Charging battery while still in car My Xtrail (2003 TI petrol auto) hasn't been used much in the past few months so I was thinking the battery could do with a good charge.
Is it accepted practice to hook the battery charger to the battery while the battery is still connected in the car? Can any damage be done to the car's electrics?
(I'd prefer to remove the battery altogether but I really don't want to go through ECU reset, idle relearn, etc again if it is required).
I've got leads hooked up permanently to my battery that end in an anderson plug. It's tucked just inside the front grill so I can access it easily without opening the bonnet.
Then I've got a battery tender (trickle charger) I plug in when I'm away for awhile. I also use it for the compressor when I go off road.
Date Registered: 05-2010 Location: Adelaide TOTAL POSTS:599
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Re: Charging battery while still in car As long as the Battery is in good condition, it will filter any slight overvoltage or spike etc and basically stabilise the voltage thereby protecting the cars electrics.
It is good to monitor the voltage in some way and many smart chargers do this.
I multi-stage charger is the way to go as they protect everything, once you select the battery type. For maintenance during long periods of not driving you don't need a high amperage charger. A 2 to 4 amps smart charger is ideal and they are cheaper than the 8amp to 20 amp ones.
If the battery is faulty then simple non-smart charger may damage the electrics.