was trying to tell us plug the battery charger in last And you will live thank you so much for your content your great yours make me smile
'Plug in' is ambiguous...
Good to see John keeping his crank clean !
Hi John. yes mine. died 2 days ago at woolies started fine no probs. then sitting for 30 mins and the dreaded click click click. Battery was 3 .5 years old and so not sure it was coincidence or the fact that i had listened to this video the night before love your work !!!
Back in college, when money was in short supply, I went for a few weeks with no battery, while still driving every day. But it was massively inconvenient, so I ended up buying a rebuilt battery for about $20.
I can relate to this. The 12v AGM battery on my Lexus Hybrid went as flat as the proverbial
pancake this week.
So flat in fact (3.6v) that a charger wouldn't work, luckily I keep a spare battery charged up
and managed to jump start it. This is after I had managed to find out how to open the boot
which locks automatically. Once the battery had a few volts in it, the charger worked fine.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the battery hasn't given up the ghost completely.
3.6v? That battery is cactus. It won’t hold any charge for long. Time to get a new one.
Grabbed myself a CTEK MXS 5.0 recently for the old RE Capella.
Previously I was simply disconnecting the negative via an isolator.
That was a PITA though lol!
Got the CTEK on sale at REPCO for a smidge over $100. It works great at properly monitoring the batteries condition. You do need to pay attention to what setting you use though, as it also does the fancy optima/oddysey type batteries that uses a different charge cycle. I have heard people that use this setting "cook" their regular style battery.
If my other cars have any dramas, I can just move the charger around.
Hmmmmm 16min 39sec and no Ming Molls.......
John here’s my routine for battery heartache prevention....
1. Perform obsessive compulsive oil change every 5,500km
2. Ensure that when I buy car batteries in the first place it’s the heaviest duty option available of the range offered e.g. century extra heavy duty three year warranty for starters
3. During said oil change pull out my CTek electronic battery condition tester which will tell me if the batteries okay replace charge or charge and re-test
4. In between times here and there - given I carpool alternating weeks to work - or in the event of a zombie apocalypse...... hook up the CTek0.8 amp trickle charger and leave it connected to the car for the whole week in the garage they’re pretty good have a look on RUclips - You can even get red and black connections mixed up and nothing happens guaranteed to not damage on-board computers in fact they are standard equipment now on new Mercedes and BMW’s
5. Carry a 500 Amp OzCharge battery jump starter capacitor thing in the boot..... I happened to have the first one they brought out it’s not the same as yours I think yours is the thousand Amp or something
6. Carry set of 6m Jumper leads in addition to the above curled up in the spare tyre well
Thanks John very useful info. And don't leave it with the handbrake on when you are parked up for a long time, chock it instead I suggest
Thanks again John...the rescue mate is brilliant. I use it on the farm...even starts the Kubota tractor if I haven't been here for a while !! Well done mate as always...here in Shitsville !!
One of the nice things about hybrids is you can charge the 12V in park mode, without the engine running. This saves a ton of fuel and means your 12V gets charged from the HV battery alone, so no need to drive it around to top up the 12V charge. The ICE engine starts up 2 or 3 times for about a minute and that's all that's needed for a 30 minute charge up.
I bought a RescueMate (as John tested a while back) - just brilliant! But a bit expensive. And delivered in about 24 hours after I ordered it online I would 100% recommend them.
But I went to remove the CityLink TAG yesterday and it might be really dead this time even the central locking does not work :-(
And my car that's been sitting in NZ for four years (I'm in Melbourne at present) with a small solar panel (about 4-6w from memory) and believe it or not that is enough, and even though it's a diesel bugger me it started after four years. So don't totally right off solar. Of course if your car is parked in the road (like mine is in Melbourne) then I expect some low life is going to steal it. When I can drive again I'll just pony up for a new battery.
Hi John, Some discussion re: battery terminal connections, should the negative clip not be connected to earth on the engine or body so as not to confuse the current drain monitor that some systems have on the negative terminal? BMW and others have complex battery initialisation procedures and monitors built into the ECU. An extra wire running to the negative terminal normally indicates this is in place, both VAG cars in the family have this set up. Cheers keep up the god work.
"God work"? I think John would disagree! 😀
Pro tip 2# Keep the + and - battery cables and battery poles clean. Lead oxidizes and this causes bad electrical connections.
Pro tip 3# Keep the battery itself clean. A dirty battery can cause small amperage shorts via the dirt/moisture, this also causes quicker discharge and damage.
I guess you believe leaving it on concrete also discharges it.
Pro tip number 0 . Don't believe old wives tales.
13 volts isn't enough to overcome the resistance of dirt, water or oil.
@@PhillipMikeHunt 19 years as a qualified mechanic mate. Experience.
LOL my dad had a Vangard with a hand crank (i was 4) he all ways had to krank it by hand , in winter no heater no radio,and no booster seat for the under age pasengers YOU YOUNG people are lucky to have electric start and seat belts with Android Entertaiment and dash cam to show just how braindead everone on the road is
scroat emm..When I was a young fella I had a 1948 Vanguard, so I know exactly what you are talking about...lol
The Hospitals are not busy. I was up at Liverpool Hospital due to truck /car crash a few days ago. Looked pretty quite to me.
Not sure why you didn't suggest solar trickle chargers. I picked up an SCA solar trickle charger when I go away on holidays, it was like $30.
Yup. That’s just happened to me John. Dead as a donger in the garage. And I’m without a battery charger. Guess I’ll have to go pick one up now.
I live in Brexitania and noticed battery chargers are getting bought up like toilet rolls now, jeez what’s the world coming to
There is always ebay...
How do you wipe your bum with a battery charger? Never mind, I'll stick with my wheel brace.
Steve S lol carefully mate
I bought a 5 watt 12v solar panel and it's permanently connected via a fuse to the crank battery. This vehicle is always out in the sun, can be left for months without being driven and always starts with no issue. Before fitting the solar it'd last a couple weeks and die, well worth the purchase of $20 from jaycar. Technically speaking the land rover is now a hybrid diesel and solar power.
Yep so is my car in NZ. Started after 4 years with just such a set up.
Subject for next video could be about tyres going flat. Good idea to check them anyway, and wheel nuts are tight. Don't forget the spare. Neighbour over the road had a flat, which I helped change. The spare was flat too: 5psi - most likely from sitting around for a long time, but I have compressed air and a tyre inflator at home.
I purchased a battery charger 25 years ago . Arc charger and analysis that shows the condition of battery prior to charging . still working well today . never over heats charger or battery & fully charged in 2 hours from dead . Its been a bloody ripper .
Many, many years ago (days of kingswoods etc ) I was charging my dads car battery, and when I went to turn it off at the mains, I knocked it off of its precarious perch on the radiator.
As it fell, it pulled the crocodile clip off the battery, the spark ignited the hydrogen offgassing, and I had a lovely full body spray of sulphuric acid!
So yeah - be carefull about sparks, flames and teenage clutzs when charging a battery.
oooof oh the pain.
At least you had a go. Hope you didn’t damage yourself .
Ever seem what happens when someone knocks over a can of carb cleaner over and it shorts out the battery terminals? Big firey boom.
“...for a while” this is a smart man
I had recently purchased a CTEK MXS 5.0 for under $100, which is a fully automatic charger then becomes a trickle charger / battery conditioner. Seems to work really well and can be set and forget (for holidays away - remember that ??? ).
Not only do batteries need to remain charged, but all machines need to be run and tyres need to be pumped up. Take your car for a run every week on one of those 'acceptable' trips out and after you've done what you had to do, go for a drive and even if you don't need fuel, call in at a petrol station and check the tyres. Lockdown isn't nearly as bad as it sounds. You are allowed out to visit any shop that's open, to go somewhere for exercise, to get food, etc. There is no need for a battery to go flat during any of this.
Great advice. Here in Brexitstan, we're on lockdown, but I have to shop for aged parents, so it means me doing a bit of driving ..... giving the car a few longer runs to keep the battery going. If I don't drive much, I turn the car over for a few minutes every few days (I park on street and don't have a garage). I have a solar charger that seems to top up the battery ok. So far, so good. Famous last words.
Quick question- Do you prefer a maintainer that charges the battery continuously in float mode at around 13-13.2 volts such as a Battery Tender, or do you prefer a charger that turns off after charging the battery and only turns back on once the battery is slightly run down like the Noco chargers? I prefer the first type because it continuously keeps the battery fully charged, but I would be interested to hear your thoughts on this. Thanks
Found out the other month to my chagrin, after going to start the ride-on mower for the first time this year, that it has a quiescent current draw of around 8.5mA for *no fricken reason* that I can ascertain other than it does keep track of a clock, whose display is off unless the engine is running. Either way that means the battery will flatten anyway within months by my estimation.. I hope it's a bloody good clock for that..
Anyway I jumped it from the other mower and put it on charge after doing the lawn. Live and learn I suppose but had I not been prepared with jumper leads and charger, it could have been a right pain in the arse.
someone left an interior light on in the work car. It took 4 days to run flat while it wasnt being used, quite impressive. 2019 Subaru Forester looked like a Christmas tree with errors trying to start up when only the battery was flat.
Buy a loaf of bread and keep it on the passenger seat. It can be used as evidence of travel necessity if you get pulled over and questioned.
Alot off ppl are doing that and wearing tradie gear as well.
I wear a tracksuit, keep a prescription and shopping list in the console... shopping bags in the back seat... I also find a “specialty” shop far from my house and put it on the list, such as an organic produce store etc... I also keep a shopping bag full of random stuff out of my kitchen cupboard on the passenger floor.. then just cruise around. My girlfriend keeps a packet of incontinence pads on her passenger seat.. that she says is to deliver to an elderly person in isolation who happens to live near me lol.
That's why I keep prescriptions in the centre console.
Empty Eski Adventures so you’re just an asshole flouting the rules. What a w*nk. Essential travel means just that. Not pretend essential travel.
More like Empty Head Eski.
You can also get trickle chargers that run off LiON batteries rather than mains power if you park on the street which will be far more convenient for some people. But they aren't cheap.
I found a solar battery voltage maintainer that is able to remain installed with the cells roof mounted and a external supply "booster" port when needed, but havent found another like it recently when I was looking for a second.
Thanks for the video. I hope people paid attention to the implied instruction: don't let your battery get even close to empty our you will kill it - they are designed to be almost full all of the time. 50% empty is bad bad bad.
Before my grandfather gifted me his ute, he always had issues with battery charge due to a lack of use. Our solution is to run the engine for approximately half an hour to an hour every time the vehicle hasn't been used for longer than a week. Thankfully though I have only had to do it once.
5-7 years from a battery is doing good if your lucky. Extreame heat, cold, and vibration will shorten the lifespan. Skip the wet battery and get the sealed gel or agm battery( the lack of corrosion worth it). Avoid the cheap chargers (Dayton), it should be able to sense incorect polarity and switch from charge to trickle charge automatically when the battery is full.
I replaced the original battery in my Toyota Land Cruiser after 5 years, when it just died, with an RACV 4704 battery. It lasted 11 years. Needless to say that I replaced it with another RACV 4704.
@@andregreen8040 I have seen a sears diehard last 12 years(with a solar charger). Getting more time out of a battery is possible, but don't ecpect that from a OEM battery.
Got the Ozcharge 750 model and they are bloody brilliant!
Saw a bloke blow himself up once. Quite a large Battery too, so plenty of Hydrogen. Big shock for him, although not badly injured but also for those nearby. You could say, I was startled.
Our shop saw dead batteries, flat tires, rodents making nests and chewing wires. Especially from my customers that did infrequent or short trip driving before the lock down.
One other thing that drains the battery fast. Car/insurance cams. Unplug them when you are nor using the car.
Some vehicles actually need to know that a new battery is being fitted, so keeping the vehicle energized when replacing the battery is not always a good idea. Also some vehicle manufacturers you have to register a battery replacement through the obd as well.
Batteries of old used to die slowly, now its quite quick. Interestingly, on the Isuzu DMax, an indicator that the battery is failing is the traction control light stays on after a cold start a bit longer than normal.
Hello John, greetings from Canada. Using your country naming nomenclature, I expect that we would be referenced as Polite-istan or Canuk-istan. I am surprised you did not get more push back in the comments about (long term) trickle charging. On some smaller automotive batteries one amp of perpetual trickle charging is too much. Think of this like a dripping tap in the bathtub where the drain stopper is in place. Eventually that trickle charging will cause the bathtub to overflow - analogous to overcharging a battery. Ideally a battery needs to be monitored and charged only as needed. This is the distinction between battery chargers and battery maintainers. I personally use battery maintainers for my motorcycle battery (motorcycle stored during the winter-Canada), for my emergency power plant and snow thrower with onboard electric starting. All these units have smaller batteries - that is less than 14aH. Two have AGM batteries and one has a conventional flood battery. In these applications the leads are directly connect to the battery terminals with a weatherproof connector on the other end. The maintainer connects to this weatherproof connector with the other end going to mains power. This allows simple and easy connect/disconnect. This is truly a “set it and forget it” arrangement. These battery maintainers constantly report (colour/flashing LEDs) on state of charge of the battery and will bring a battery from dead to fully charged given enough time. These units I have only charge at 0.75 amp so such a unit would take approximately 133 hours to charge a 100aH trailer (caravan) battery for example. I did not name a brand for a battery maintainer but there are many choices available. Just be sure when you go shopping that you don’t buy a charger instead. Many “automatic” chargers that charge quickly and then taper off (but don’t stop) charging as the battery comes up to full charge. Remember that tap is still dripping (trickle charging)
The burning hydrogen gas ball is not so bad, it's the 12 gauge cell caps, bits of lead plates and acid spray that really makes your weeties go soggy.
How about the tyres? Should I over inflate them a bit if I am going to leave the car sitting a long time, like car companies do for long term transit/storage from factory to dealer to customer etc...?
Buy yourself a ctek charger, best investment I’ve made they are on special at Repco!
Only good value from Repco because they're offering 30% off. Repco stands for "Rip every poor c*nt off".
I agree James, The CTeK conditions the batter charges it then shuts down and fires up when the batter needs charging again...I have 2 on my cars leave them on all the time , no issues
and from what I can see far better than the OzzCharger ?
1961 Series 2 Land Rover: Not used for months. Jump in, crank it and it starts.
2002 Land Rover Discovery 2: One week not used battery flat as a fart!
Something eats the electricity when i don't use it. Brand new battery!
Technology eh...
Fortunately my everyday car(Seat Ibiza) sips fuel like it burns it's lips and always starts!
Did endure three months with only the driver's door outer handle working though.
Only an issue for me one morning on the way to work at 5:15am. After scraping the ice off the windows when i realised that the window was frozen shut. Spent a few minutes pressing the down then up button trying to open it. It opened about a mile from work. Had vision of driving around the carpark until i found someone to open the door for me :)
I just drive the car until the battery gets broken. Then I buy a new one. They usually last 5+ years anyway. I got a charger for winter maintenance charging for my last car, but I rarely used it because of the hassle. On my new car I got a Defa Block and cabin heating solution with integrated battery charger. So now I charge my almost battery daily even in summertime. Basically because cabin heating comfort beats the hassle of plugging in the cable. #70°N. Stay safe!
Polarity protection for the dummies is also a must.
What?? No Ming Molls to jump start me... Down there?
Oh John, my battery is dead flat... Gonna have to push start it manually... Myself... (on lockdown, isolation and solitude)
Hello John, can you leave the terminals connected while charging, in the past it was practice to disconnect the positive car lead. I would imagine modern cars are protected against electrical feedback? What is everyone's view?
Old chargers with a transformer and rectifier must have battery disconnected, newer intelligent smaller chargers are designed to charge/condition connected. I understand that the voltage ripple/low frequency impacts modern systems.
Hope this helps.
Thank you, that is what I needed to know, I have an old charger and a 2015 vehicle.
I have more chargers than I can point a stick at. I built my first in the mid-Sixties when I was a trainee electronics technician. Then I modified a commercial charger based on a design in Electronics Australia. Since then I've bought several automatic chargers and been given several more. And there are a couple for my motorbikes.
I bought an automatic microprocessor controlled charger that you are supposed to be able to leave on indefinitely. I left it on for three days and found a blown fuse (central locking) and it stank out the interior of a burnt smell.
I now disconnect it as soon as it switches to trickle mode (indicated by a light).
If you have the readies and a place to plug it into some coal fired goodness, a battery charger with auto modes is worth getting. I've got a Cetec 15amper but it cost a few hundred. You can get a 4, 6 or 8 Amper (of various brands) that runs through a set of charging profiles automatically as it charges for a lot less than that though. It does a bulk charge then tapers off down to float charge. Available from auto parts shops everywhere and is less prone to overcharge or take forever if you forget to use it correctly.
Aside from needing to reset the clock and wake up the power windows, what other systems 'deinitialize' and what problems can this cause?
The computer will lose its memory of the tuning settings it has worked out for the engine, with a disconnected or completely flat battery. The engine will start, but may run roughly, until the vehicle is driven for some distance. The computer will then regain its tuning settings it works out from the various sensors on the engine.
Can also highlight service issues hidden by the diagnostics. Had a Mazda6 and replaced the battery. Engine idle would fluctuate between near stalling and 2000rpm. Turns out there was carbon build up on the air inlet around the throttle valve and the engine management couldn’t recalibrate. After cleaning car ran smooth again.
John, I work supplying car spares and this is advice I've been giving for years. Especially for Sunny Sunday cars where running the car for a couple of hours to the pub doesn't replace what the car systems drew out during the week. The battery loses charge incrementally week by week until 12 months later the week ends without enough charge to start the car. Cue the "it just died" warranty claim.
I give out maintenance instructions with each battery and it reduced warranty claims by 90%. Just a bit of knowledge goes a long way to helping customers.
Personally I use a 5w solar panel plugged into the OBD2 port for battery maintenance. Five watts should be enough to keep the balance of electrons in the black given the losses through the glass of the windscreen. Although not a good option if your car is in a garage.
The worst culprits are sealed batteries (AGM or Gel) like you find on Hybrids. The batteries by design only have a low charge rate (usually under 2A) to minimise gassing and excess pressure in the battery case. People forget that even the alternator or invertor on a hybrid will still only charge the battery at a low charge rate. So from flat the car would take days to fully charge the 12v battery.
In that case I recommend the solar charger/OBD2 port option or a good charger that can detect sealed AGM or Gel batteries, with a maintenance mode to keep the battery topped up.
Blasting 4A or 6A through a sealed battery is a good way to kill the battery by making it gas and venting the gas out the vents to avoid excess pressure cracking the case. But that's your battery capacity going out the vents right there.
They obviously didn't heed your warning John about the connection and switch on sequence when they tried to charge the battery on the Hindenburg just before landing....
Hi John, very topical because my daughter's car battery failed and was replaced on Friday, car started at home and an hour later at the shops would barely crank the engine. Typically she drives 90 minutes or more each day, at the moment zero as you describe. Alas I have a question!
The green indicator in the top of the standard calcium lead-acid battery was still showing green, so I guessed that it was worth an attempted recharge. The road service guy tested the battery and said "No good, needs replacing" and so it was replaced. I don't know the how old the battery was, she has only owned the car for 6 months. Are those battery status indicators reliable?
I mounted a Battery Tender Plus 1.25 amp battery charger and maintainer in my Civic's trunk (where I installed my battery) when I got my Optima Yellowtop battery 7 years ago and I just plug it in whenever I pull into my garage so the battery always stays fully charged. It takes 5 seconds to plug it in and I know my battery will always be fully charged so it as well as the alternator will probably last slightly longer. My battery is 7 years old and still in good condition, so something must be working right.
If you are disorganised get a lithium jump start battery from eBay. No need for jump leads anymore. Here’s how good they are. My neighbours old falcon Ute had been parked for 6 months, I checked his battery and it was reading less than 5 volts ie stuffed. Connected the lithium battery, he cranked it for a good 30 seconds and it started. Only yesterday, same deal except the other neighbour. 8 year old Lexus, battery reading 9 volts. Out comes the lithium battery, a few attempts at starting because of the insane amount of computer resetting then it started. And my battery was only showing 48% full.
I've got both a 5 Watt solar panel and an 80 Watt - little 5 Watt does a good job just to keep them topped for free.
The 80 Watt is good for a MPPT squirt that freshens it up with a bit of a service charge.
All for free from the sun.
Stupid me paid $120 for CTEK 5A charger that fits in the glovebox, uses a whopping 9c in electricity to charge my battery from flat, 1c per day to maintain and operates in a dark garage. What was I thinking when I could have gone for a large solar panel and MPPT charger given to me for free?
Hook the Car Battery up to a Battery Charger E.g. CTEK 8 step Battery Charger MXS 10 12V 10A or CTEK MXS 25 12V 25A or Cadogan recommended OzCharge OC-PRO600 Battery Charger & Maintainer (Trickle Charger)
Agree it’s important to turn on the power to the charger last after battery connection but not nearly as important to turn off the power to charger first once battery is charged before removing battery leads as this is when hydrogen gas (wet batteries) is at its greatest. None or little amount of gas around when connecting to a dead battery , but good practice to assume there is hydrogen gas around at all times.
John.. Crocodile clips and Alligator clips, is it as simple as Alligator clips only work "down there".?
If you have a manual, leave it parked on a slight hill and all sorted, big reason why ive always driven manuals. iI your caught stranded and on your own, you can rescue yourself.
That does not work if you have an ALTERNATOR. That requires some battery for it to make electricity...the battery excites it to do that. A generator generates its own excitement so in that car, the hill technique will work so long as the road is not gravel.
Does RUclips have ESP? This was on my suggested list after coming back inside after discovering my battery was flat.....
Hey John, just wondering what is your personal car that you drive ?
The problem with the Ozcharge rescue mate, is that if you have a ford ecolpi it needs to ‘prime’ the engine. This fucks up the timing of the charge delivered by the rescue mate.
Statistically, nobody has one of those.
I’ve always bucked the trend. Love your uploads, they always make me smile. Thank you. X
John, I get the idea of keeping the battery up, but how often should I take the car out for a short run to keep the engine oil "in place"?
Thanks for the many smiles and info you've given me. Keep it up! (Yes-s-s!)
Good information there John. Thanks.
People should worry more about dpfs on diesels no regen on these short journeys..
I've got a Ring smart charger; not great but not _too_ shit either. What sold me on it was that you don't need to disconnect the battery from the car to charge it although the -ve clamp needs to connect to the chassis, preferably on that nice, chunky, easy to reach bolt head on alternator housing as it passes the current though the vehicle's own charging circuit.
Pffft. Don't talk to a Canadian about an "Australian winter" reducing battery cranking power. We routinely deal with -40C temperatures. What do your temperatures get down to? -10C? What a joke.
Freck no -10C we would all die! Freezing is about 5C :-)
Lack of interludes with scantily clad women makes me wonder if John's S&M statement is overdrawn for this month! Needless to say, John's discussion of batteries barely got my juices flowing! 🤣
Should I connect the negative directly on the battery itself or should I connect it to ground(chassis)?
I plan to use a 1A charger while the battery still connected in the car
I’d probably suggest not putting the Black into the terminal on a high performance car. I’d put the black before the sensor on the - terminal. Just put it on to a metal part of the engine/body before the battery sensor. For old cars don’t bother, but modern high tech cars, you charge or jump through that sensor, world of pain.
How much do you need to drive in normal conditions to keep the battery fully charged up and get the maximum life out of the thing?
Good question.👍
I know NRMA told me (about 15yrs ago), after they jump-started my battery to drive for at least 30 mins to charge up the battery.
On most new cars in the fuse panel in the cabin like by your left knee or wherever it is there is a switch and transport mode I have noticed certain cars not only is it in the middle it seems it cuts even more but when you put it Transport
Just running a car a short distance is not going to fully charge it because the last bit of charge is over a slow rate.
Lots of short trips may keep it at 80 or 90% but the only thing that will fully charge it is a long drive or a tickle on a charger.
Leaving it flat will decrease its capacity due to sulphation of the plates which permanently reduces the active area of the battery. Sometimes it can be negated a bit by long trickle charging but best not to find out. Also if you do have to replace your battery, getting a higher capacity one ( More CCA) will greatly increase its lifespan and when it does start to sag, it will do so gracefully so you get a bit of notice as it gets a bit sluggish.
The battery may be the same size but it has longer plates in it which is more active area. A good rule of thumb is the weight increases with capacity even in the same size case.
I live in a flat/apartment block where my car is parked quite a way away and there is no outside mains sockets or any realistic way of plugging my cars battery into the mains with a charger. I've heard solar trickle chargers often produce so little electrical charge that the battery can still discharge with them. I don't know what the solution is 😐😐
Rescuemate is your solution about 10min in.
Hello John, I have tried to light a methane gas fire with a spark generated by a low voltage shot-circuit (12 volts and a couple of amps, maybe up to 10 or more) between two copper wires (I was trying to light my cigarette at that time) so I wonder if hydrogen would be able to ignite from a similar spark since methane did not - that leads me to believe that it may require a spark generated by a greater voltage, maybe in the tens of volts or more to ignite a fire. Thank you for the great work, sincerely - Me and my rooster.
I'm surprised you did not touch on one of the main reasons batteries fail, it's called sulphating. It's not covered under the battery's manufacturer's warranty, and it would have been a good point to touch on as it is common.
I've been charging a caravan battery for years with a normal charger on a plug in timer 10 hours a week .
i think he managed to keep it clean. Knock me down with a feather
Most modern battery tenders will not have live leads when disconnected from a battery. They wont provide current until a voltage is detected on the leads, so connecting it directly to the battery with the power on is fine.
Also contrary to John's advice, won't the AC mains be the first thing to disconnect at the finish of charging (when there is more chance of an hydrogen/air cloud)?
Actually hospitals are very good at the moment for emergencies - lots of Nurses and doctors waiting for the rush. They've been waiting for about 3 weeks now... The Union has been in discussions because 'they' want to reduce the nurses' hours because they are so busy...
Went on a car ferry once and a Porsche was parked behind me. It's alarm was (probably) sounding most of the journey. Next morning it to was dead as a dodo.
Funny (for me) the battery was in the boot? Which had an electric release, they may well still be there.
Actual lol. So dead battery on Porsche = car fucked forever. Brilliant.
@@ElJohnerino I'm sure there's a way. On a deck of a car ferry is a fairly embarrassing time to find out especially as they were near the front so everyone had to pass their car.
My 2012 3 point suppository must have some on board memory storage battery because disconnecting it from the car even for multiple days does not require any feature or function resetting upon reconnection. Auto windows, seat settings, radio settings all remain as before. I was quite surprised at this upon discovery 😅 I wonder if that's normal on more cars these days.
Modern car battery chargers are switch mode devices which means instead of a using an isolation transformer (2 coils separate by an earthed iron core) they use high frequency pulse transformers. These are essentially 2 coils wound on top of one another around a lump of ferrite. Thus the only thing between you and 240V ac mains is a couple of wraps of insulation tape and a microscopic layer of enamel paint! So 1) don’t touch the car when it’s plugged in. 2) For god sake do as your mother told you and use protection! Fit an RCD.
We still have farmers markets open in Radelaide, 1 hr away 😁 no one says you have to get out.