Basic car battery charger

[Yellow Saddle]

No, but it'll top the battery up so the car will drive half a mile without immediately conking out again en route

Even half a mile could be costly. Without water circulating, you'll blow a head gasket quicker than you think.

 

[DRM]

Even half a mile could be costly. Without water circulating, you'll blow a head gasket quicker than you think.

This with the caveat that it's just an alternator belt, and the water pump is driven by another belt, however the O.P has confirmed it was overheating getting back home

 

[Jenkins]

Even half a mile could be costly. Without water circulating, you'll blow a head gasket quicker than you think.

I guess I'll find out if any head gasket problems are found as part of the MOT/service/belt replacement. I had no option as there was no way I was parking in a layby on that road (a good choice as it turned out due to the problems I had with the RAC).

 

[CXRAndy]

Some smart chargers will not start to rejuvenate a fully depleted battery. You need a charger with restore feature. Or use a traditional transformer charger to lift the voltage sufficiently a smart charger will take over.

I only buy Ctek chargers for keeping vehicles batteries in good order. I do have DC power supplies to use in severely depleted lithium batteries

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I guess I'll find out if any head gasket problems are found as part of the MOT/service/belt replacement. I had no option as there was no way I was parking in a layby on that road (a good choice as it turned out due to the problems I had with the RAC).

Head gasket problems usually leave you by the roadside. Its not something they find at MOT.

 

[fossyant]

If you are with RAC they will usually transport to a garage after initial recovery depending upon your level of cover. No water pump also... big risk.

 

[gbb]

Am I really old fashioned to simply own a proper good old fashioned trickle charger
Crikey, I've had it 30 years in all probability, still works, only gets used once every 5 years or so, usually because a battery came to the end of ots life or a light was inadvertently left on.
Do we overthink things and over complicate it all ?

The above prompted me to actually fact check my assumption...and yes...modern batteries (EFB on mine) do require a smart charger. So perhaps I'll bin my old one and invest...except I just fitted a new battery so dont envisage problems...ah, maybe in the future...

 

[DRM]

Once upon a time, you could sweet talk a lady to donate her tights to get you going, ...........the car that is!

 

[presta]

Am I really old fashioned to simply own a proper good old fashioned trickle charger

Mine's the one my father bought when he got his first car in 1965, but it hasn't been used in donkey's years.

 

[T4tomo]

I guess I'll find out if any head gasket problems are found as part of the MOT/service/belt replacement. I had no option as there was no way I was parking in a layby on that road (a good choice as it turned out due to the problems I had with the RAC).

Ask the garage whether your car's water pump is driven by the auxiliary drive belt (which has snapped) or the Cam belt and what their view is on driving it 1/2 a mile.

Those Noco charger / jump starters are an excellent bit of kit and worth investing in regardless.

 

[fossyant]

Ask the garage whether your car's water pump is driven by the auxiliary drive belt (which has snapped) or the Cam belt and what their view is on driving it 1/2 a mile.

Those Noco charger / jump starters are an excellent bit of kit and worth investing in regardless.

They are. My son hadn't moved his track car for months. Plugged in my Noco and must have cranked it over 6 times before the car spluttered to life. Battery was quite flat by then but did its job.