Suzuki Battery FAQ

  1. What voltage is needed to charge a vehicle battery?

A vehicle battery needs at least 12.9 volts to charge, but the charging rate at this voltage is very slow. Alternators usually provide voltage between 14 to 14.8 V, while car battery charger’s voltages can go over 15 V. Charging in this voltage level does not damage the battery as long as being sure of preventing overcharge. Higher voltages allow the battery to be charged faster. However, a float voltage of 13.6V to 13.8V is usually used if you want to leave the battery on the charger.

  1. Could vehicle battery be frozen when the weather gets too cold?

As long as a lead-acid battery is fully charged the electrolyte is Sulfuric acid with a maximum concentration of 40%, with a freezing point of around -40°C. During the battery is fully discharged, all the sulfate ions are used and the electrolyte is almost pure water with a freezing point of zero degree Celsius. Then, it is illogical to use a car that has a dead battery in the mid-winter, because you will find that the battery won’t accept any charge. It needs to be warmed up before charging.

  1. What are the main keys to longer battery service life?

– Using the battery manufacturer’s recommended temperature and suitable charging voltages and charging procedures

– Decrease the average DOD (Depth-of-Discharge)

– keep the batteries cool in the hot temperature condition

– Decreasing the number of discharge-charge cycles

– Periodically fully recharging batteries to “disulfate” them

For buying a battery, what specifications should be considered?

Size: The dimensions of your original battery.

Power: The CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) required to power your vehicle and Capacity (Ah) which runs your car electrical facilities while alternator does not work or is saturated.

Warranty: Vehicle batteries are backed by a warranty. Choose it wisely to the reduce the risk and expenditures.

  1. Why is it important to remove the ground wire (Negative connector) first, when I am replacing my battery?

If you remove the positive connector first, the risk of sparks increases as a result of unwanted short circuits. That might happen if an uninsulated tool you’re using connect the positive terminal to any metal part of the car. If this occurs, it could create a combustion source that might cause an explosion. It’s extremely important to remove the ground wire (negative connector) first.

  1. What effect does overheating have on the battery?

Hot temperatures will decrease a battery’s life quicker by vaporizing the water from the electrolyte and faster corrosion of the positive grids.

  1. When should I replace my vehicle battery?

First, you need to do some troubleshooting to find other possible problems that may cause your car not to turn on. Battery suppliers and stores will do some battery testing which is essential for the first step.

  1. How can I Jump Start safely my vehicle?

Safety Tips

Batteries have explosive gases. Don’t try to jump-start a defective or frozen battery.

Batteries contain Acid, for your safety if acid spills on your skin or in your eyes, flush with running water and get medical help immediately.

Keep enough distance from the battery, when making a connection or disconnection.

Before you start, you will need:

  • Set of jumper cables
  • A car with a normal battery (the same voltage as your battery)
  • Have knowledge about the difference between the negative and positive battery terminals and the negative and positive pins of the jumper cables. Positive is indicated by a (+) sign, and the red color; negative is marked by a (-) sign and the black color. The colors may differ but (+) sign and (-) sign are always the same.

 

Jump-starting

  • Park your car close enough to other one with a good battery and turn both engines off.
  • Connect the positive connector of the jumper cable to the dead battery’s positive terminal.
  • Connect the other positive connector of the cable to the positive terminal of the battery in the Auxiliary car.
  • Connect the negative connector of the cable to the negative terminal of the battery in the starting vehicle.
  • Connect the other negative connector of the cable to the vehicle’s engine block, or other metal surfaces of the car in which battery is dead. This serves as your ground or connection point.
  • Make certain all cables are far enough from fan blades, belts and other moving parts of both engines, also everyone is standing away from the vehicles. Start the car of the battery providing the jump start, then try to start the car with the dead battery.

If the car starts, allow the engine to work some minutes in idle speed, then remove the cables in the reverse order that you put them on.

  • Disconnect the negative connector of cable that was connected to ground of the car that needed the jump
  • Disconnect the negative connector of cable from Auxiliary vehicle
  • Disconnect the positive connector of cable from Auxiliary vehicle
  • Disconnect the positive connector of cable from the vehicle needed jump

If the car doesn’t start, wait a few moments and try it again.

  1. How many volts vehicle needs to start?

Fully charged vehicles batteries should minimum measure at 12.7 volts. When the engine is running, this measurement should be 13.7 to 14.8 volts.

  1. How often must you change your vehicle battery?

It depends on the way that battery have been used, the quality, type and technology of battery, also the periodic check of engines parts. Based on experience, after four or five years, most car batteries will be completely unreliable, but three years is a normal time to install a replacement battery. Fortunately, nowadays by applying portable testers it would be easy to recognize whether your car’s battery is close to the end of its lifespan.

  1. How can I extend my battery life?

The life expectancy for your car battery is typically between three to five years. Many factors determine how long your battery will last, for example, weather conditions, vehicle type, and driving habits, engine routine check and so on.

  1. Could dead car battery cause explosion?

If you connect the negative jumper cable to the dead battery itself, any remaining hydrogen may ignite due to spark, which can ignite any hydrogen present in the cells, and cause the battery to explode.

  1. Can vehicle battery be overcharged?

If you leave the charger connected to battery for a long time, the battery will die as an overcharge. Overcharging a battery causes excessive gassing in which the electrolyte gets hot and both hydrogen and oxygen gas will be generated more. On sealed batteries, excessive gases production could cause the battery to explode.

  1. Why are vehicle batteries dying?

When the active material in the plates can no longer hold a discharge current, a battery “dies”. Normally a car battery “ages” as the active positive plate material be corroded due to the normal expansion and contraction that occurs during the discharge and charge cycles.

  1. Could vehicle run without the battery?

For starting the car battery is needed. After turning on the engine, vehicle can run without battery, if the alternator is big enough to support all of the electrical needs. This is because your alternator is enough to keep the car alive and driving since the motor is already on. However, you probably won’t be able to use accessories like the radio, even turn signals, but it depends on the amount of current (Amp) your alternator can generate.

  1. Can a dead battery stop a running vehicle?

If your battery is dead your car will run, but you’re at risk of engine shutdown. When your battery does not produce enough current, the alternator has to work harder to keep the engine running.

  1. How long does it take to charge a battery?

So, it will take more than 30 minutes to 1 hour to reach fully charged condition from a case of 70% state of charge of battery. However, in a highway drive cycle with high rpm ranges the alternator will generate high amperes and battery will be more than 95% within 30 minutes.

  1. What is the average life prospect of a vehicle?

Consumer Reports (www.consumerreports.org) says the average life prospect of a new vehicle nowadays is around eight years or 240,000 km. Of course, some well-built vehicles can go 15 years and 480,000 km, if properly maintained.

  1. Why is it important to choose the right Capacity for the battery?

Although the main duty of a starter battery is starting the engine, but battery act as an auxiliary electrical source when alternator is out of run or saturated. In this case, battery helps electrical facilities of car working without interruption for a while. This is the exact time that capacity of battery shows one of its significant roles. The higher the capacity, the higher the longer the equipment will last.

Please pay attention, location of the battery in the engine has some Limitations which leads you to choose a right size of battery. So, for higher capacity, do not be tempted to buy a larger size battery!

  1. What is the Deep Cycle battery?

This type of battery can withstand several discharge/charge cycles without occurring any damage or shortening life. This battery provides big amount of current in a long period of time, so is capable to power numerous electrical accessories.

Different vehicles and electrical systems need different types of battery. It is important to determine what type of battery is suitable for your car, starter battery or deep-cycle one.

Starter batteries provide a large electrical current for a short time to start the engine and are not designed to endure multiple discharge-charge cycles.

Some deep cycle batteries can be used for engine starting, too (called dual-purpose). Checking the CCA current on the battery label, will ensure you whether the battery has enough efficiency to start the car or not.