With winter months coming, vehicles tend to suffer, the most common case is to have troubles starting your Kia Optima early in the day with very low temperatures. In general this is related to problems recharging the battery of your Kia Optima . There are several reasons that can show you why your battery does not recharge correctly anymore, and in this article we will try to help you to resolve this issue that can prevent you from using your motor vehicle. To get this done, first we will show you how recharging your car battery functions, then the different problems of recharging a Kia Optima, and finally how to recharge an empty car battery.
How does recharging the battery of a Kia Optima function?
Before we detail the different complications of recharging the battery on a Kia Optima , we will show you to you how its recharging system works so that you can understand the complications you are facing. A motor vehicle battery functions like a phone battery, it will store energy to start your Kia Optima , turn on your headlights, enjoy music, lower your power windows… However all these actions will consume energy and it might deplete the energy reserve that your battery can store. To handle this issue, the engineers have designed a component called the alternator , this component will use the energy produced by the engine of your Kia Optima to create energy thanks to a copper coil and a magnet. This energy will recharge the battery of your motor vehicle . However, take into account that this process can only work when your motor vehicle is running, using electrical elements of your motor vehicle when it is stopped will drain the energy reserve of your motor vehicle. It is considered that a battery of a xxx has a life span of 3 to 5 years.
Problems recharging a Kia Optima’s battery
We will now describe the different battery charging complications on a Kia Optima you might be victim of. If your battery is not recharging because there is necessarily a issue in your electrical set up, we will now see the different cases.
Battery charging problem on Kia Optima: My battery is discharging even if I am recharging it with a particular charger
In this first circumstance, it is quite possible that your alternator is dead , indeed, if you control to recharge your battery with a charger and your Kia Optima to start, the problem obviously comes from your alternator which should not be able to create any more current.
Battery charging issue on Kia Optima: My motor vehicle shuts off and does not start even if I have charged the battery
If you have recharged your battery and you have been able to start your Kia Optima but it switches off although you are driving and then does not start, the trouble with recharging the battery of your Kia Optima is that your battery no longer holds the charge .
Battery charging issue on Kia Optima: My battery is discharged although it is new
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If you’ve just bought a battery and it discharges although you’re driving, the issue most likely comes from your alternator. It cannot come from your battery, which is new and consequently holds the charge. The second opportunity is that you have a ground somewhere in your electrical system.
How to resolve the issue of battery charging on Kia Optima?
We will now give you the solutions according to the issue you are facing. Here are the different complications and their solutions:
- Defective alternator: You can try with simple mechanics to check it with a pressure gauge to see if it’s producing power. If it doesn’t, changing it is the best solution, based on your motor you will pay a few hundred euros. This repair is feasible in case your alternator is accessible.
- Battery that no longer holds the charge: In such a case, the purchase of a new battery is the only realistic solution. In fact, if you have already recharged it but it is still empty because it is good to be replaced, count between 60 and 100 euros based on your engine.
- Ground in the electrical circuit: If you cannot start your Kia Optima but your alternator and battery are in good condition, it is possible that you have a ground on your wiring harness and that you lose energy, a check by a motor vehicle electrician is in such a case required.
How to recharge an empty battery of a Kia Optima
At last, to recharge the empty battery of a Kia Optima there are only few solutions, using a battery charger is the most efficient solution, you can find some for 50 to 100 euros at vendors like Oscaro. In any other case you can use cables that will only provide the energy needed to start.
If you want more tutorials on the Kia Optima, go to our Kia Optima category.
