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MG MGA - Charging battery

Is it ok to charge the battery from the starter switch, much easier than doing it at the battery?
Dave

It is no problem charging at the starter switch, except that you have to take extra care to get the polarity correct. No markings such as you have at the battery and remember many MGA's have been converted from positive ground to negative ground. Are you sure of yours?

Mick
Mick Anderson

Thanks Mick, its positive earth as original, finish ground up last year.
Regards
Dave
Dave

Just be careful that your charger cable only touches the battery side. Leave the car in neutral as a precaution.
R. L Carleen

I'm curious about this ... can you explain where you would attach the leads?
Richard Ross

First attach black (negative) charge cable (on a positive ground car) to the battery side of the starter switch. Then attach the red (positive) charge cable to a suitable engine ground. Make sure the car is in Neutral, if the black cable is hooked to the wrong side of the starter switch it will start to turn.
Obviously if the car has been converted to neg ground the colors are reversed but not the order. (switch first engine ground last)
Using a slow charger I hook to the output terminal on my Alternator and an engine ground, Just easier to get to.
R J Brown

OK ... I'll give it a go ... I've just had it drummed into me ever since I started driving that chargers should really only be used with the battery disconnected from the car. Perhaps I just need to relax!

Richard.
Richard Ross

Isn't it easier and safer to run pig-tails from the battery to an easy access location, then attach the trickle charger leads.....I have done this with one of my cars and a motorcycle.....now with this reminder, I'll do the same with my coupe.....also noted in my trickle charger instructions, it says to loosen the battery caps, if it is a servicable type...just another two cents...
Mike

For those of us who have the original two 6 volt batteries in their MGAs, would the following be correct? With the batteries still connected to each other (connected in series, - to + connection cable), the 12 volt setting is the correct setting for the charger, rather than the 6 volt setting when charging each battery by itself. -M.S.
Martin Straka

For a car that gets used even a little, a trickle charger is not required. The electrical discharge by a std, run of the mill, MGA is Zero. The self discharge rate of the battery should be over 6 months.

I leave my battery in the car unattended, still connected, from November to April. There is plentyt of reserve to crank her over in the Spring.

If you feel the need to add a trickle charger, the safest way would to be to add the accessory outlet (cigarette lighter) as mentioned in the earlier thread and charge through it. Add the appropriate end to your trickle charger cables in a permanent manner rather than clip leads.

Martin, you are correct. The MGA is a 12 Volt system, even though it is made up of 2-6volt batteries in series. Just make sure you are charging both batteries in series and not individually. It makes no sense to me to be charging each battery individually.
Chuck Schaefer

This thread was discussed on 19/04/2006

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This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGA BBS is active now.