Can I charge my battery while it's still attached to the engine?

Hi,
My 2010 C3 Picasso is having trouble starting this winter and this morning failed to start.
I think the trouble is with a under charged battery or the glow plugs, or both.
So I was going to start by charging the battery but just wondered, to save time, can I leave the battery attached to the car while I charge it?

Many thanks,
Nick.

nictu wrote: ↑Thu Jan 06, 2022 1:47 pm Hi,
My 2010 C3 Picasso is having trouble starting this winter and this morning failed to start.
I think the trouble is with a under charged battery or the glow plugs, or both.
So I was going to start by charging the battery but just wondered, to save time, can I leave the battery attached to the car while I charge it?

Many thanks,
Nick.

Hello

It won't be the glow plugs, that's for sure unless you are in sub zero temperatures and even then, they do very little for starting.

While it is theoretically possible to charge a battery while it is attached to the car, it is best advised not to.

Any fault with the battery that occurs while charging (and this is when it would show up) can cause explosive gasses to build up in the engine bay or massive overheating that has caused car fires.

It's much better to charge it off the car in a well ventilated area.

With the newer “smart” chargers, they are perfectly safe to charge whilst still connected. They also can de-sulphur the plates and stop charging once full charge has been attained.