Charge Your Car Battery -car turn over slower and make for harder starts

As it gets older you car battery can start to lose its charge. When you battery is weak it can cause your car turn over slower and make for harder starts. There may be times when you have to jump start your car because your battery just can't do it. This is very common when you only use your car for quick trips to the grocery or the weather gets bitterly cold. You could just buy a new battery but if you had a cheap battery charger things could be different. With a low priced battery charger you may be able to keep your battery going for a lot longer.

Pay attention to the warning lights on you car's dashboard, there will be one that lights up if there is a problem with the electrical charging system in your car. If you have a fault in your alternator or elsewhere in your charging system you need to get it fixed without hesitation. Simply charging your battery won't solve your problem. If your battery is an open cell type that you can replenish the water in you should open the cells and place a damp rag over the openings when you recharge your battery.

If you have sealed battery with a charge indication window on top of your battery you should only use a charger if the window shows green or black. IF there is nothing in the window (it's clear) or is is yellowish you need to change that battery out for another one.

You can use a low amp charger, often called a trickle charger to add life to your battery. Trickle chargers are cheap and will refresh your battery's power very slowly over an extended period of time. Your trickle charger will be equipped with two jaw type clips to connect to your battery posts and a plug-in cord that will draw power from a regular outlet. One of your alligator clips should be red (this is our positive clip) and the other will be green or black (this is your negative clip.)

You should only attempt to charge your battery with your car's ignition turned to the off position. This first step is important, so don't forget it. You will first connect the red clip to the positive battery post which will be marked with either a + or the letters POS. After you have connected to the positive terminal you will then attach the negative clip to the corresponding negative terminal. It will be marked NEG or -.

Once you have properly attached the battery charger to your battery terminals you will need to connect your charger to an electricity source via an ordinary outlet and switch it on. You will need to run the charger for a number of hours or overnight for good results. You should pay attention to the charger's meter. When it reads less than one amp your charge should be complete. When you have finished charging your battery you should switch off, unplug you charger and disconnect it from your battery.

If your battery still will not start your car after recharging you should then attempt to jump start your engine. If you can jump start your car and you have no warning lights and your ammeter tells you that your charging system is working properly you will need to replace the battery with a new one.