Preventing car from out of battery

atersatan, Nov 7, 9:16pm
is it possible to just turn the car on without driving it, to prevent it from the car going out of battery! my car hasnt been moved for more than a week, and i was afraid that it might be out of battery. Do i need to drive it! or can i leave it turn on for a while (to prevent from going out of battery) any ideas!

sifty, Nov 7, 9:21pm
Ok, I think I understand.

The battery should last far more than a week without your car running. If it doesn't hold charge for a week either something is wrong with it, or you are drawing power from the battery while it is sitting. A trickle charger or battery optimiser would be easier than just running it if you do not want to drive it.

atersatan, Nov 7, 9:23pm
i was wondering if ithe car could be recharged by just turning the car on (Without driving)!

mber2, Nov 7, 10:03pm
An alternator will charge while the car is idling

bellky, Nov 7, 10:04pm
i think this is true

mber2, Nov 7, 10:10pm
Correct bellky.
That is the difference between an alternator and a generator

socram, Nov 7, 10:13pm
Left our modern for 100 days and the only batteries that went flat were the ones in the remotes, which are recharged when docked and the engine is running.

atersatan, Nov 7, 10:32pm
how long should i leave it idling!

m16d, Nov 7, 10:40pm
If it "turns on" ok then you didn't need to "turn it on"

johnf_456, Nov 7, 10:42pm
Just get a battery charger, they are cheap enough. I have cars that sit for months and no worrys.

kazbanz, Nov 7, 11:28pm
atersaten--if you intend to park the car regularly for weeks on end and it has an alarm then I'd suggest using a battery tender. I'm told the solar ones exceed the draw from alarms by quite a bit

carstauranga001, Nov 7, 11:40pm
Does a solar one work in the garage!

socram, Nov 7, 11:44pm
Are you serious!

stevo2, Nov 7, 11:45pm
Of course it does.
Just put the solar panel in front of the car and turn the headlights on. That way it will charge your battery 24/7.
Stevo

richard198, Nov 8, 12:45am
It's a bit like asking how long a piece of string is!
If the battery is only slightly discharged; run it for 1/2 hour etc.
You have to run the engine for a lot longer than if you drove it.
Get a charger. Those "turbo" battery chargers are excellent (600 amps plus)

Edit: Also depends if there is a draw on the battery at rest.
Remove the battery if not using car. I did so when I was away for 6 weeks and it started 1st time.

stevo2, Nov 8, 2:21am
Great minds think alike bigjerry. ;-)

solarboy, Nov 8, 5:47am
600 amps !Goodbye car battery. !

lugee, Nov 8, 5:51am
Not to mention that it would be drawing close to 10,000 watts on the 240v side, good luck doing that on anything but an industrial 3-phase line.

kazbanz, Nov 8, 12:33pm
as long as theres a great huge hole in the roof. But then I guesses given the OP was plannin on starting/running the car they weren't stupid enough to do so in a garage.--oops sorry my bad -I forgot to allow for lowest possible.

carstauranga001, Feb 10, 8:01am
Sarcasm mate. Can't see the point of solar on my car I have tucked away inside and there's no way I'm keeping a mint colectable outside. I simply disconect the battery and periodically put the trickle charger on.