Car Battery: Cold/Short Journeys/Small Battery

The car seems to be struggling to start with these cold winter mornings. It only really gets used for a 4.5 mile morning + evening commute so doesn’t get a good chance to recharge i expect, especially with the heaters on full tilt most of the time. It’s only a small fiat so expect the battery itself is small.

I know that going for a longer drive every now and then would help top the battery up. how long a drive are we talking?

I have a trickle charge I bought to use on a vespa battery once upon a time. If i were to remove the battery and trickle charge it how long should I leave it plugged in for? (as far as i remember the charger is only a very basic one with no indicators etc)

Will the trickle charger do a better job than a 30 min drive?

how long have you had said car.

is it a recent thing that its taking strugling to start.

how is it strugling , strugling to throw the engine or just turning over for ages ?

it sounds like a symptom and not a cause tbh.

how long have you had said car.

12 years maybe…

is it a recent thing that its taking strugling to start.

yes, coinciding with this recent cold snap

how is it strugling , strugling to throw the engine or just turning over for ages ?

struggling to throw the engine. sounds like if i didn’t start it and just kept turning it over it would be pan flat in about 20 seconds!

check your battery voltage(multimetre on “DC volts 20”) with the engine off – should be about 12.6v but no less than 12.4 – start the car – test it again – should be between 13-14.5

i would bet 50p on it being a dying old battery but it may well be a dying alternator not charging too great or intermittently.

carparts4less for cheap batteries.

a trickle charger is just a sticking plaster and the issue is going to let you down properly one day.

Check the condition of the earthing strap on the negative terminal. If it’s exposed to moisture and road salt at any point it will have oxidised and won’t be carryng the heavy current efficiently. A new strap is easy to fit.

Your circumstances aren’t good for the battery. On average a car needs about 15 to 30 minutes running time just to replenish battery power after a start, and that’s without the extra loads this time of year puts on the system.

If the battery in over 4 years old I’d replace it – http://www.batterymegastore.co.uk Also at that age get the charging system and starter checked over, is the drive belt in good shape (squealing??) and earth straps.

It does sound like an aged battery. Your journey is not ideal but a new battery should help. I suspect the new one will die a premature death as well but it is still less hassle than taking the battery out or going for a drive just to charge the battery, and should last a good while.

To answer the questions, trickle chargers need to be on a long time. 12-24 hours. A 30 min drive will put a lot more in than the same time on a trickle charger but still won’t fully charge it.

I know that going for a longer drive every now and then would help top the battery up. how long a drive are we talking?

If this is your usage then buying a battery charger would be a good investment. Cheap (for small car capacities) and very effective. A full charge will last ages if you continue to top up with short drives.

But as above it’s probably on its way out as well.

What you want is a battery conditioner, not a standard trickle charger. Conditioners are smarter and you can leave them connected indefinitely. It’s the kind of thing most classic car owners use to keep batteries in shape when garaged for long periods. Look up CTEK on google for some good examples.

If your battery is over 5 years old it’s probably time for a new one too.

what they say- probably replace , certainly get it tested and you will need some way to charge /condition it IMHO due to short drives

FWIW all battery issues arrive as it gets cold as the voltage and power drop when cold so it wont get any better anytime soon

What you want is a battery conditioner, not a standard trickle charger.

Yeah they are expensive though, probably more expensive than a new battery for a small car – and you need one of those anyway.

It’s always worth grabbing a battery conditioner from Aldi or Lidl when they are on offer

Like others are saying I think your battery needs replacing

You can trickle charge battery without removing it from the car. The car is 12 years old I hope the battery is newer. I suggest you find out what larger sized battery you can put into the car and replace it, I was told a few times than manufacturers are building to a price so often underspec the battery (this was particularly tue in a Shogun I had).

Replace it now as this is peak season for failure, if its been struggling through the summer/autumn it will be dead soon.

Yeah they are expensive though, probably more expensive than a new battery for a small car – and you need one of those anyway.

He’s probably going to need both a battery and a conditioner to avoid the same thing happening again with such low usage. Conditioners are not that expensive – should get one for under £50 or sometimes a lot less from Aldi etc.

I’m just saying that a trickle charger is not as good and could actually cause more harm than good if used on a regular basis to keep a battery topped up.

Edit: if the battery is not that old, he could try a conditioner first and see if it breathes some life back into it. Might not actually need a new battery for now.

He could get away with a plain charger rather than a conditioner I reckon. I’ve got one that does a fast charge in about 2 hours.

He could get away with a plain charger rather than a conditioner I reckon. I’ve got one that does a fast charge in about 2 hours.

Yeah, great way to f*** a battery if you try it too often. But it’s not going to solve a long term issue of lack of usage – a new battery and a conditioner is.

plenty of folks use their cars for repeated short journeys without issue…..i can see 5 such folk from my desk who would be better served cycling or even walking to work. more so – the fact its lasted 12 years without showing up this issue……

unless its an old diesel motor and has glow plugs etc then it wont need huge amounts of power to start it. average 4cylinder petrol cars in the region of 150-200 amps and the diesels about 3-600amps. – more cylinders = more cranking power required – the more worn your engine the longer the cranking will be needed for.

even at 1amp if it used 300amps for 2 seconds turning it over it should have charged back up to full power in 15minutes – if you only have 1 amp availible for charging then you need to turn off your powered amp and sub for your 4 mile commute.

usually cars have something like 80amps availible assuming he isnt sitting in stop start traffic for his 4 miles and at idle – as theres alot less output from alternator.

That’s a good point trail rat. Probably just needs a new battery in practice, especially if the current one is 12 years old!

I have had a wide and varied selection of crapola get-to-work cars over the years, and I’ve never needed a conditioner or charger. New battery will solve all the woes for £50, and you’ll need one now anyway. 4.5 miles with a bit of sitting in a queue out of town / the carpark will be ample to charge the battery.
4/5 years out of a lead acid and you’ve had your moneys worth really, anything else is delaying the inevitable and likely to let you down when you actually need the car.

I have played about with old batteries with various degrees of success. Epsom Salts method had about the best results. LINK

Generally just one or two cells that fail through sulfation. I found if you gently tip the acid in a plastic bucket, wash the sludge out of the cells with a hose then pour the old acid back in and top up with distilled water and deep charge it gives a bit more life.

They were just for my sons “field” car so didn’t relay matter if the attempt to rejuvenate them failed.

If it is a car you rely on then just go and buy a new battery for £45, probably save that in the change of cloths you will destroy from battery acid spills.

Oh and wear goggles if you decide to start popping the top off and pouring the acid in a bucket, it is not something you want in your eyes. 😯

good old bataid – if you can access the cells may keep you going for another week – but sounds like its time for new battery if the charging system is working

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