Can my battery be saved?

Arthur Morgan

Arthur Morgan

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So I use public transport to commute to work during the week so my car really only gets driven weekends. I know this cannot be good for the battery but it's never shown any signs of weakness before this weekend. Engine only took on the second swing and the next day it was dead.

So yesterday evening we jumped the battery and I took it for a hard spin around the block in 2nd and 3rd gear. I'll take it out for a spin again this afternoon and hopefully charge it some more. Is there any way to save this battery or should I get ready to shell out some cash on a new one?
 
See if the battery needs to be topped up with distilled water, and then get a trickle charger rather than jumping it.
 
Jewpacabra said:
So I use public transport to commute to work during the week so my car really only gets driven weekends. I know this cannot be good for the battery but it's never shown any signs of weakness before this weekend. Engine only took on the second swing and the next day it was dead.

So yesterday evening we jumped the battery and I took it for a hard spin around the block in 2nd and 3rd gear. I'll take it out for a spin again this afternoon and hopefully charge it some more. Is there any way to save this battery or should I get ready to shell out some cash on a new one?
Click to expand...

That's normally a sign that your battery needs replacing. I am on a similar commuting routine as yourself and I found that SABAT(same as Willard nowadays) lasted me 6 years with only using the vehicle on weekends.
 
It’s one of those small Willard batteries. Could my driving habits any way be influencing the way the battery recharges? I've been trying to get my consumption down from 5.8 to 5.7 l/100km, which meant a lot of careful driving in a higher gear with lower revs. Would this of had an effect on when the alternator starts working? I’m not too clued up on these kinds of things. Perhaps it only kicks in above 3500rpm.
 
Buy yourself a C-Tek battery charger / conditioner, and leave it connected to your battery while it's parked
 
If your battery is older than 3 years then replace it. We just replaced ours even though it was tested to be working 100% but I decided that with winter coming up, its better to pay now than regret later on.

Better quality batteries now use silver-calcium which outperform traditional batteries like that Willard. Most guys will only sell you Exide but there are other quality brands for less.

As for not having a charger, well even if you had a new battery you still need one. If cash is tight then get a quality charger first. I've an 11amp ABSAAR charger and its worth the money (that one in your link looks not too bad either).
 
spiderz said:
Nope, that's just a normal charger. You can't leave that connected to the battery.
You need a smart charger that switched off once the battery is fully charged.
Click to expand...
I inquired from a battery retailer in PE and was quoted for NOCO G3500EU (5 yr Warranty) at a cost of
R960.00 VAT INCLUSIVE where the Ctek MXS 3.8 would cost you R1221.00 EX VAT EACH if we had stock of the Ctek.
 
There really is no wizardry to batteries. If you charge it completely (which will take hours, so an alternator isn't really up to it) and it holds a charge then it'll recover.

If you fully charge it, then leave it for a day or two and your battery is back down to 10.5v or lower without use, it is shot. That typically means one of the battery cells died. When they drain completely the cell will eventually short and reverse it's polarity and there is just nothing to fix that.

If it doesn't hold as much charge and you are able to top the battery up then you can charge it at 15v (overcharge) for a few hours with the battery top water covers open. The electrolyte will out gas and you can top it up. This is called an equalizing charge.

As I said tho, if it doesn't hold a charge, that is it. The battery is gone.
 
Last edited:
question for you guys about batteries,

does it make any difference if you put in a bigger battery, my car is fitted with a 619 battery but the specification calls for a 616 battery whose case is smaller.
and it fits in the engine bay easier

the battery terminals are changed to accommodate the bigger battery, trying to figure out if its worth buying the smaller one and replace the terminals to accommodate that
 
eg2505 said:
question for you guys about batteries,

does it make any difference if you put in a bigger battery, my car is fitted with a 619 battery but the specification calls for a 616 battery whose case is smaller.
and it fits in the engine bay easier

the battery terminals are changed to accommodate the bigger battery, trying to figure out if its worth buying the smaller one and replace the terminals to accommodate that
Click to expand...
I suppose it depends on the battery drain and the alternator charge rate
 
Sadly the commute is really the problem and then probably only doing short trips on the weekend doesn't really help it charge.

I ride a bike to work every day so my little Corsa stands outside and does nothing all day.

I'll have it hooked up to the C-Tek charger and then it starts first time, but I guarantee you if I leave it for two weekends it won't start again. And that's on a virtually brand new battery that's about six months old.

The real problem is that when you then drive it you don't really do a proper trip and all you really do in the process is bring it home with even less charge.
 
Jewpacabra said:
So I use public transport to commute to work during the week so my car really only gets driven weekends. I know this cannot be good for the battery but it's never shown any signs of weakness before this weekend. Engine only took on the second swing and the next day it was dead.

So yesterday evening we jumped the battery and I took it for a hard spin around the block in 2nd and 3rd gear. I'll take it out for a spin again this afternoon and hopefully charge it some more. Is there any way to save this battery or should I get ready to shell out some cash on a new one?
Click to expand...

Once a battery has run down completely you are better off buying a new one.

Quick tip: Disconnect the positive from the battery if you not driving the vehicle that much. My bakkie has a small blinking light on the radio, that runs down the battery if I don't disconnect it and only drive it once a week.
 
Pitbull said:
Once a battery has run down completely you are better off buying a new one.

Quick tip: Disconnect the positive from the battery if you not driving the vehicle that much. My bakkie has a small blinking light on the radio, that runs down the battery if I don't disconnect it and only drive it once a week.
Click to expand...
And then your alarm system is also inoperative.
 
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