12V Battery Charger

[dcg9381]

The 2 that I have can. Why would you charge a charged battery?

I think he means "overly discharged". I have several like (modern chargers) that will not begin the charge sequence if the initial battery voltage is out of range. It's a "protection feature" that kinda defeats you on lead-acid and AGM batterys if you discharge them fully.

 

[75gmck25]

The original post was about a 2002 Ford Explorer, so it is a "dumb" system with simple charging requirements. Lots of good advice.

Speaking of protection features in various chargers - If you are looking for a charger that works with the old vehicle, and can also be used with modern vehicles (maybe those made in the last five years) it could take more research. Many cars now have new battery types (AGM, etc.), and advanced charging systems that monitor and charge the batteries (there may be more than one battery). You might be able to still use an old-style battery charger, but there will probably be steps to reset or bypass the built-in battery management system first.

For example, cars with a mild-hybrid design have a relatively standard 12 volt AGM battery for most of the car's operation, but may also have a 48 volt battery that is used for the automated start-stop feature. They also might have a starter/generator instead of a starter so that they can use it to recover energy while coasting. Some also have a power boost mode, where they kick in the starter/generator while driving and it gives the car a 10 hp boost when you need it.

It makes my head hurt when I try to understand how it all works, but its amazing how much power new cars have, and they still get decent gas mileage.

 

[Pexto]

I checked my snowmachine battery in September and it was still 12.0V. Checked it yesterday, now that we have snow, and it read 0.5V. Yikes. Then I found out my old school charger is apparently dead - it's putting out 18V in the full current mode (10A), and the trickle mode is only putting out 11.6 V and 20mA.

So I too am looking for a charger recommendation. I'd prefer something available locally in my smallish town, which rules out Noco and the like.

Any comments on this Carlyle (on sale, and made by Clore)? https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/SORCBC612V10A

 

[Two Pump Chump]

From their (Noco) web page -

" Charge dead batteries - Charges dead batteries as low as 1-volt. Or use the all-new Force Mode that allows you to take control and manually begin charging dead batteries down to zero volts "

Thats not what I recall reading on there previously. Good info.

 

[Bert_]

I checked my snowmachine battery in September and it was still 12.0V. Checked it yesterday, now that we have snow, and it read 0.5V. Yikes. Then I found out my old school charger is apparently dead - it's putting out 18V in the full current mode (10A), and the trickle mode is only putting out 11.6 V and 20mA.

So I too am looking for a charger recommendation. I'd prefer something available locally in my smallish town, which rules out Noco and the like.

Any comments on this Carlyle (on sale, and made by Clore)? https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/SORCBC612V10A

You were checking the charger with it connected to a battery right? Getting weird voltages with no battery is normal since the DC out of the charger is very choppy.

 

[Pexto]

You were checking the charger with it connected to a battery right? Getting weird voltages with no battery is normal since the DC out of the charger is very choppy.

Yeah, I checked it connected to the battery. I really didn't want to subject my snowmachine and its delicate electronic brain to 18V, so I switched it to trickle right away. I checked it again today, and it seemed to settle down to 15.6V, maybe it had to warm up a little (it was 0F outside).

Bottom line is that it's been hooked up (on 'trickle') to the small snowmachine battery for two days now, and the battery voltage is at 11.6V. So the charger doesn't seem to be working. It's a very old charger and the ampmeter is broken in any case. I think it is time to replace it and maybe just keep the old one for electrolysis. It looks like the one in the pic below, except mine is a 85-171.

 

[Buckaroo5]

Recommend Clore Pro-Logix PL2320 which I have owned for about 5 years. Very versatile and does provide the ability to charge a dead battery. It does have the check function that verifies polarity is correct which requires some charge in the battery, but as described in the manual, if you hold the start button down it will override it and provide an initial charge. I have used it on dead batteris and it does work. Costs about $100 on Amazon

20/10/2 Amp 6/12V Intelligent Battery Charger / Maintainer – Clore Automotive

Work smarter, not harder. The PL2320, 20/10/2A 6/12V Intelligent Battery Charger and Maintainer from Clore Automotive, puts a brainy buddy at your side for safe, efficient battery charging, repair and maintenance. This versatile unit can save you space, money and time. Rather than purchasing...

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