Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange
Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [charging]

The act of re-vitalising the plates inside a car's battery (voltaic pile)

151 questions
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Can I safely upgrade to an AGM battery?

AGM batteries are capable of being charged at a faster rate, and may draw additional amperage from the alternator if it is not regulated. Many cars that come with AGM batteries have special charge rates (newer Porsche Cayennes that come with AGM…
Ehryk
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Why can't alternators provide full current at idle?

I was reading about load testing and full fielding alternators in a few different books I've got, and one of the points they all made was that to test an alternator's maximum output (or close to it) the rpm's need to be raised to around 2000 to 2500…
Robert S. Barnes
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Is any power from the alternator 'free'?

Cars generally (and specifically a Honda Accord 2002) are not very energy-efficient. Given all the inefficiencies, is it "free" to plug in, say, a smartphone into a car to charge while I am driving? By "free" I mean, if I don't plug anything in,…
Philip
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how fast does the alternator charge the battery?

It would appear that the common word of wisdom is that car alternators provide 50A of output. I actually looked at the supposed specs for my 2008 Jetta 2.5L on the internet -- a compact car -- and it would appear that it might be rated for 140A 14V…
cnst
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Will never charging the batteries of a hybrid electric plug-in vehicle damage it?

I am likely to be forced to use a Volvo V60 in its hybrid diesel-electric plug-in version for my daily commutes. This is a hybrid system comprising a 2.4l diesel engine with an added plug-in electric motor (ERAD). The electric motor is powered by a…
JoErNanO
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I charged my car battery with no water in it

I have a car battery that I am trying to recharge. It measures 3.28v, and my charger is a Selmar Turbo 8. This is the charger I am using: Here is a picture of the ammeter gauge that I found First of all I tried to charge the battery overnight and…
George
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Can a conventional car be used to charge an electric car?

A friend who drives a Leaf recently came very close to running out of charge, which prompted another friend to ask if it was possible to "jumpstart" a Leaf from another car. Obviously you couldn't do that in the usual way, but in principle you…
ShadSterling
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Is it possible to charge car battery through cigar lighter socket?

I plan to modify my SUV into a camping car. Can I charge my car battery through cigar lighter socket with a 13.6 voltage when my engine is off? Also, can I power the air conditioning compressor and dashboard of my car through the same socket, and…
Superuser
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Connecting to the Battery During Emissions Testing to Measure RPMs?

When doing emissions testing, they connect to the battery, either directly, or using the cigarette lighter socket. I'm assuming that this is to measure the RPMs, as the only other thing connected to the car is a gas analyzer in the tail pipe. I'm…
Robert S. Barnes
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Can you charge an electric motorcycle at an electric car charging station?

Do electric motorcycles and cars use the same type of chargers? Can we charge a Zero motorcycle at a Tesla supercharger station? How about at an electric car parking?
nk379
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Battery light on after new alternator

Car: 2003 Honda Civic Si G1Wh dash cam, 400w amp, 4300k HIDs My alternator failed badly (stereo cutting off), no battery light. Replaced it with a reman Duralast, battery light is on. It shows 14.5v while running, and I've had the battery tested at…
Coletrane
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Will an auxiliary battery hurt a vehicle's alternator?

I am going to be road tripping and living out of my SUV for a while. I need a way to power a tiny portable cooler/fridge 24/7 and would like to be able to power my cell phone, laptop, and maybe a few other things when the vehicle is off. I have been…
Nate
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unique alternator issue

I have a 2006 Jeep Wrangler with a stock alternator. I just built a off road teardrop trailer with its own 12v AGM battery and 12v refrigerator --the Jeep battery is an Optima. Using solenoids, I have it set up to charge either battery separately.…
W Moate
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Radio and Charging Outlet Stopped Working

I have a 2000 Honda Accord V6 LX. The radio was working yesterday and the charging outlet was working earlier today, but now neither are. Did some research and I'm assuming it could be a blown fuse. Are there 2 separate fuses that need to be…
Christopher Chipps
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Jumping car with too many amps?

Is it bad to jump your car with too many amps (i.e., with a 1000 amp jumper vs. a 400 amp jumper)? Or does the car regulate how many amps it will take? EDIT: I was told 400 amps is enough for most cars. Is this true?
Kevin Lin
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