My 5 year old Toyota Corolla had the battery replaced. In Pennsylvania, today's temp is 70. The paper given me says volts 12.68, measured 284 CCA, Rating 360 CCA. The starter test passed. The alternator test passed. What do these numbers mean, what says the battery is bad versus OK versus good? It did not start after a long 4-hour drive out of state followed by 5 days of short drives at the beach. Finally started after a key turn and hold for about 30 seconds. After started, I drove 20 minutes then OK for a day followed by long drive home and have had no problems for a few days (with radio, etc., off).
battery life
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Turning key and holding will not help if the battery is dead. This sounds more like a problem with the starter or other electrical parts. Especially check the connections at the battery-- though now that you have a new battery they were redone and likely OK. Starters often become intermittent-- working perfectly most of the time but not every time.
If your battery is ever low or dead you need to charge with a plug-in charger. Not driving the car.
So, new the battery would have 360 CCA and today it has 284. So it has lost some of its capacity since it was new. But still good. But that is a very small battery. How old is the replacement battery? How long is the warranty? I would try and get a larger footprint battery installed if there is room the next time you get a new battery. I would bring it in to be tested 2 days before the warranty ends and see if you can swing a new battery.
So, new the battery would have 360 CCA and today it has 284. So it has lost some of its capacity since it was new. But still good. But that is a very small battery. How old is the replacement battery? How long is the warranty? I would try and get a larger footprint battery installed if there is room the next time you get a new battery. I would bring it in to be tested 2 days before the warranty ends and see if you can swing a new battery.
If its a 5 year old battery you got good life out of it. Enjoy the fact you didn't get totally stranded.
The voltage is ok and indicates good life. New battery = 12.8V.
The CCA indicates the amps it can deliver to start-up, starting the vehicle requires the most instant power, you're at about 75% of what it is rated for, which doesn't sound bad, but typically a new battery will exceed that rating by a good margin, so you're really dealing with 50-60% of what a new battery would have.
Since the voltage is ok but CCA are low I don't think charging it will revive it significantly, you can try but with cold weather months coming its probably time to replace.
The voltage is ok and indicates good life. New battery = 12.8V.
The CCA indicates the amps it can deliver to start-up, starting the vehicle requires the most instant power, you're at about 75% of what it is rated for, which doesn't sound bad, but typically a new battery will exceed that rating by a good margin, so you're really dealing with 50-60% of what a new battery would have.
Since the voltage is ok but CCA are low I don't think charging it will revive it significantly, you can try but with cold weather months coming its probably time to replace.
1. Thats a very small battery, I had no idea the Corolla used something that tiny. My Fiesta with a 1.6l uses a 590 CCA battery. In theory the battery should be able to produce 360 amps of current for 30 seconds when you turn the key at 0 deg F and not drop below 7.2v. The only way to test this is to chill the battery to 0F and test it but I am guessing they used a small meter that passes an AC current through the battery and measures capacitance, inductance and impedance and then calculates your battery capacity based on these numbers. Your number 284 CCA indicates that the battery plates are coated/degraded or the battery is not fully charged. Dont believe them, these are good quick tests but they are only accurate if you have previous reading from that battery, their calculations are based on average reading of that type. You really need a carbon pile tester that will load the battery down after it has been properly charged. You may have a bad battery or dirty terminals or a poor connection at the starter or a bad start relay or a parasitic draw or a bad diode in the alternator that is preventing a full charge. Usually a new battery will solve your problem for a short time even if its not the battery at fault. Unless they pulled the battery and charged it and hooked a scope up to your charging system to look for ripple they dont know either.
I would start by putting a charger on your battery, pull and clean all your battery connections, follow the wires to the other end and make sure there is no corrosion and the connections are tight. Then if it still seems slow to crank get a new battery. If it seems good again but starts showing signs of slowing down after a few days get your alt. checked properly and look for parasitic draws.
I would start by putting a charger on your battery, pull and clean all your battery connections, follow the wires to the other end and make sure there is no corrosion and the connections are tight. Then if it still seems slow to crank get a new battery. If it seems good again but starts showing signs of slowing down after a few days get your alt. checked properly and look for parasitic draws.
I believe (correct me) that the general rule of thumb is that the battery is at it's end of life when it reaches about 70 - 75% of it's original CCA. As mentioned above, there are many variables to these readings (i.e., temperature correction) and these meters require competent use and a bit of magic to rely on them. Your readings of 79% and near full voltage seem to indicate it had a bit of life left to it. It may have read even higher if it had been properly charged before testing.
Following up on mkg378's good advice, often batteries develop oxcide at the terminal post connection that can cause intermittent failure to start.
5 years is not too bad for battery life, especially a tiny one like yours. You won't have to worry about being stranded.
Following up on mkg378's good advice, often batteries develop oxcide at the terminal post connection that can cause intermittent failure to start.
5 years is not too bad for battery life, especially a tiny one like yours. You won't have to worry about being stranded.
Good points, Sam and mk378. At my general maintenance 2 months ago they added a task - "Clean battery terminals and inspect integrity of cables and terminals. Spray protectent on terminal ends, battery hold down and related components. Battery terminals corroded. " This is a 5 or 6 year old battery that never had any issue before. It did sit more given the pandemic we are in, but the second half of summer I've driven quite a bit.
The link below is the video of the battery check-up. Given the battery is 5 or 6 years old, I feel I got my money's worth. The starter test passed and was cranking voltage initial 12.30 v, average 11.48 v, minimum 10.84 v. The alternator test passed and the numbers are a little more complicated.
https://app.truvideo.com/v/vSMj59?s=0BbtDnsE1QkSmKaFoGN7EtX7S8LwixsR
The link below is the video of the battery check-up. Given the battery is 5 or 6 years old, I feel I got my money's worth. The starter test passed and was cranking voltage initial 12.30 v, average 11.48 v, minimum 10.84 v. The alternator test passed and the numbers are a little more complicated.
https://app.truvideo.com/v/vSMj59?s=0BbtDnsE1QkSmKaFoGN7EtX7S8LwixsR
I'm confused--it took 30 seconds of cranking? Was it really slow cranking, or normal speed?
I'm wondering if something else is wrong here, like the plugs are marginal, and it flooded out the time it didn't want to start (I do that once in a while in my Camry, let go of the key too soon, and then it takes a long crank and blows smoke).
I'm wondering if something else is wrong here, like the plugs are marginal, and it flooded out the time it didn't want to start (I do that once in a while in my Camry, let go of the key too soon, and then it takes a long crank and blows smoke).
Many times a battery is not replaced with the manufacturer’s recommended group size and power rating. What is year model of your Corolla and engine size?
Supton - I woke early and was going for a coffee / newspaper run. Cold snap that morning. I turned the key and it sounded like it was going to start then didn't. I turned the key like that maybe 6 times and it did not catch after a few seconds. I learned years ago to not press long on the accelerator pedal or you'll flood the engine, not sure about new cars today doing this, so I did not pump the pedal at all. Then I turned the key and left it there thinking this is not going to catch and start. Either the battery or starter seemed the issue to my limited knowledge. Then after maybe a half minute or full minute, it started and was smooth. I sat for a moment, breathing a sigh of relief, then unlocked the parking break and put it in drive. I went for a long smooth ride at maybe 30 mpg for 20 minutes or so. I returned to the house and shut off the engine. Then started it again and it caught right away. The next day I drove to another beach town about an hour's drive. I played tourist and each place I went I had no problem, kept the radio and a/c off. The next day I drove 4 hours home. The next day (yesterday) car started OK and today I got the car checked out and a new battery.
Hopefully replacing the battery takes care of your issue. You got new clean battery terminals and I am sure they cleaned the cables before reconnecting them so the alternator can charge the battery efficiently. Cold snaps are when bad batteries usually show themselves. Cold temps slow the chemical reaction and thus lower the available current output. Batteries use to show CCA and CA values. CCA is measured at 0F and CA is at 32F. The CA is usually 20% higher so you get an idea of how fast your battery looses power when it gets cold out. Yours measured 284 at the garage after a drive and warm up, on a cold morning it might have been less than 200. Sometimes just trying to start the car will cause the battery to heat up and provide more current but it usually does not make up for what you have drawn out trying. It sounds like you got lucky and it was on the hairy edge when cold.
I would upgrade the battery... To a higher CCA battery... A group 35 with 640 CCA that weighs 37 pounds like a East Penn battery group 35. 360 CCA is acceptable to the manufacturer but at least 550 would be better in colder places. My lady's 98 Camry takes a minimum 360 CCA battery... But I have a AGM battery that has 650 CCA in it now.
Or... If the battery tray would allow... A group 24f battery... My car specs a group 35 battery but I did manage a group 24f battery to fit.
Or... If the battery tray would allow... A group 24f battery... My car specs a group 35 battery but I did manage a group 24f battery to fit.
No problem nm...
Just a thought... I was glad to fit a larger battery in my car. The generation of VQ before mine speced a group 24f. . I'd bet the group 35 was put in to cut weight.
The lady's Camry says either group 35 or group 24f is ok to use in it.
Just a thought... I was glad to fit a larger battery in my car. The generation of VQ before mine speced a group 24f. . I'd bet the group 35 was put in to cut weight.
The lady's Camry says either group 35 or group 24f is ok to use in it.
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Go with the highest CCA battery you can find. Size 24F. Should be around 720.
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