Recommend a decent portable car battery starter

[Accy cyclist]

Do you wait for the glow plug indicator to go out before starting the car ?

Always!

 

[BoldonLad]

Assuming battery is not finished. Is car being used enough to keep battery charged? Modern cars have electronics ( ie alarms etc) which use power even when car is standing. If car is not being driven very much, perhaps, you need to charge the battery occasionally? In your case, without ready access to mains, one of the rechargeable chargers already suggested seems the logical choice. Even if you replace battery. If car is not being driven very much, Battery may well need occasional top up charge.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Short irregular runs in a car, especially a diesel, can really hammer the battery, its getting more drained than it is charged.

True, plus you're up against this 👇, which makes his problem worse.

I recently ran my car for 20 minutes (put spare key in ignition, then locked the car with other key in case someone was tempted to drive off in it) to charge the battery

 

[Nibor]

Accy next time you are in Accrington go down to Autofix on Argyl Street (opposite Aldi's carpark entrance) and ask them to test your batterywhen i was having issues with mine recently they tested it without charge and checked the alternator and for parasitic bleed etc. I have been using them for as long as I can remember and trust them implicitly.

 

[Moodyman]

Kwik Fit also do free tests of battery and alternator. You can then decide on the best course of action.

My advice is to drive the car long enough to get it to its optimum temperature (20+ mins) regularly. It will not only charge battery, but also burn off any condensation in the engine bay and exhaust pipe (so avoiding corrosion and rust), warm the interior (remove musty damp), allow for regen of dpf, avoid brake calipers sticking, lubricate the shock absorbers and avoid surface rust on brake discs.

A jump starter or battery kit solves one problem. Using the car for the long way round to the supermarket addresses a myriad of issues. The extra diesel burnt will be negligible.

 

[Accy cyclist]

Talking to someone about this tonight,they told me to let the glow plug light go out,then instead of firing the ignition,repeat the glow plug process again. Is this advisable? They also told me to drive as much in 3rd gear as 4th,as the more revs charge the battery more. Is this true?🤔

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Yes on the first one assuming you have a good battery, so not keep turning the engine over if it didn't run in the first few seconds. With regards charging not really with a good alternator 2k should be ample

 

[gbb]

Talking to someone about this tonight,they told me to let the glow plug light go out,then instead of firing the ignition,repeat the glow plug process again. Is this advisable? They also told me to drive as much in 3rd gear as 4th,as the more revs charge the battery more. Is this true?🤔

I can't see how repeating the glow plug key on sequence would hurt anything, there is a protection built in to prevent problems from continuous heater useage...say if you left the ignition on without starting the car.
The driving in a different gear ?... alternators don't (AFAIK) give maximum output at idle speed so it may help, especially as diesels tend to run at lower rpm than petrols. If you're chugging along at less than 2000 rpm say, i dare say alternator output might well be less than ideal
I know my petrol can run more efficiently in say 3rd at a given speed than in 4th (that's to do with power bands for any engine), the engine is therefore running faster...so the alternator would be running faster too . It might help you achieve better alternator output.

 

[DRM]

An alternator should give a fair amount of current even at lower rev's, it was the old generators that were very poor at lower rev's due to the design, which is why all cars now have alternators and generators are consigned to history.

 

[gbb]

An alternator should give a fair amount of current even at lower rev's, it was the old generators that were very poor at lower rev's due to the design, which is why all cars now have alternators and generators are consigned to history.

Alternators vs generators, agree 100%
But a "fair amount' of current neednt necessarily be optimum / enough for a battery that may be under par, driven short distances, in the cold etc etc.
I still say, get the battery tested, all this opinion, (mine included) means nothing until you (accy) know whether it's ok or not.

 

[DRM]

Alternators vs generators, agree 100%
But a "fair amount' of current neednt necessarily be optimum / enough for a battery that may be under par, driven short distances, in the cold etc etc.
I still say, get the battery tested, all this opinion, (mine included) means nothing until you (accy) know whether it's ok or not.

Likewise, I’ve suggested he takes it in and has the battery drop tested, engine earth checked and alternator output (current & volts) and maybe check the glow plugs are actually timing out too, checked out, but I think it won’t get done, short journeys and cold weather are doing the car no favours

 

[Pale Rider]

My diesel Ford has a starter button which means there's no user control over the glowplugs.

The 'starting' message on the dash does stay on for a second or two longer in cold weather, suggesting the system is giving the glow plugs longer to overcome the colder temperature.

The car also has auto stop/start, which means it has an extra beefy battery - always a good thing for cold weather starting.

Against that, it will be an extra fifty quid or so when battery replacement time comes.

All very clever in comparison to older diesel vehicles.

I recall having to hang on to the manual glow plug control on old tractors for what seemed like an age before they were ready to start.