"fish" <fishingrod45@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:a4hoq0p9c387t4idi7hkp9i1pukph9kfc2@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 29 Nov 2004 20:47:30 -0500, "Howard" <Howardh@hotmail.com>
> wrote:

///snipped///
> Howard,
>
> while we are on the topic, maybe you, or anyone really I dont mind,
> could answer a question i have. My car is a 2001 honda civic with
> about 50,000 miles, so i am about due for a new battery. I have a low
> voltage charger that i use on my lawnmower battery (12 volts), so my
> question is, can i squeeze some extra life from my car battery if i
> give it a good charging every month, or every weekend from now until
> it dies? I dont seem to have any starting problems at all right now.
>
> Thanks,
> Fish.

The life expectancy of your battery is not correlate to your mileage. Many
factors affect battery life. Temperatures in the area where you live, your
driving style, and the amount of care you give your battery. A car battery
is designed (internal construction) to operate thusly: high current draw for
short periods followed immediately by recharging. A slow charge, such as you
would get with the lawnmower battery charger, certainly won't hurt your
battery but I doubt that you would expect any significant extension of
battery life. Things you can do to increase your battery life: 1)
Cleanliness, clean the battery itself with plain soap and water, after
neutralizing any acid residue with a soda solution; clean the terminals and
the battery cable ends; 2) Check battery connections. Check the cables at
the battery, the ground, and the starter. This ensures that the circuit does
not have any inordinately high resistance values; and 3) About once a month
ensure that you drive for a couple of hours to charge the battery fully. Of
course, you should check the alternator output from time to time. All of
these things are even more important during the winter months because
driving times usually are shorter, lights and heater blower motors consume
more of the alternator's output requiring even longer recharging times. Hope
this helps

Dave D

 

"fish" <fishingrod45@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:a4hoq0p9c387t4idi7hkp9i1pukph9kfc2@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 29 Nov 2004 20:47:30 -0500, "Howard" <Howardh@hotmail.com>
> wrote:

///snipped///
> Howard,
>
> while we are on the topic, maybe you, or anyone really I dont mind,
> could answer a question i have. My car is a 2001 honda civic with
> about 50,000 miles, so i am about due for a new battery. I have a low
> voltage charger that i use on my lawnmower battery (12 volts), so my
> question is, can i squeeze some extra life from my car battery if i
> give it a good charging every month, or every weekend from now until
> it dies? I dont seem to have any starting problems at all right now.
>
> Thanks,
> Fish.

The life expectancy of your battery is not correlate to your mileage. Many
factors affect battery life. Temperatures in the area where you live, your
driving style, and the amount of care you give your battery. A car battery
is designed (internal construction) to operate thusly: high current draw for
short periods followed immediately by recharging. A slow charge, such as you
would get with the lawnmower battery charger, certainly won't hurt your
battery but I doubt that you would expect any significant extension of
battery life. Things you can do to increase your battery life: 1)
Cleanliness, clean the battery itself with plain soap and water, after
neutralizing any acid residue with a soda solution; clean the terminals and
the battery cable ends; 2) Check battery connections. Check the cables at
the battery, the ground, and the starter. This ensures that the circuit does
not have any inordinately high resistance values; and 3) About once a month
ensure that you drive for a couple of hours to charge the battery fully. Of
course, you should check the alternator output from time to time. All of
these things are even more important during the winter months because
driving times usually are shorter, lights and heater blower motors consume
more of the alternator's output requiring even longer recharging times. Hope
this helps

Dave D