Spect2K3

It's all in the title. How do you detect that your battery is getting weak before it actually dies. It seems that there is little warning before the battery dies. Especially with alot of people including myself using an amplifier and upgraded audio system, I'd assume it would drain the battery a bit quicker.

I have checked the voltage on my battery and on a new battery with a meter and it gave the same reading. And that is with a good one from radioshack, so help me out here! I'm tired of me and my family getting stuck on the road with a dead battery and obviously a car that wont start.

O5_TRD_tC

lights flickering is one sign

GarmaZed

If you can make it to Autozone or Advance Auto Parts, I believe they are able t test it for free. But, they may have to take it out of the vehicle first. That's not such a big deal with the tC since it is up front and easy to remove, but when I was helping my Uncle with his Pontiac Montana.... Oh Jebus..

paul34

From my limited experience, I think it starts with "small" things... like the car suddenly starting to fail starting every once in a while (with increasing occurrence), accessories and lights failing right after engine start after a long cold off time (so that basically, accessories are almost running off the alternator, so its sort of flickering/not constant brightness.

Also, make sure your contacts aren't corroded or whatnot. I have a feeling that when a lot of people have random, catastrophic battery problems, its really due to dirty/corroded/loose battery contacts or other primary wiring.

pep20

Usually you'll notice it when you first start your car. It'll crank over slower than usual. Also if its really bad the Battery light on the cluster should go off. You could also check the battery with the car running, it should be around 13.5-14 volts. If the sound system you have is taking more juice its going to be well below those specs. If thats the case you might want to get a capacitor or a higher amperage alternator.

Spect2K3

I don't need a cap because the lights aren't flashing. Same with the alternator, I am only running aftermarket speakers, headunit and an amp. Not a crazy system with like 10 speakers, 3 subs, and 15 amps lol.

I'll keep an eye out for all of the things that you guys have mentioned. For me though, I have never seen the lights dim, be extra hard to start the car, the battery light come on, or even it taking longer for the car to start. But yesterday, my dads benz was running perfectly and he is at the gas station, fills up, gets back in the car, and the battery is dead. So I don't know. I'll keep an eye on this stuff nevertheless. If there are any other suggestions, let me know!

engifineer

By "die" do you mean discharged enough not to start the car (but ok after it charges), or dead as in wont hold a charge any longer?

falkor

Hi Jay
Forget about that . It can just go poop . If it does within a year or so , your alternator needs to be tested . Heat drains your battery big time ! Usually , the car becomes harder to start . You are used to how long it takes normally to start . Maybe a 2 second key turn . If it does not turn over right away , it is getting weaker .
Good luck

Jan06xB

The only way to really test the battery is to do a load test watching the voltage drop at a typical 100 amp load battery tester. Also a total capacity test would also be a good indicator knowing how much energy - amp hours it can put out then charge it back up. You can also test how much you are drawing by connecting up a good battery charger that can charge at a high amp rate and will bring the voltage up to 14.5 volts to take all the load off the alternator when the engine is running and you have your amps cranking. This is easier then putting a shunt in the battery circuit to see how much you are drawing. I know the stock radio unit playing an MP3 CD cranking at 40 volume level draws about 0.8 amps and the dome light takes about 1 amp, Accessories key on about 2.5 amps.

Also charging the battery if it can take a lot of amps like over 50 amps - that indicates that the battery is in good shape.

Tomas

Unless it is a sealed "Zero Maintenance" lead acid battery, using a hydrometer to measure the specific gravity of the electrolyte compared to the battery's measured state of charge (voltage) is about the only reliable way to determine a battery's condition.

I did that for years keeping track of the condition of the battery plants in telco central offices (imagine a "battery" that can crank out 4000 amps at 48 volts for eight hours and you will have an idea of the size and expense). That was a "medium size" C.O. battery...

Lacking that sort of detailed testing (and record keeping), you just wait for 'em to die, and then run out and get a replacement.

Here's some info... http://www.batteryfaq.org/

Spect2K3

Sorry, I should've been more specific. I just mean to the point where it doesn't have enough juice to get the engine to turn over. I've never had a battery long enough to the point that it wouldn't hold a charge - never heard of a battery in THAT bad condition. Wow!

Yea, not that my battery has died. I am really asking b/c my dad's battery died in his benz after 4 years, but I still would have liked to prevent it or seen it coming. I just hate breaking down on the road.

Wow, if I had the equipment to do that, that'd be great! And it definitely sounds like a method that would work!


Tomas, it sounds like you really have some experience in the area. Of course as you implied, we can't all go do that, so basically just to wait for it to die. It's unforunate but it seems that this is the only thing that an everyday Joe can do. Thanks for the link also! I'll do my best to keep my eye out for the subtle warnings however.



I wonder how much longer (if at all) the optima batteries last. They are much more expensive than a common battery I know, but I don't know if thats because it lasts longer, or looks cooler, I don't know. Maybe someone can shed some light there?

Jan06xB

Get yourself a cheep digital voltmeter or a good one and watch the battery voltage. 12.25 - 12.8 volts is full charge, 11.0 -10.8 is getting very low, 10.4 or less is battery damage area and you better charge it before you try to start or just bump start it.
Optima batteries Red Blue Yellow all have limited cycle life and various output capabilities - deep cycle or high cranking amps but untimately are not needed or don't work much better than a good lead wet cell battery in typical auto applications. If you want to play your amps loud for longer periods of time without the engine running then get a bigger (more amp hours) battery like 125ah instead of the stock 55-60ah battery or add another battery in the trunk with heavy leads to the engine battery (6 awg or heavier).

Spect2K3

Alright. I do have a voltmeter and when I checked mine recently, it read 12.7, so I guess I am in good shape. lol. I don't need the upgraded battery, but thanks for clarifying b/c now I know that I don't need it!

Jan06xB

Now you want to run the sound system for say half an hour and see what the voltage reads then maybe an hour and then you can figure out how long you can run the system before it runs the battery all the way down. Most important thing with Lead batteries is to keep them charged up when you let them sit for a while - if they are not fully charged then they start breaking down inside - the plate chemical coatings that are not fully charged will fall off and never hold any charge again.

combatsteve

I wouldn't deep cycle you battery to test how long it will last while using your system. Every time you deep cycle a lead acid battery(like the stock one) it will reduce it's life by appox half.

Normal life for a battery is around 3-5 years. You can check the voltage of your battery with the car off. A good battery will be in the 12.5-12.7 range after sitting for about an hour. If you check the voltage about an hour after driving it at night then check it again in the morning before you drive it. The voltage shouldn't change in a good battery, but a battery that is getting old will most likely drop down into the low 12 volt range or lower.

Jan06xB

I get 10 years out of my batteries and a single deep cycle will not cut the life in half - it could shorten a really weak battery though but it should be good for a hundred 80% cycles if the battery is a good one. Just be sure to charge it up fully afterwards like 12 hours float after the bulk charge is complete.

combatsteve

Standard lead-acid batteries are designed for starting a vehicle which means that they are designed for a short burst of power that roughly discharges it about 10% and then is recharged. They are not designed for deep cycling and there is no way that it could take 100 80% cycles.

Jan06xB

If what you say is true then the battery performance I was expecting from a typical Lead Brick has been greatly inflated. This may explain why some deep cycle batteries I know of have not faired too well either. Seems lead performace has been greatly exaggerated.