I got a battery tester and just put it to work on my 2017 civic battery. It is original Honda battery rated at 410CCA. The test results were “normal” with 293CCA as tested and 47%SOH with 100% charge. Voltage was 12.4V or something along those lines. Can you guys help me interpret these number? Do they warrant replacement? On a side note, car starts on a first crank. Battery has never been charged with a dedicated charger. Thanks for your help.
Battery test results
- Thread starter parshisa
- Start date
Maybe in the great state of Texas where the OP is at, 60 % is OK.
But in places where it gets much colder in the winter 60 % would be risking a no start. Here in Pittsburgh PA I consider 75 % and lower as time to replace. Especially if it is in the fall or winter.
A 410 CCA rated battery that measures 293 CCA as the actual, is at 71.4 %. I would replace it if it were mine and being used here now.
The battery i replaced today was down from 680 CCA to 430 CCA. I thought it was time for replacement.
Now every DIY'er that buys a $30 battery tester is going to think their battery is bad and needs to be replaced. Even my $300 Midtronics tester will call a bad cell that miraculously cures itself after a week on a conditioner.
I've heard those thresholds before, but I'd be more hesitant to run a tiny Honda battery with just 410 CCA down to ~200 CCA than I would a larger battery (I do understand that those engines need less to start them, but still...)
I'd say that it also depends where in Texas you are. If you're further north, say, in Dallas or Amarillo, you might get a morning cold enough to push a marginal battery over the edge, but if you were in Houston or something, you might be able to get away with running a marginal battery for longer.
I'd say that it also depends where in Texas you are. If you're further north, say, in Dallas or Amarillo, you might get a morning cold enough to push a marginal battery over the edge, but if you were in Houston or something, you might be able to get away with running a marginal battery for longer.
430 CCA is perfectly fine for any car on your list, especially in CA. If my 290 CCA jump box can start a V8 with NO battery at 25*F, you'll be good.
That would be 63.2 %
I have a different idea of what safety margin means than you do. The car will be seeing subfreezing temperatures in a few days. I don't fancy much having to find a new battery around Weaverville, currently 32F, on New Year's Eve.
Yes Sir, Houston City here
Maybe. A booster pack in the trunk would be enough for me.
JHZR2
Staff member
The voltage is important. An unloaded (minimally loaded) voltage is indicative of state of charge (%). State of health is an arbitrary value based upon some calculation.
If it cranks and starts well, then no. At some point it might come back to bite you, batteries can fail instantly. My favorite (worst?) example was when driving to Chicago one time, drove all the way there, stopped to get gas in Indiana, and when I went to start the car again, it was dead as could be. No other signs when we were running the car.
But at the same time, we could have arbitrarily changed a battery for no good reason.
What the SOH is implying, when coupled with age (say over 3-4 years) is that youre nearing typical replacement. Could be longer in cooler climates, shorter in warmer ones...
Ive always said 20% capacity loss or a doubling of impedance. Notionally doubling impedance would half CCA for the same conduction voltage/drop, so this makes sense to me. We really have no good way to assess capacity. I generally just try to put a meter on during cold days and look for the minimum voltage....
Agree. The vendor generally gives a CCA value they recommend, and the replacement batteries are signficantly over that. Sometimes larger batteries are used because of the need for more energy, not power.
Better pack some Ritz crackers, too.
Thank you for prompt replies, gentlemen. On a side note, would you suggest getting a replacement battery (at some point) with substantially higher CCA or close to current one? I’ve looked up and Costco has interstate batteries (500CCA) at very attractive price compared to AZ and AAP. Would that be a go for civic?
I remember back in the day, the recommendation was 1 CCA per cubic inch displacement. So on a stock 70's 350 C.I. small block, a 500 CCA battery was considered almost overkill. 293 CCA on 1.5L Civic which is 91 cubic inches is plenty.
JHZR2
Staff member
But those cars back then didnt have as much electric draw. Forget HVAC and stereo, even just turning on the computers and fuel pumps can be quite a draw and knock down your voltage a good deal prior to crank...
Its pretty easy to figure out the current needed to turn a starter at 9-10V.
I think my Mercedes diesels are 1.7kW, and my Cummins are 2.5kW. Gas engines are less....
I think wrxsixeight said it took 170 amps to start his vehicle in a moderately cool temperature.
My car has a needed 550 cca battery. Well that is obviously at 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Which is way more than 170-180 amps to start the car. The CCA is there so that if I needed to start my car down to say -20 maybe -25°F I could still do that unaided. Coldest I have started the car was around 0 degrees F several years ago. Coldest ever seen temp in area was -12 F in January 1985. So that 550 CCA battery would obviously be just fine for that.
My car has a needed 550 cca battery. Well that is obviously at 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Which is way more than 170-180 amps to start the car. The CCA is there so that if I needed to start my car down to say -20 maybe -25°F I could still do that unaided. Coldest I have started the car was around 0 degrees F several years ago. Coldest ever seen temp in area was -12 F in January 1985. So that 550 CCA battery would obviously be just fine for that.
My starter is rated at 1400 watts output.
I measured ~1800 watts to start my 2 week unstarted 5.2 liter v8 in warm ambient temps,
A friend with same engine, but a carb, not TBI, and better tools, measured a 230 amp short lived spike just to get it turning, then a constant 180 amps until it started.
1800 watts with a battery that can maintain 12.0 volts during cranking is 150 amps.
1800 watts at 11 volts is 163 amps
1800 watts at 10 volts is 180 amps.
1800 watts at 9 volts is 200 amps of load.
So how low does your battery voltage fall when cranking the cold engine?
Its good to watch it fall as the battery ages, or in increasingly cold temperatures.
The digital voltmeter might not capture the lowest it actually falls, but when it is falling to the low 8's, its likely the starter is struggling and its cranking slowly.
A cold battery not only has less CCA and capacity, it has a more difficult task of turning the engine over.
Much more CCA than required gives a nice overhead, and allows for significant battery degradation before it can't do its job.
I can start my 2 week cold engine on a 18 amp hour 11 Lb battery, barely, and only when it was relatively new, an top charged.
I'll estimate it has 160 CCA
My regular starting battery is a group 31 Northstar AGM, with 1150 CCA.
I don't have a conductance tester, but it maintains well over 11 volts starting my cold engine and is into its third year with many deep cycles, but proper recharging.
My 4.5 year old GC-2 Deka intimidators AGM's fall to 10.23, but were not designed for starting, and only have a MCA figure of 900.
I measured ~1800 watts to start my 2 week unstarted 5.2 liter v8 in warm ambient temps,
A friend with same engine, but a carb, not TBI, and better tools, measured a 230 amp short lived spike just to get it turning, then a constant 180 amps until it started.
1800 watts with a battery that can maintain 12.0 volts during cranking is 150 amps.
1800 watts at 11 volts is 163 amps
1800 watts at 10 volts is 180 amps.
1800 watts at 9 volts is 200 amps of load.
So how low does your battery voltage fall when cranking the cold engine?
Its good to watch it fall as the battery ages, or in increasingly cold temperatures.
The digital voltmeter might not capture the lowest it actually falls, but when it is falling to the low 8's, its likely the starter is struggling and its cranking slowly.
A cold battery not only has less CCA and capacity, it has a more difficult task of turning the engine over.
Much more CCA than required gives a nice overhead, and allows for significant battery degradation before it can't do its job.
I can start my 2 week cold engine on a 18 amp hour 11 Lb battery, barely, and only when it was relatively new, an top charged.
I'll estimate it has 160 CCA
My regular starting battery is a group 31 Northstar AGM, with 1150 CCA.
I don't have a conductance tester, but it maintains well over 11 volts starting my cold engine and is into its third year with many deep cycles, but proper recharging.
My 4.5 year old GC-2 Deka intimidators AGM's fall to 10.23, but were not designed for starting, and only have a MCA figure of 900.
Technically I would agree with you. But actual CCA can be somewhat deceiving due to the batteries overall condition. Remember, using a jump starter is a one shot deal. You draw off of it for just a few seconds, then disconnect it once the car starts. And when it gets to the point where it requires recharging, it is done slowly and steadily over time, from a 120 volt outlet.
But if you're driving around with an older, dying 650 CCA rated battery, that has deteriorated to less than half that, it means your alternator and charging system is constantly working overtime, all the time your engine is running. Trying to establish a full charge the battery can't take any longer, due to it's deteriorated condition.
Over a period time it can't be doing your charging system any good. Especially in the Summer, when running high under the hood temperatures. By replacing a half dead battery with a new, fully charged one, it allows your alternator and charging system to relax, and not continually be taxed with high output, constantly trying to charge a half dead battery that won't take a full charge.
Batteries are cheaper and easier to change out than alternators.... Especially in a lot of these newer vehicles.