charge battery or replace it?

[Brett Hartwig]

I just got my ST serviced and the mechanic says the battery failed the load test- it shows 84CCA and is rated for 600CCA. So, should I put my trickle charger on it or just replace it? It must be 4 or 5 years old by now

 

[Gavin Allan]

Replace it. You got a normal life out of it.



I usually love AutoZone DuraStart Gold batteries, but they have gotten kind of expensive lately. You can save about $25 by getting the best WalMart battery, and both of them are made by the same company that made the MotorCraft: Johnson Controls. More info in the link below:

 

[Vic Sorlie]

+1 on replacement. Five years on a battery is plenty.

 

[Richard L]

Yep, Replace it.

trickle charging it is worthless. You are charging it every time you drive it, but a bad battery will not hold a full charge, which is what is happening in your battery.



...Rich

 

[Eric Toften]

Trickle chargers are designed to bring a good battery up to full charge. Your battery is bad. Charging it won't change the CCA rating. Trash it.

 

[Ed Fenwick]

Aloha freeport, I went to every place in town and the dealer was the cheapest! Go figure.

Ed

 

[scott degroot]

Have you noticed that it cranks slow when you try to start it? I don't see how a battery that only has 85 cca can even turn the engine over when peak cranking amps is usually around 200-250 amps.

 

[Brett Hartwig]

haven't noticed any difference when starting

 

[Eric Toften]

Ohhhhhh...... you didn't say that earlier. I think everyone here assumed you were having a problem with it. If your battery works don't worry about it. The cold is over in IL for now. Take it to Advance or Autozone or anyone else not trying to get you back I nthe shop and have it rechecked at the end of summer.

 

[EddieS'04]

At 5 yrs old. If the current load is low. So is the voltage drop. In time that will shorten the life of the starter. Why risk it.

 

[Eric Toften]

I have to disagree with you Eddie. The ability of the battery to produce current isn't going to change the voltage drop at the starter. The resistance of the starter, the wire to it, and its connection didn't change. The resistance of the battery increased by lead calcifying to the plates. The ampacity of the system declines proportionately. The voltage of the battery and the voltage ate the starter are still relatively the same. Freeport stated earlier that he didn't notice a change in the ability to crank the truck. If there were a voltage drop below 10.5V he most certainly would have noticed the truck not starting at all. Sounds to me like a mechanic looking for a buck. Or he had an old carbon pile battery tester that was crapped out. Freeport, save yourself some money and go have the battery tested at your local parts store. They do it for free and give you print out of the results.

 

[Robert Howell]

Ohm's law states that if the resistance remains the same (the starter) and current drops as is the case with an old sulfated battery then voltage also drops. This is why the battery is tested with a carbon pile, we can vary the resistance of the load to get half the rated CCA current across the pile for 15 seconds. The battery passes if it maintains 9.6 volts or better, if not, it is weak.

Eddie is correct that a weak battery that is unable to deliver the correct current has a larger voltage drop, the starter turns slower and actually draws more amperage at a lower voltage. This does tend to overheat the starter and shorten it's life.

 

[Jackson Ellis]

A battery that is dying will not necessarily make it through the summer. It's true that battery's output is affected by cold temperatures, so the effects of a dying battery will be more pronounced when it's cold out; but the heat of summer kills batteries.



Not only is the voltage drop greater on a dying battery during load (like starting), the duration of supplying enough amps to turn the engine over is lessened. So your engine may start with no signs of a bad battery just because it always starts with a 2 second turn of the key. However, if you ever needed 2-3 attempts to start, or just started 2 or three times in quick succession (I don't know, maybe you're moving closer to the grocery store doors every time another car leaves the lot), then you might get a perfect start the first time, a lazy start the second time, and a click the third time.

 

[Duane Foster]

"A battery that is dying will not necessarily make it through the summer. It's true that battery's output is affected by cold temperatures, so the effects of a dying battery will be more pronounced when it's cold out; but the heat of summer kills batteries."



Yes! Heat is what really kills batteries, but we often don't notice it until winter when the engine is harder to turn over with cold oil, etc. In hot weather, the engine stays hot, so the starter stays hot and is harder to turn, putting more strain on the battery which is also getting "cooked" to some extent by the heat bottled up under the hood. Spring weather is probably the most ideal time for a weak battery. It's warm enough the engine will turn over easy, but cool enough the engine heat will dissipate quickly between starts.

 

[Eric Toften]

You guys are missing the obvious. The starter is working normally. If there was a voltage drop the starter would lag. Point blank. And yes I know Ohms law. The resistance of the starter is constant. Potentially the resistance of the solution is what would change reducing the ampacity of the battery but not the voltage potential. Either way the difference would be noticeable in the lights, the radio, and most noticeably the starter. And yes heat kills unmaintained vented batteries. How many of you have battery blankets around your batteries? They used to be standard on Rangers. Now how many have cooling fans pointed at them? The BCI (Battery Council International) used to say that heating a battery to 185* and maintaining the fluid was an acceptable form of charging a battery. Again, all this is irrelevant. The only factor that matters is that the battery is working fine. Will he get another summer out of probably. Could he replace it? Sure. Or he could take that $65+ and use it take his wife or girlfriend out for a steak dinner and a movie. Then worry about changing the battery when it actually shows a problem. That's all I am saying.

 

[Brett Hartwig]

sorry, I had to poop. So...replace the battery soon your saying? Got it

 

[Jackson Ellis]

I think you should sell it to e_toften.:bwahaha:

 

[Richard L]

I agree...I thought you were having problems starting the vehicle. A 4-5 year life span for a batter is about normal with today's batteries. Back in the late 1990's the EPA mandated that battery makers reduce the amount of lead in the batteries...that has cause a decline in the life expectancy of the batteries we have been getting...and even the premature failures that seem all too common now days.



If you are not having starting problems, then don't worry about it until you do. But at the first sign of starting problems, even intermittent, (fails to start, then starts a few hours later, or the next day with no problems)...That usually indicates that the battery is entering the last stages of useful life. Then I would recommend replacing it.



...Rich

 

[Johnny O]

Lately mine has been going dead simply from letting the radio play while I wash it. Happened twice now.

 

[Richard L]

As an added note: If you are not sure about your battery, Auto Zone will check your battery for free. Just drive to their store, take out the battery and carry it in and they will test it for you at no charge. Some stores may test the battery in the car, or will remove it for testing at no charge.



...Rich