By Levi Quinn
When recharging a dead battery, one could use a charger, making sure to connect the poles correctly i.e. red for positive and black for negative. It will however be necessary disconnect after about a half hour to check the battery’s voltage should it not have a charge indicator on it. A multimeter set to a DC Voltage range higher than the 12 Volts full scale is required for this purpose. Charging durations vary depending on the magnitude of the charger and one should be careful and use a charger that they are comfortable with.
Secondly, ensure that the battery terminals are clean as a build up of powder between the terminal and the cable prevents charge flowing to the starter. Some sand paper or a damp rag with a touch of baking soda should do the job. Avoid using metal tools near the positive terminal. Using a voltmeter, test the charging system with the car running on a direct current voltage greater than 14 volts touching the probes to the battery terminals. For effective charging, ensure a voltage of between 14 and 14.5 volts and should the voltage fall on either side of that bracket then the alternator might need someone have a look at it . To check for suspected leaking current, use the multimeter ensuring to first turn off the engine. Cover up the positive terminal to avoid accidental touching and using a wrench, disconnect the cable from the negative terminal. Set the meter to the highest direct current range and using clips connect the red probe to the disconnected cable and the black to the negative terminal. This should set the current flowing through the meter to the car and enable the meter to measure the current.
Paying close attention to the meter, shake the car and nudge the fuse box, should the current rise that is indicative of some fault. If working with currents less than 1 Amp, it is important to adjust the meter down to the 1 Amp range being especially careful as it is easy to burn out currents less than 100 milliamps with excessive current. Should there be a need to move the probe lead to a different jack, use a clip lead to connect negative and positive leads to each in order for the car to maintain its connection to the battery and not regain its initial current when reconnected. At currents of 50 milliamps, a battery will take 30 days to half discharge meaning there is no discharge problem if the car's current is that low. Should this problem recur, it is highly likely that this is due to a worn out battery. This can be confirmed by any decent garage mechanic or auto supply store or just going out getting a new one! While checking the voltage on a running car, watch out for moving parts. Even though it’s not possible to get electrocuted by a car battery there may be instances of extremely high current overflow hence the need to cover up the positive terminal with a cloth when testing.
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