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Once the car is started if the alternator is working it will charge the battery, but the battery may not take the charge or may not hold it. Batteries don't last forever. There should be a sticker on the side of the battery or the top with a letter/number like A/7 which stand for January or 07. That will let you know how old the battery is. Most parts stores will check the battery for free to see if it will hold a charge.

If you were to push start a car with a completely dead battery (where the lights have been left on for two days), it won't start. With a boost though, it should start, if the alternator is good. This is because the alternator does not have magnets in it to create the magnetic field (like a generator) it needs to start charging. Normally a battery won't be completely dead, just dead enough to not start the car, but the little bit of power left in the battery is enough to give the alternator the field it needs to start charging. Normally it is always better to boost a battery than push start a car. When boosting a dead battery, the cables should be clamped on for 5 minutes with the boosting vehicle running before trying to start the dead one. This is to allow the dead battery to get partially charged to help with starting the vehicle. Before trying to start the vehicle being boosted, turn off the boosting vehicle (to avoid frying its computer), but leave the cables on, then start the dead one. Once it starts, remove the cables, and let it run (at least 15 minutes in the summer, 30 minutes in the winter) to charge the battery. Double that time if the heater or headlights are on. The reason the alternator was able to start charging was because it drew power from the boosting vehicle battery to create the field it needed even if the battery was completely dead.

If this is a persistent problem, it could be the battery, check the terminals to ensure a good connection. If they are good, have the battery load tested, this will tell you if you need a new one. Normally a battery is good for 5 years, less if it has been run dead too many times.

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Q: If the battery is dead will the alternator charge it?
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