When bench-testing and charging a GM-style battery, don't just run a bolt into the delicate side terminals. Don't throw away the plastic terminal caps-save them in case you want to store the battery later. In fact, battery manufacturers recommend that you connect the vehicle's main cables to the side terminals in high-load applications, then use the top posts for winches, inverters, and other high-current add-ons. Excessive charging current and temperatures will age a battery before its time and can even be dangerous when you overcharge a battery, essentially you are manufacturing highly explosive hydrogen.įor maximum model coverage, many aftermarket batteries are equipped with top and side terminals, and there is no reason you can't use them both. So-called sealed batteries can be especially sensitive, but in no case should any automotive battery be allowed to heat significantly while charging. Other manufacturers advise similar limits. For maximum battery life, Optima advises that normal charging should be limited to 10 amperes. By the way, this trick also works with conventional batteries, though it's not quite as effective. Using this method, we brought several deep-discharged batteries back to life. This will in effect trick the charger into delivering the necessary current to the discharged battery. Here's the magic fix: When an AGM battery won't charge by ordinary means, simply connect a second, well-charged battery (12.4 volts or greater) in parallel with the dead unit-positive to positive, negative to negative.
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