Timely post re: 2012 Battery Notes for the Volvofolk
Your batteries sure last longer than mine. Not near as hot though where you are as here in Tx.
I've been using InterState for more than a decade since that's what my mechanic sells, but I'm beginning to doubt them. They don't seem to last more than 3-4 years.
Yesterday, I'd been running a few errands. Pulled in the grocery, turned off the engine but left the radio & A/C fan blowing while I made up a list. Then the radio just quit! When I left the car, the remote door locks didn't work. I left it, went shopping, tried again: no joy. Got a jump, came home and checked each cell with a hygrometer. Two cells floated 3, the rest only 1.
I peered into each cell with a bright light and saw something odd. The main bar/buss the plates connect to on three of the cells looks new. However, on the remaining three, it looks moderately corroded.
So I put on the charger, set it for 6 amps, meter indicated a 4A draw, left it overnight and most of today and just turned it off..21 hrs later, to let it equalize before I check the gravity. The battery is slowly bubbling, the charger is barely warm and the meter shows current draw at 1A.
The sled's on its second alternator, which I installed about 5-6yrs ago. Had my indy check it with his load tester and DC current clamp meter. Said it was fine. He also tested the last Interstate battery with an electronic tester, which indicated it was good. But it would only float a couple of balls. He replaced it with this one in Sept 2009. Three years almost.
The battery is an Interstate MegaTron II, 75mo, MT-47 590cca/740ca, made in mexico.
I've noticed periodically the starter spinning slower-than-usual. So I'd put on the charger that evening and let it charge all night. The next day it would spin like usual. I've done this more than a few times.
I thought I might have a parasitic drain, so I put a DC ammeter in-line, first with nothing on, then started turning on the radio, the blower fan, opening doors, etc. in various combinations. I don't have the numbers at hand, but didn't notice anything excessive.
Perhaps batteries 'just aren't made like they used to be'? Perhaps the extreme heatwave we had in Tx last Summer took a few years off it's life? Unfortunately, I don't have a DC clamp ammeter to check the alternator.
This would happen late Fri at the beginning of Labor Day weekend! I'll be keeping my portable power pack in the car though. . . .
Could be a battery issue or alternator issue or batt/alt issue. It would be interesting to see the alt current waveform on my oscilloscope, but I don't have a shunt. A bad regulator/diode could also be at fault. Having replaced the alt once, I tried to disassemble it to get to the voltage regulator, but no joy.
What brand will go the distance in HOT Tx?
***************************************
UPDATE:
Just finished taking some measurements after allowing the battery to rest 3 hrs. after the long charge (see above post).
No load batt. V: 13.17v.
Turn on parking & interior lights: 12.93v. After one minute, drops to 12.72v. After 5 min: V=12.74v
Acc key on, a/c blower & radio: v=12.45v. After 4 min, it drops to 12.49; after 5 min. it reads 12.48v.
Add low-beams to above, v now 12.29v. After 5 min, v=12.23. After 10 min, v=12.13v.
Turn all off, v rises to 12.64v. After 5min, v=12.78v
Start engine: v=13.21v. After 2 min v=13.22v.
Increase rpms to 2000; v=13.24.
Back to idle (~950rpm); v=13.17.After 5min at idle: v=13.2v.
With engine running, turn on low-beams, a/c blower & radio. v=12.76v. Increase rpms to 2000; v now 12.78v. Wait for two min. v now at 12.84v
Turn off engine; v now 12.76. After 15min, v=12.85.
Not sure how much current was being fed into the battery from the alternator, but shouldn't there be around 14.7v at the battery terminals (instead of 13.2v) with the engine on?
Unfortunately I forgot to check the gravity after allowing it to rest for 3 hours before doing these tests. I'll do it tomorrow morning.
Your batteries sure last longer than mine. Not near as hot though where you are as here in Tx.
I've been using InterState for more than a decade since that's what my mechanic sells, but I'm beginning to doubt them. They don't seem to last more than 3-4 years.
Yesterday, I'd been running a few errands. Pulled in the grocery, turned off the engine but left the radio & A/C fan blowing while I made up a list. Then the radio just quit! When I left the car, the remote door locks didn't work. I left it, went shopping, tried again: no joy. Got a jump, came home and checked each cell with a hygrometer. Two cells floated 3, the rest only 1.
I peered into each cell with a bright light and saw something odd. The main bar/buss the plates connect to on three of the cells looks new. However, on the remaining three, it looks moderately corroded.
So I put on the charger, set it for 6 amps, meter indicated a 4A draw, left it overnight and most of today and just turned it off..21 hrs later, to let it equalize before I check the gravity. The battery is slowly bubbling, the charger is barely warm and the meter shows current draw at 1A.
The sled's on its second alternator, which I installed about 5-6yrs ago. Had my indy check it with his load tester and DC current clamp meter. Said it was fine. He also tested the last Interstate battery with an electronic tester, which indicated it was good. But it would only float a couple of balls. He replaced it with this one in Sept 2009. Three years almost.
The battery is an Interstate MegaTron II, 75mo, MT-47 590cca/740ca, made in mexico.
I've noticed periodically the starter spinning slower-than-usual. So I'd put on the charger that evening and let it charge all night. The next day it would spin like usual. I've done this more than a few times.
I thought I might have a parasitic drain, so I put a DC ammeter in-line, first with nothing on, then started turning on the radio, the blower fan, opening doors, etc. in various combinations. I don't have the numbers at hand, but didn't notice anything excessive.
Perhaps batteries 'just aren't made like they used to be'? Perhaps the extreme heatwave we had in Tx last Summer took a few years off it's life? Unfortunately, I don't have a DC clamp ammeter to check the alternator.
This would happen late Fri at the beginning of Labor Day weekend! I'll be keeping my portable power pack in the car though. . . .
Could be a battery issue or alternator issue or batt/alt issue. It would be interesting to see the alt current waveform on my oscilloscope, but I don't have a shunt. A bad regulator/diode could also be at fault. Having replaced the alt once, I tried to disassemble it to get to the voltage regulator, but no joy.
What brand will go the distance in HOT Tx?
***************************************
UPDATE:
Just finished taking some measurements after allowing the battery to rest 3 hrs. after the long charge (see above post).
No load batt. V: 13.17v.
Turn on parking & interior lights: 12.93v. After one minute, drops to 12.72v. After 5 min: V=12.74v
Acc key on, a/c blower & radio: v=12.45v. After 4 min, it drops to 12.49; after 5 min. it reads 12.48v.
Add low-beams to above, v now 12.29v. After 5 min, v=12.23. After 10 min, v=12.13v.
Turn all off, v rises to 12.64v. After 5min, v=12.78v
Start engine: v=13.21v. After 2 min v=13.22v.
Increase rpms to 2000; v=13.24.
Back to idle (~950rpm); v=13.17.After 5min at idle: v=13.2v.
With engine running, turn on low-beams, a/c blower & radio. v=12.76v. Increase rpms to 2000; v now 12.78v. Wait for two min. v now at 12.84v
Turn off engine; v now 12.76. After 15min, v=12.85.
Not sure how much current was being fed into the battery from the alternator, but shouldn't there be around 14.7v at the battery terminals (instead of 13.2v) with the engine on?
Unfortunately I forgot to check the gravity after allowing it to rest for 3 hours before doing these tests. I'll do it tomorrow morning.