anthros

How long would a 150 amp alternator take to charge a 500 amp battery if the battery is completly dead? i dont want to shut the dam car off and need another jump. thanks in advance.

GreyStang

If you put a totally dead (but good) battery into a running car wanna let the alternator charge it up,, it'll probably take about 5-6 hours just to give the battery enough power to reliably re-start the car once the engine is cold.

..just a guess lol

anthros

5-6 hours? are you serious?

GreyStang

Alternators aren't designedto "fast charge" a battery, like a dedicated battery charger would. They're meant to trickle charge the battery & return back the energy it lost in starting the car in the first place. Usually it can do that in 1/2 hour or so, but if you're putting in a DEAD battery then it's gonna take a lot longer to get a base charge into the battery.

Chopper

Not to mention overworking the alternator,150a or not.

These things actually work.If your car is used to make short trips the battery is never fully charged between starts.A discharged battery is prone to sulphate and die.
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalo...er11-11671.php

I hook one up on my car if it's not used for a couple of days and I've brought back one of my bike batteries from the dead.