By Erik Watkins

Can You Overcharge A Car Battery? How To Fix If It Happened

Last updated: May 17, 2023
Can You Overcharge A Car Battery

Car battery overcharging is always among those common mistakes we make that decrease its lifespan significantly. Numerous reasons lead to this faulty voltage regulator, resulting in various mild to extremely severe consequences.

Can You Overcharge a Car Battery?

You can, but it is not recommended to do that. This simple action can lead to severe consequences, so take precautions carefully and follow the instructions to protect the battery voltage regulator and experience extended periods of lifespan

How Does a Car Battery Work?

Simply put, the reaction among the compounds in the battery plates makes it work. Each battery regulator in most typical batteries has lead and lead dioxide sheets, which combine with sulfuric acid to produce a reaction and power the models.

The reaction will then produce electrons forming electricity to power the car. When examining the sides of overcharging, it is crucial to comprehend these processes and the molecules that enable them. 

How Can a Car Battery Be Overcharged?

Overcharged car battery equals the practice of continuing to charge the cell after it has reached its maximum battery voltage. There are various ways for this overcharging matter; some are obvious, and some are fairly hard to diagnose. Here we have got some most typical ones!

Improper charger usage

Most battery chargers are simple to use. For this reason, many users might skip the instructions to charge right ahead, leading to improper usage like choosing the wrong amp settings or having left the battery on the charger too long after the battery voltage is full. 

They can all harm your charger and result in overcharging problems. So follow the instructions to use the charger in the proper ways.

Faulty battery charger

If you have used your chargers for years, then the best way to avoid internal voltage regulator failure is to keep them in normal working order. 

On the other hand, if you discover that a recently purchased charger is acting oddly or not functioning properly, you can check the warranty and inform the fault of the manufacturer. However, the manufacturing flaw is less frequent than wear-out problems.

What Happens When You Overcharge a Car Battery?

Decrease Battery Lifespan

Like other devices, if the energy is over too often, it will decrease battery voltage or trickle charge. You can see this case in any smart device like laptops and phone batteries. It works the same way for any car battery regulator.

Dead battery

Dead battery

A more serious sequence of decreased battery charge is a dead battery pack. Most batteries are made to stop working if overcharging is discovered abruptly. Because a battery can generate electricity and contains corrosive chemicals, this prevents anything hazardous from happening.

See more: Can A Car Battery Be Too Dead To Jump Start?

Battery melting, leaking and exploding

If overcharging usually happens, it will cause a rise in battery temperatures and extreme heat, then lead to a melting problem. For older types of batteries, swelling and melting are far more frequent.

Even while the modern electrical charge is somewhat safer, it can still happen. Continous melting will lead to battery leaking, which means dangerous chemical compounds in the battery pour out.

There might occasionally be a battery explosion if the heat rises uncontrollably. Again, an older type of battery is more likely to experience this, although overcharging can happen to any kind, especially the lead-acid battery. 

How To Fix an Overcharged Battery?

Unfortunately, there is no way to repair an overcharged battery. The only solution to tackle this issue is to go to the mechanic and ask for a battery replacement. You should also ask the mechanic the signs and reasons for your battery overcharging car to avoid the same mistakes.

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Automotive Mechanic at PowerAll

With 7 years experience in management positions leading automotive mechanics at PowerAll, Erik Watkins wishes to share useful knowledge and information about automotive mechanical equipment.

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