With winter season coming, vehicles tend to suffer, the most general scenario is to have troubles starting your smart forfour early in the day with very low temperatures. Generally this is related to problems recharging the battery of your smart forfour . There are some causes that can explain why your battery does not recharge correctly anymore, and today we will try to help you to fix this problem that can prevent you from using your motor vehicle. To do this, first we will explain how recharging your car battery functions, then the different problems of recharging a smart forfour, and finally how to recharge an empty car battery.
How does recharging the battery of a smart forfour work?
Before we describe the different problems of recharging the battery on a smart forfour , we will explain to you how its recharging system works so that you can figure out the problems you are facing. A motor vehicle battery functions like a phone battery, it will store energy to start your smart forfour , turn on your headlights, listen to 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 problem, the engineers have developed a element called the alternator , this element will use the energy created by the engine unit of your smart forfour to produce energy thanks to a copper coil and a magnet. This energy will recharge the battery of your motor vehicle . However, bear in mind that this process can just work when your motor vehicle is running, using electrical elements of your motor vehicle when it is stopped will decrease 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 smart forfour’s battery
We will now describe the different battery charging problems on a smart forfour you may be victim of. If your battery is not recharging because there is necessarily a problem in your electrical installation, we will now see the different cases.
Battery charging problem on smart forfour: My battery is discharging even if I am recharging it with a specific charger
In this first case, it is quite possible that your alternator is dead , indeed, if you control to recharge your battery with a charger and your smart forfour to start, the problem obviously comes from your alternator which should not be able to produce any more current.
Battery charging problem on smart forfour: 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 managed to start your smart forfour but it switches off while you are driving and then does not start, the trouble with recharging the battery of your smart forfour is that your battery no longer holds the charge .
Battery charging problem on smart forfour: My battery is discharged nevertheless it is new
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If you’ve just bought a battery and it discharges while you’re driving, the problem most likely comes from your alternator. It cannot come from your battery, which is new and therefore holds the charge. The second opportunity is that you have a ground somewhere in your electrical system.
How to fix the problem of battery charging on smart forfour?
We will now give you the solutions according to the problem you are facing. Here are the different problems and their solutions:
- Faulty alternator: You can try with simple mechanics to verify it with a pressure gauge to find out if it’s producing power. If it doesn’t, replacing it is the best remedy, depending on your motor you will pay a few hundred euros. This fix is feasible in case your alternator is accessible.
- Battery that no longer holds the charge: In this case, the purchase of a new battery is the just realistic remedy. Obviously, if you have already recharged it but it is still empty because it is good to be replaced, count between 60 and 100 euros depending on your engine.
- Ground in the electrical circuit: If you cannot start your smart forfour 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 verify by a motor vehicle electrician is in this case required.
How to recharge an empty battery of a smart forfour
At last, to recharge the empty battery of a smart forfour there are just few solutions, using a battery charger is the most efficient remedy, you can locate some for 50 to 100 euros at vendors like Oscaro. Otherwise you can use cables that will just provide the energy needed to start.
To find more tips on the smart forfour, take a look at the smart forfour category.
