How Long Should I Charge My Car Battery

Posted in Car Batteries | Asked on Apr 24, 2010

I left my lights ons, and i took my battery out and connected it to the battery charger. Positive to positive, and negetive to negetive. How long should I leave it on for? It was pretty much completely dead. My battery charger had a switch that goes to start/charge, and Low 2 Amp. I turned it to charge/start. Please dont make fun of me as ive never done this. My husband is at work and I want to show him I can do it. thank you
chemical reaction gasses? oh lord that sounds dangerous!

There are 19 Answers for "How Long Should I Charge My Car Battery"

  1. Mr. Nice Guy says:

    every 1.5 years

  2. Peppy says:

    1/2 hr then the car will do the rest

  3. Tyes says:

    Let it charge for a couple hours. Like 3 or 4. But if you don’t have anywhere to go let it charge all day!

  4. mmm_holdens says:

    ova nite

  5. NutstersChick says:

    A good few hours.
    4-6 hours.
    Or 4 as long as U can leave it charging.

    Clever girl, Y wait 4 a man 2 sort ot 4 U, well done. :)

  6. Pink Princess says:

    about 12 hours on average. there should be a gage on the top which will show you. Some batteries have a super fast charge hope this helps.

  7. tigresspunk44 says:

    Its probably better if you just buy a new battery… You can get a good cheap one at walmart. It will save you alot of hassle.

  8. sony19390 says:

    12 to a 1 hour then you ca start the car and drive it

  9. tweeder says:

    at least a couple hours.. then try and start it and if it works then your good… if it doesnt charge it some more.

  10. handy Andy says:

    ok thats a good charger ,the start /charge mode is the one you can use to boost the car …the 2 amp slow charge is the one you should use since the battery is already out, plus its better for the battery . 2 or 3 hours is good ..on the other setting 20 minits tops cause both the battery and the charger will get hot..

  11. rscanner says:

    First off I would have charged the battery without removing it from the car. Because usually you just charge it long enough to start the car and then it will charge the rest of the way while you are driving somewhere. Use the Start/Charge setting on the charger and charge for about 2 hours. Then try to start the car, if it doesn’t start right away charge for another hour and repeat.

  12. Andre1998 says:

    If its not an old battery, then its only just below the amount needed to crank, so start it as soon as you can. The charger has no indicator? Theres no way any of us can guess how long as long enough. Like I said, if its not a battery that is at the end of its usage life, then enough charge to get it to start is all that’s needed. Then its best to go out on a highway for a few miles at at highway speed, to let the car’s system recharge it.

    Also, for when you might get caught out on the road, those portable jump start/chargers kept in the trunk come in handy.

  13. Surveyor says:

    If your charger is a good one, it will have a meter that shows voltage. When it gets close to zero, your battery will be charged. Usually a couple of hours will do it. After you remove the charger, start the car and drive to the store and back without turning off the car. If it starts again when you get home, everything will be back to normal until the next time you leave your lights on.

  14. Willy S says:

    It depends if you are using a trickle charger or a battery charger.

    Recommend following the instructions on the battery charger. Check on the battery every 1/2 hour. Try to start the car after an hour. Do not make too many attempts to turn the car over or you will end up charging the battery from scratch.

    Also consider where you are located, if you have jumper cables, and if there is a neighbor nearby that can give you a jump.

    Leave the car running for at least fifteen minutes to 1/2 hour after you start it to allow the car to charge the battery.

  15. Ian says:

    When charging a acid battery I hope you left the caps off to allow the chemical reaction gasses out.Allow two to three hours.

  16. saorsie says:

    a few hours

  17. Brian the mobile repair man says:

    wait hold on don’t do anything until you read this one
    i am a battery dealer i sell them first get the battery off fast charge its OK for 10 minuets bot shouldn’t be charged there
    you didn’t need to remove it but its OK if you did charge it on low it only takes 1 hour to get 75%of charge this will start your car OK but its 10 hours to bring it to full leave it on charge as long as you feel necessary as it wont hurt it i would do 4 hours my self

    you shouldn’t need to replace it as some have said [there the ones i love because i get to sell them lots of unnecessary work]
    but if you ever do need to change it don’t buy the cheep ones especially the ones made by exide there junk and last an average of 2 years
    i sell interstate batteries and get an average 5 to 9 years out of them

  18. b.clayt says:

    If your battery charger is an 2/6Amp charger you can switch it to 6Amps, If you battery has the removable caps on top, carefully remove them and make sure that the fluid level is up above the plates. If you have to add water I recommend distill water and leave the caps off. If you battery was dead it will take most of the day for it get a good charge. If you can only charge it with 2Amps it will take all day and probably all night.

  19. andy says:

    every 2 years