Car battery - does this sound right?

[Frederick Skelly]

Hi gang. I need a BS-check. When I start my car, I've noticed that the battery cranks just a little more slowly. (My Dad taught me to listen for changes in the sounds your car or truck makes. So I've been "watching" this.) It's been doing it for about a month and doesnt seem to be tied to the cold. So I pulled the battery, went to the local parts store and asked them to check it. Man said it tested as "good", reading 91% charge.

I thought that sounded a little degraded, so I asked him to charge it - since I already had it out of the car and the battery charge was "free". When I picked it up later, the manager brought me the battery. He tested it and said "bad battery". I told him what the guy said this morning and politely asked him to test it again. He did and showed me the result - "bad battery".

The battery I brought in is a "5 yr" house-brand battery that is 38 mos old. A new battery is $140.

Does it sound possible that it was good this AM and that it's failing after having been charged?

Thank you!
Fred

[Michael Schuch]

How old is the battery? Most likely you were right about the battery from the start and it was going bad. Checking a battery with a volt meter is useless. You have to check a car battery under a signifigant load to tell if it is good or bad. The first guy probably didn't know what he was doing.

[Frederick Skelly]

How old is the battery? Most likely you were right about the battery from the start and it was going bad. Checking a battery with a volt meter is useless. You have to check a car battery under a signifigant load to tell if it is good or bad. The first guy probably didn't know what he was doing.

Thanks Mike. Battery is 38 mos old.

[Kev Williams]

How old is the battery? Most likely you were right about the battery from the start and it was going bad. Checking a battery with a volt meter is useless. You have to check a car battery under a signifigant load to tell if it is good or bad. The first guy probably didn't know what he was doing.

Ditto-- sounds like a simple volt test was done; a 91% charge means the voltmeter likely said 12.5-ish volts. To TEST the battery right it needs to be under load...

[Bruce Wrenn]

Recently took friends car to local parts house to test battery. Because of a medical condition, her car sits, sometimes for as much as a month or more. I had just charged battery using Battery Minder. Parts house told us alternator wasn't working, and she needed a new one. Took it to where she buys tires, and they also checked it. Said everything GOOD! Always get a SECOND OPINION! FYI, Northern has Battery Minders on sale right now for about $30. I keep one on the battery in my stand by generator. Battery was made in 09, which means it's thirteen years old. Cranked generator in monthly test earlier this week with no problems. Once a month, run Battery Minder on each vehicle for at least 24 - 48 hours. Cheap insurance IMHO. Before shelling out $140 for a battery, check out Walmart's $54.99, "one year free replacement" battery. We have three vehicles running them. Oldest is on it's third year of service.

[Mitch schiffer]

Another +1 for a voltage test the first time and a load test the second. The guys at the auto parts stores are really hot or miss. More times a miss from my experience.

[Kris Cook]

I have had similar experiences re: load-testing a battery.

With all of the above considered I would say the battery is probably due for replacement. A battery is good for about 5 years (in my experience in cold weather country). You don't show your location, so hard to say. Best you are going to get out of your battery is a pro-rated refund or credit towards a new one.

[Jim Koepke]

A voltmeter on a vehicle battery at rest should read close to 13V or better. A voltmeter test makes more sense if it is done regularly, like every time the oil is changed or the vehicle's hood is raised for service checks. That way you will know what to expect. Check the voltage with the engine off. Also check with the engine running so you know what the alternator output should be.

Always pay attention to your lights when the engine is turned off. If the lights go dim when the engine stops, it is time to change the battery.

Is it taking a few more cranks to start the vehicle? It could be time to change the battery. Make sure of the alternator voltage first just in case the battery isn't getting charged.

jtk

[Warren Lake]

old school mechanic will test your battery then put your lights on for some amount of time and test again and tell you what you have. I remember last time asking for my neighbor just don't remember the time or numbers he told me.

[Rick Potter]

I belong to AAA. Just this morning my battery went bad at 6 years old. The car sits most of the time on a battery tender, as we don't use it much, sometimes months between uses. Called AAA, and within an hour they sent out a battery replacement guy who tested it, discovered it was bad under load, had one month left on a 6 year warranty (also from AAA), and put a new one in.

We got about $10 off on the new one because of the month left on the warranty, and it was a total of $155.20. It is warranted for another 6 years, with free 3 year replacement. All this was done in my driveway, and he was here for only 20 minutes or so.

[Frederick Skelly]

Thanks guys! Thiis helped!
Fred

[Lee Schierer]

In most modern vehicles there are a lot of parasitic drains on your battery. If your vehicle has remote entry your car is constantly checking for a signal. If it has an alarm, the alarm is running off the battery. These drains have come into play much more as people work from home and their vehicle use drops from twice a day to a week or more between use. Cold temperatures also reduce battery output.
Trojan-Temperature-Chart.jpg
All of these can reduce your battery voltage when the vehicle is parked. Another factor that people don't always watch are battery liquid levels. They need to be maintained for optimum battery performance and life. Heavy charging can reduce the liquid levels. You can and should adjust these levels with distilled water.

[Robert Engel]

Something else to think about and what I think I'm struggling with - a parasitic draw.

I had a new battery put in my Element by the Honda dealership and it steadily weakened over about a year's span. They tested for a parasitic drain and tested amp draw on starter. Said there was no problem & replaced the battery for free.

So here I am about a year later, every time I start the car I can hear the starter turning slower and slower.

As for battery testing, voltage doesn't mean anything, its the load test that matters. ~14V is nominal charging with engine running. A charged battery under no load can read 12+V but its all "surface charge".

I don't know who makes them, but I'm buying Walmart batteries from now on. One in my truck lasted 8 years. One has been in my tractor forever.

[Lawrence Duckworth]

How old is the battery? Most likely you were right about the battery from the start and it was going bad. Checking a battery with a volt meter is useless. You have to check a car battery under a signifigant load to tell if it is good or bad. The first guy probably didn't know what he was doing.

I went to "Pro Auto Lube and Hair Care" ........

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[Bruce Wrenn]

Another +1 for a voltage test the first time and a load test the second. The guys at the auto parts stores are really hot or miss. More times a miss from my experience.

Very few places still do Load Tests. Instead they hook up a "magic gadget", which measures the internal condition of the battery. A couple years back, I needed a couple of deep cycle batteries for a project . Traded a couple of core batteries at parts house for a couple deep cycle batteries, neither of which would take a charge. One was less than a year old, and the other two years old. Took them home and placed each on a Battery Minder for a couple weeks. Took them, one by one back to another parts house and had them checked. Both checked out as GOOD! Keep them, along with a 1000 amp battery, that my son gave me, connected to battery minder all the time, so they are ready to go.