gathermewool
Site Donor 2025
Originally Posted By: Errtt
Those eye's don't tell the whole story for all the cells.
Double check something wasn't left on (my wife probably would have found something on, and insist nothing was if I questioned it).
Good to have battery & alternator checks done at a auto chain... better than nothing for sure.
After the jump start one should (if no multimeter is on hand) check to see if the alternator light is lit.... might not go far if system is running just off of battery power providing the vehicle runs.
Good thing she got a jump start and made the drive, and they assist checking battery/alternator.
Back in the day (years), seem batteries gave an indication that it was time to replace - slow cranking for a period of time. Now, I have had some that cranked fine, next time it wouldn't crank over... dead... just like that.... fast.
My wife and I live/work 1.5 hrs apart while we save for a house and look for decent jobs in each other's area, so I wasn't close enough to do anything but walk her through the normal checks, and annoy the heck out of her by asking multiple times whether ANYTHING was on, plugged in, etc. She would admit to it if she had left something on, especially knowing the admission would save us $100.
I asked if the battery light was on while the car was running, after the jump. She said 'no'.
Originally Posted By: Chris142
That green eye is only in one cell. if I different cell is shorted that I will still be green until it drains the battery
A partially-shorted may be the answer, especially since the alternator checked out. Would the tester they use at chains have picked up a shorted cell. I would think 2VDC would be pretty obvious and show up as bad, not low.
Originally Posted By: TrevorS
You may have had a warranty on the last battery. Some factory installed batteries come with long pro rated warranties.
Might have saved some money but since you used the AAP code, its probably a wash.
I'm not sure how old it was, as the sticker must have worn off. The previous owner had all of his maintenance done at the Honda dealer and kept every single receipt. When we bought the car two years ago, no battery receipt was found, so it may be that the battery is original. Either way, I'm not sure the prorate on anemic Honda battery would be worth it. I feel much better with the Autocraft.
Originally Posted By: TrevorS
The Optima batteries are designed to resist discharge cycles as more and more owners use electronics in vehicles when they are not running. Hence Optima type batteries are found in luxury cars as standard now.
The regular lead acid battery will die after several complete discharges and lose capacity after each one.
So if your wife or car was doing something to discharge the battery, this one could have a short life as well.
However, if the previous owner did some discharges, then the life of the battery was reduced from that point and its given up after normal usage since then.
She also offered up that she never leaves the radio on or any of the interior lights on, and turns the HVAC to OFF, because that's what I told her to do. She listens to public radio and doesn't have any aftermarket electronics to drain the battery, either. I think it was just time.
Originally Posted By: DutchBrad
My buddy maintains a fleet of cars, Civics are in the lineup. He said the stock batteries don't last much more than three years for him.
They are pretty tiny. The CCA and RC of the new battery is >50% better for each spec.
Originally Posted By: hsd
Sons civic battery died and so did a new battery. Discovered it was being drained by a faulty AC clutch relay which kept clutch energized when ignition was off. Something to check if the new battery is dead after sitting a few hours.
I sure hope this isn't the case. She'll be down tomorrow night, so I'll check then. We planned on taking her car on vacation this weekend, but we'll see. I've got a bad diff in my STI and now you've got me worried about electrical issues with the Civic. At least it would be an easy fix...
Those eye's don't tell the whole story for all the cells.
Double check something wasn't left on (my wife probably would have found something on, and insist nothing was if I questioned it).
Good to have battery & alternator checks done at a auto chain... better than nothing for sure.
After the jump start one should (if no multimeter is on hand) check to see if the alternator light is lit.... might not go far if system is running just off of battery power providing the vehicle runs.
Good thing she got a jump start and made the drive, and they assist checking battery/alternator.
Back in the day (years), seem batteries gave an indication that it was time to replace - slow cranking for a period of time. Now, I have had some that cranked fine, next time it wouldn't crank over... dead... just like that.... fast.
My wife and I live/work 1.5 hrs apart while we save for a house and look for decent jobs in each other's area, so I wasn't close enough to do anything but walk her through the normal checks, and annoy the heck out of her by asking multiple times whether ANYTHING was on, plugged in, etc. She would admit to it if she had left something on, especially knowing the admission would save us $100.
I asked if the battery light was on while the car was running, after the jump. She said 'no'.
Originally Posted By: Chris142
That green eye is only in one cell. if I different cell is shorted that I will still be green until it drains the battery
A partially-shorted may be the answer, especially since the alternator checked out. Would the tester they use at chains have picked up a shorted cell. I would think 2VDC would be pretty obvious and show up as bad, not low.
Originally Posted By: TrevorS
You may have had a warranty on the last battery. Some factory installed batteries come with long pro rated warranties.
Might have saved some money but since you used the AAP code, its probably a wash.
I'm not sure how old it was, as the sticker must have worn off. The previous owner had all of his maintenance done at the Honda dealer and kept every single receipt. When we bought the car two years ago, no battery receipt was found, so it may be that the battery is original. Either way, I'm not sure the prorate on anemic Honda battery would be worth it. I feel much better with the Autocraft.
Originally Posted By: TrevorS
The Optima batteries are designed to resist discharge cycles as more and more owners use electronics in vehicles when they are not running. Hence Optima type batteries are found in luxury cars as standard now.
The regular lead acid battery will die after several complete discharges and lose capacity after each one.
So if your wife or car was doing something to discharge the battery, this one could have a short life as well.
However, if the previous owner did some discharges, then the life of the battery was reduced from that point and its given up after normal usage since then.
She also offered up that she never leaves the radio on or any of the interior lights on, and turns the HVAC to OFF, because that's what I told her to do. She listens to public radio and doesn't have any aftermarket electronics to drain the battery, either. I think it was just time.
Originally Posted By: DutchBrad
My buddy maintains a fleet of cars, Civics are in the lineup. He said the stock batteries don't last much more than three years for him.
They are pretty tiny. The CCA and RC of the new battery is >50% better for each spec.
Originally Posted By: hsd
Sons civic battery died and so did a new battery. Discovered it was being drained by a faulty AC clutch relay which kept clutch energized when ignition was off. Something to check if the new battery is dead after sitting a few hours.
I sure hope this isn't the case. She'll be down tomorrow night, so I'll check then. We planned on taking her car on vacation this weekend, but we'll see. I've got a bad diff in my STI and now you've got me worried about electrical issues with the Civic. At least it would be an easy fix...
