Life of a battery

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ritelec

ritelec

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Jersey
Batteries die. Don't keep a charge.....

Is there "a point " where it crosses the line of good to bad?

Reason I ask, my daughter had her oil changed two days ago at the service center and they checked the battery and it was good.

Today she has an issue starting the car.

It sounds like the battery. It's about six years old. Was tougher starting when it sat for a while.
Labored to start after the car had been running for a while then turned off and tried starting again


Just had me thinking although it passed a test two days ago there does come a point when it's passes the point of good to bad.

Like it could be good at six o'clock in the morning then bad at 6:01 am.

Correct.


Thank you.
 
ritelec said:
Batteries die. Don't keep a charge.....

Is there "a point " where it crosses the line of good to bad?

Reason I ask, my daughter had her oil changed two days ago at the service center and they checked the battery and it was good.

Today she has an issue starting the car.

It sounds like the battery. It's about six years old. Was tougher starting when it sat for a while.
Labored to start after the car had been running for a while then turned off and tried starting again


Just had me thinking although it passed a test two days ago there does come a point when it's passes the point of good to bad.

Like it could be good at six o'clock in the morning then bad at 6:01 am.

Correct.


Thank you.
Click to expand...

A shorted cell can happen in an instant.
 
Unless it's a broken plate, battery failure takes a while. Let's say you buy a battery for your car. New battery, 100% of its capacity. Say now that your car needs 68% of that battery's new capacity. So far, so good. Over time, it loses its ability to recharge or hold a charge. After 5 years, it's at 70% of its original shape. Your car still needs 68%...maybe more if the headlights or blower fan is running. When the battery gets marginal you'll have problems starting the car. At this point, it may be declared "bad", tho it could conceivably be used in say your riding mower (that needs far less amps to start than your car) for a few years.
 
A lead acid battery will deteriorate and lose capacity much faster if left sitting partially charged.
This can happen if the car is not used for weeks at a time or if started and not run long enough to recharge the battery.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
 
ritelec said:
thank you ... much appreciated !!
Click to expand...

what type of LA is it?

LA's can become sulfated over time and then all of a sudden they dont work right.
sometimes a high-freq pulsing charger can help save a sulfated battery, but this is typically just a stop-gap giving you enough time to buy a new one. Interstate AGM and be done with it.
 
ritelec said:
Batteries die. Don't keep a charge.....
Is there "a point " where it crosses the line of good to bad?
Click to expand...

temp. extremes, hot and cold, can affect a battery, and
can tip a marginal battery over the edge in a couple days.

has it been hot there lately?

depending on the battery, some batteries you can test
with a microtester... the oddesy portalyzer comes to mind.
however, at $900 for the tester....... get a new battery, and
move on.....
 
ritelec said:
Batteries die. Don't keep a charge.....

Is there "a point " where it crosses the line of good to bad?

Reason I ask, my daughter had her oil changed two days ago at the service center and they checked the battery and it was good.

Today she has an issue starting the car.

It sounds like the battery. It's about six years old. Was tougher starting when it sat for a while.
Labored to start after the car had been running for a while then turned off and tried starting again


Just had me thinking although it passed a test two days ago there does come a point when it's passes the point of good to bad.

Like it could be good at six o'clock in the morning then bad at 6:01 am.

Correct.


Thank you.
Click to expand...

In human years that's like about 120. Nowadays I consider myself lucky if I get 4 years out of a battery. I remember when Sears would offer 5 and 6 year warranties. Can't seem to find that anymore, the best they offer is 4 for the "Platinum" grade. The standard warranty is 18 months! :thumbsdown:

That said, you could get a Schumacher BT-100 for about $20 or so from Wallmart.
 
All good info here.
I had an issue with the security alarm on my truck last winter. Water got into it thru a crack in my windshield causing intermittent shorting. It was causing excess drain and hard starting after not driving for a week. Got on youtube to research Parasitic current draw & how to t shoot. Bought a low current clamp on ammeter and finally found out it was the alarm module and disconnect it. Gave battery a Full charge......problem solved (battery is 4 yrs old.)
I buy my batteries at Costco, their Signature brand were made by ........? They changed vendors, I think to Johnson Controls who puts the Costco label on them. Last battery lasted just under 10 yrs! I think maybe the long life is due to this: I do not buy the one recommended by Toyota. Instead I choose the highest CCA rating of a battery that will physically fit into the space.
Afterthought:
Probably another reason for the long life is the temperate climate of the SF bay area.
 
Last edited:
ritelec said:
Batteries die. Don't keep a charge.....

Is there "a point " where it crosses the line of good to bad?

Reason I ask, my daughter had her oil changed two days ago at the service center and they checked the battery and it was good.

Today she has an issue starting the car.

It sounds like the battery. It's about six years old. Was tougher starting when it sat for a while.
Labored to start after the car had been running for a while then turned off and tried starting again


Just had me thinking although it passed a test two days ago there does come a point when it's passes the point of good to bad.

Like it could be good at six o'clock in the morning then bad at 6:01 am.

Correct.


Thank you.
Click to expand...


Well you can always take the car to an auto parts store and get the battery retested.

A common problem with batteries is just bad connections. They don't always look corroded and bad.

You can have a drain on the battery such as a short.

You can have a bad starter or alternator.

A few years ago I had a garage tell me that my battery was going bad ( I didn't really trust them) and sure enough it only lasted about three months. I still got a better deal at the auto parts store than at a garage. I replaced with the same factory recommended battery.
 
+1 on the connection issue. In some of those fast oil change places, I've noticed lately that they will remove the battery cable, probably for safety of the workers. When they put it back on, they may not have tightened it enough or there was corrosion on the post.

But then again, 6 years is a long time for a battery... most of the time now all they do to "check" the battery is to hook up a meter and if it's 12V or more, it's considered "good". Years ago when I worked at a service station, we had a hydrometer that tested the specific gravity of the acid. But new batteries are sealed, they typically don't do that any more.

But if they did, they would have disconnected the battery! I'd go out and loosen the battery clamp bolts, wiggle the terminal around on the post, then retighten them, see if that makes a difference. Then make an appointment to replace that old battery. You don't want your daughter stranded out there.
 
With modern electronics, disconnecting the battery is going to reset so many things that owners would be up in arms at such a practice.
 
Others have commented on the battery, but I will add that alternators and voltage regulators seem to go bad in an instant.

I can't count how many times I've had a bad regulator or alternator that causes the battery to discharge through the alternator or regulator.

If you have a DC clamp ammeter its fairly easy to check.
 
Another thing to consider is that every time a car battery is completely drained of power its remaining life expectancy is significantly reduced.
 
ggunn said:
Another thing to consider is that every time a car battery is completely drained of power its remaining life expectancy is significantly reduced.
Click to expand...
yep. 50% DoD on general deep cycles is about max for longevity purposes. std LA's are more like 80% DoD max.
 
Jraef said:
+1 on the connection issue. In some of those fast oil change places, I've noticed lately that they will remove the battery cable, probably for safety of the workers. When they put it back on, they may not have tightened it enough or there was corrosion on the post.

But then again, 6 years is a long time for a battery... most of the time now all they do to "check" the battery is to hook up a meter and if it's 12V or more, it's considered "good". Years ago when I worked at a service station, we had a hydrometer that tested the specific gravity of the acid. But new batteries are sealed, they typically don't do that any more.

But if they did, they would have disconnected the battery! I'd go out and loosen the battery clamp bolts, wiggle the terminal around on the post, then retighten them, see if that makes a difference. Then make an appointment to replace that old battery. You don't want your daughter stranded out there.
Click to expand...

Corroded terminals are a big contributor to battery sales. My dad almost never bought a new battery when his failed. He would go to our neighborhood service station and ask to trade his battery for one in their scrap heap. He would select the one with dirtiest, most corroded terminals. 9 times out of ten he got a perfectly good battery that would last a couple of years.
It goes without saying he grew up in the Great Depression!
 
Thank you for the feed back.
Was curious if good to bad could be like turning off a switch .


learned quite a bit here, thanks !


research "best battery" :- )

(saw oddesy and others)

reviews about some die hards are good others bad........ this that and the other. ??? saw other makes and models.. ???

Figure its a battery issue. checked connections when she was here yesterday.

told her to meet me at Sears.. she said she had a friend who checked it also last night and said it was bad...????

good or bad.......... it's from a 2012 chevy sonic, original battery............ 5 or 6 yrs...

so just got a die hard, good or bad 180$ she's back in the game.

Thanks again all !!
 
retirede said:
.... he grew up in the Great Depression!
Click to expand...

And don't forget the trick of shaking the battery (hard to do when ya get old <G>) and emptying the acid into a plastic tub.

Let the crud settle out overnight, refill and charge. Good for another year sometimes, sometimes all it does is eat hole in your jeans :lol:
 
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