Wednesday 21 September 2011

Does a running car drain the battery if headlights are on?

My car's battery has become weak. I can get along without any problems when I drive during the day and everyday for atleast 10 minutes. But sometimes I need to go out in the evening and need to use the headlights. I want to put off changing the battery as much as I can till my budget allows :-)Does a running car drain the battery if headlights are on?Yes it will, now when you get home turn off all accessory's such as lights, radio, fan motor, wiper, etc and let the engine run at about 1,000 rpm for 5 minutes, this will let the battery recover what it will. But it is time to get a new battery, running the old weak one puts more stress (it is asking for more power from it) on the alternator and will shorten it's life, which means costing you more money soon.
Does a running car drain the battery if headlights are on?
These days a car's alternator can charge the battery adequately even when it is ticking over and the lights are on.



When you are driving, the alternator will be able to provide adequate charging to run the car, although it might begin to struggle if you are using the air conditioner, the wipers, light and a large music system.



If the battery is beginning to fail, it will likely first show when you try starting the engine as it may turn over very sluggishly. When you notice this happen, you either buy a new battery, or you might like to buy a battery charger and connect it up each night, then you may be able to delay buying a new battery for a while.
Does a running car drain the battery if headlights are on?
2 things to check. check the alternator out-put and then have your battery checked, if it has a dead cell, it wont take charge.
If the vehicle is running, the alternator should be constantly recharging the battery. If this is not happening, either you have a bad alternator that is not doing it's job, or a bad battery that is not holding a charge. You can have your battery load tested. You can also have the alternator tested, but will have to pull it off to do so.
No the Alternator charges the same whether it's still or moving

Sounds like you have at least one dead cell in your battery so it's not holding it's charge
A good rule of thumb is that a car battery needs to be charged by the alternator for approximately 20 minutes every time you start the car.



In ten minutes you are only recovering a surface charge on the battery and this is reduced considerably by using any additional load - headlights/wipers screen heater etc.



Rather than change the battery, buy a battery charger and charge it overnight one day per week which will deep charge the battery.
only if your alternator is getting weak. have it tested.
If your charging system if working properly no a running car will not drain the battery.
just give it some revs my son
the alternator should be able to recharge the battery. but if its defective, it wouldn't charge it to its full potential. you can also consider buying a battery charger, and if you do, remember to read all the safety instructions that come with it. but maybe buying a battery is much more worth it. it depends on what kind of charger you want or what kind of battery, or if your alternator is properly working.
no no no
I wouldn't %26quot;cheap-skate%26quot; on this, it's better just to get a new battery, now, or a good used one.



Failing that, try using 'Batt-Aid' one tablet per cell. it can help to prolong the life of an old battery, but it only delays the inevitable.



You can get them from most motor accessory shops, cost about a fiver.
sound slike yur alternator isnt working right, if the alternator is working properly your battery should hardley go down at all even with all the electronics running, note the engine has to be running for the alternator to work lol
car battery is bad should be able to have car lights on and running possible bad cell in battery have it checked autozone does it for free
Sorry, but if your charging light on dash is not illuminated when your driving, you must change your battery ASAP
Absolutely not. Whilst your car engine is running %26amp; providing the alternator is ok......your battery should be fine. Likely prob is with your alternator - or your battery is unable to hold on to it being charged, therefore you need to get a specialist to check this to resolve your prob.
no it sounds like your alternator
If the alternator is working properly, headlights shouldn't make any difference to the battery.



Most accessory shops will check for you whether it is your battery or alternator.



From experience get a local firm to repair your alternator, usually costs about 拢45 if you take it off and refit it, whereas a garage will charge you 拢75 + labour..



When my alternator was on the blink I got a new battery from a scrappie for 拢10. The car it came from was only 6 months old so virtually as good as new.



i charged it up and then carried with me when I went out at night so if I needed to i could just change it.
Car battery's don't last forever and the majority of battery's sold are ones that don't allow you to top up the cells, they are sealed. Until you get enough funding i would bring the battery in and set it up to a re-charger (if you have one). When running the alternator should charge the battery to a certain extent unless the alternator does not work. The alternator cant charge the battery if one or more of the cells are low on water, any of the negative, positive plates inside are damaged or if there is a build up of debri.
When the engine is running it charges the battery, so there could be a faulty battery or even a faulty alternator.
if your battery is not holding or getting enough charge then it's new battery. it could be your alternator, this makes the electricity to charge your battery, so the easy first choice is to get your local garage to check the output from the alternator. if that's OK then it's definitely the battery.

I believe halfords do this check for free, but beware, as if you don't know what the output of the alternator is supposed to be then you will not know whether you are being led up the garden path, and being sold an alternator or battery unnecessarily. If you are in the AA or rac they will check it for free also.
Your alternator should power the lights with little effect on your battery. I'd go to an autozone and have them test your charging system, it's free.
yes unless your moving
Yes headlights will use the battery more, especially on short journeys. Try the car scrap yard for a battery, they usually give a 3 month guarantee and they cost around 拢10