Things To Know About C...

Charging a dead battery is as easy as hooking up a charger, as long as you are following the protocol to the dot or as advised by an authorized Ford showroom near you.

Before even charging a beery, you should know how to prepare to charge and keep the right tools at hand. Make sure you read the operation manual of the car and make yourself familiar of the different parts of the battery, the technicalities and the tools to be used, whether you’re doing this for the first time.

A good plan of action makes a good works man. So, now gear up!

Ideally, car batteries are supposed to stay charged by drawing the excess power of the car engine. Most of the batteries can last for at least five years without any need for replacement or recharging. However, even the best of car batteries will ultimately run out of power, or even prematurely lose their power when the lights are left on for far too long.

But here’s how you can find out whether the batteries need to be changed:

If your engine cranks but fails to start, about 94% of the time, it is wise to check the battery.

If the electricals and ignition don’t start off, it’s time to check your battery. Any time your car seems to have lost all signs of life, then the battery is the most automatic first thing to check out
Now, prior to charging, firstly turn off all the electronics and carefully clean the battery terminals using a terminal cleaning brush and a mixture of baking soda and water to neutralize the acid.  If you know the battery is low, you can just clean using distilled water.

Since most batteries these days are maintenance free, you needn’t check the acid levels of the battery.

Also, before you start you should clearly know how long charge the battery for -

If the battery voltage is below 11.85 and your charger is at a 5-amp charge rate, it will take about 12 hours to fully charge a battery with 400 to 500 cold cranking amps. The same battery will take about 6 hours to fully charge if the charge rate is 10 amps. The lower the open circuit voltage in the battery and the more cold cranking amps, the longer it will take to charge the battery.

Now further, you can use the following three methods, to charge your battery:

1. Using a Charger

Place your battery charger and the cables laid out on a stable surface to avoid accidentally connecting negative and positive terminals and damaging the charger. Now, connect the charger to the battery with the black cable with a negative sign on it going to the negative terminal of the of the battery while the red one goes to the positive terminal marked (+) and set the charger, until fully charged.

2. Jump Starting

Use this method when the battery is temporarily dead, and the nearest source is another car.

Park both the cars facing each other and ensure that the parking brakes are on throughout the process. Using the jumpstarting cables, connect the two car batteries and start the functioning car. After one minute or two, attempt to start the dead car. Once the dead car starts, disconnect the cables and allow the car to run for some time

If you suspect further problems, you can also opt for troubleshooting, using simple steps:

Have your car battery checked by a reliable auto-parts store expert. They can be able to inform you whether you need a replacement or not. If the battery is fully charged, then maybe the battery cables have a problem.

Sometimes you can tell that there is a problem with your alternator by just looking at your interior lights. If they get brighter when you accelerate and dim when you remove your foot from the gas pedal, then the alternator might have a problem. Have the alternator tested. This can be the reason why your car is not sufficiently charging the battery.

Visit the PPS Ford service centre, Bangalore, an authorized Ford dealer in Bangalore to avail authentic spare parts and service.

Listen for any clicking. An audible click when the car fails to start might mean that the battery is down.

Take note if the car stalls. If your vehicle starts after charging then stall soon after starting to run, the alternator might be having a problem and you may need to consult your nearest Ford service center in Bangalore.