Ken is very right, it takes a good three stage charge to properly "top off"
a battery and although 12amps or more is needed for good charging it
actually can be done with far less, it simply takes longer. Once down to top
off and trickle mode the amps are way down.

An alternator doesn't have a smart charing it is just blasting away at max
output and never properly tops off.

Personally the initial question posed by Loren is interesting but I doubt
the answer poses any realistic "better solution" from idle nor under load.
Yes the battery takes a hit from starting but how much it recovers depends
on how long you leave the car running. A good battery is regarded perfect in
a short amount of time.

Shawn

On Sun, Mar 9, 2008 at 7:05 PM, Ken Lewis <kdlewis@northstate.net> wrote:

> It has been my experience that an alternator can not fully charge a
> battery
> after it has been significantly discharged . Generally it requires an
> overnight connection to a decent charger, 12 amps or better, to properly
> top
> it off..
> Ken Lewis
> http://neksiwel.20m.com/
>

--
Shawn Feller
Ohio
www.carboncow.com