flat battery on v8 clk

[s4rap]

Hi all,my clk430 is in storage,went to start it this morning and the battery was flat not totally but it wouldnt crank the engine.So managed to jump start it and was wondering weather its best to give it a blast or charge the battery up?So i was wondering how much charge the alternator puts in when the car is on tickover.A mechanic friend of mine said its best to put the side lights on whilst car is ticking over as the extra drain will encourage the alternator to charge the battery,anyone know if this is true? thanks

 

[Ted]

No it's not true.

The alternator will put out what it can given the speed that it is rotating until it reaches the voltage set by the regulator.

 

[redbaron]

You shouldn't jump start them it risks blowing all sorts of SAM's ... better to charge the battery properly

 

[trapperjohn]

One of these is a cracking investment.

CTEK XS 0.8 Battery Charger Conditioner 12v | eBay

There is a ""next size up" but its 55 squid. This one works for me on the 100AH battery on my 3.0 124.

 

[s4rap]

Thanks all,i did use the terminal under the bonnet to jump start it,i think thats the safest place.The place where its stored wont let me hook it up to any kind of charger due to the fire risk,i know those c-tec chargers are safe but he still wont let me do it.Would a c-tec charger fully charge the battery in an afternoon or are they a trickle charger over a longer period of time thanks again?

 

[Howard]

The terminal under the bonnet is just to get power to the system to allow you to get into the boot to jump start it properly. You shouldn't jump from the bonnet terminal.

No probs with jump starting , but make sure you put a load on the car first to prevent spikes before you connect up.mDipped headlights is an easy one to do.

 

[trapperjohn]

Thanks all,i did use the terminal under the bonnet to jump start it,i think thats the safest place.The place where its stored wont let me hook it up to any kind of charger due to the fire risk,i know those c-tec chargers are safe but he still wont let me do it.Would a c-tec charger fully charge the battery in an afternoon or are they a trickle charger over a longer period of time thanks again?

Trickle.

 

[1945wickedred]

Totally agree with you,CTEK are the best,same as the MB one but cheaper,I got the MXS 5.0 at £51 on Amazon,works great,always got a full battery,you can leave it on in the garage no trouble.