thank you!! keep the ideas coming!! i will buy a new battery now. would be a pain to have the battery fail! my daughter's did, and my wife's did, too. $100 to keep a car running
bob
bob
when replace battery?
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In my vehicles I've always replaced batteries at about the 5 year mark. None of my vehicles have ever been stranded by a dead battery, and I'll do all that I can to make sure that never happens to either me or my wife. I've used Interstate batteries for as long as I can remember.
The idea of my wife being stranded with a car that won't start in -20 temperatures simply because I cheaped out and hoped a battery would last longer isn't something that I'll accept.
The idea of my wife being stranded with a car that won't start in -20 temperatures simply because I cheaped out and hoped a battery would last longer isn't something that I'll accept.
5-6 years, although sometimes you can get a bit more out of them.
I can tell when they get a bit tired, you can hear it when the starter kicks over when its cold out.
I can tell when they get a bit tired, you can hear it when the starter kicks over when its cold out.
living in an apartment i cant jump my truck, so i replace my battery every 2 years, and replace my starter every 4 years. i think its cheap insurance.
Originally Posted By: morris
...replace my starter every 4 years...
You're joking....right?
...replace my starter every 4 years...
You're joking....right?
what would do if you had no garage in front of your truck? most of my life my truck was in front of my garage, so a no start in the morning was not a trouble. but now i dont even HAVE a garage.
There are circumstances for which aggressive pre-emptive replacement of potentially troublesome parts makes sense. Morris, your situation sounds like one of them.
My September 2003 Nissan started cranking slower this winter (we are in the middle of it downunder). No probs methinks, we don't go far in it.
Then one afternoon a few weeks ago, we get a call from the school to say that my daughter was on an excursion to Bathurst, it's snowing, and they are about to close the road...get over there and get her.
Mrs. picked me up in the Nissan (Wouldn't have liked the Caprice with single wheeler diff when we've got a 4WD), and the first thing that I noticed was that the clock had reset - 2 weeks previously when she had issues starting it one day apparently.
Had my heart in my mouth the entire 5 hour return trip, and changed the battery the next day (Mrs "tested" it, and headlights with car off lasted 15 mins)
Then one afternoon a few weeks ago, we get a call from the school to say that my daughter was on an excursion to Bathurst, it's snowing, and they are about to close the road...get over there and get her.
Mrs. picked me up in the Nissan (Wouldn't have liked the Caprice with single wheeler diff when we've got a 4WD), and the first thing that I noticed was that the clock had reset - 2 weeks previously when she had issues starting it one day apparently.
Had my heart in my mouth the entire 5 hour return trip, and changed the battery the next day (Mrs "tested" it, and headlights with car off lasted 15 mins)
^lol, love that ending mate.
Update on my end:
Stopped by interstate Battery for a battery test. Their tech was knowledgeable and wasn't pushing a new battery on me. He somehow measured the temp of the engine bay or battery, it was registering at 123 degree F after a long drive mid-afternoon. Ambient temp was 95 degrees F or so.
It scored 473 on CCA(not sure if that is the one at the lower temp or not), but it was compared against 550 CCA so it came out as 'marginal'(86% capacity compared to 'new' battery) and that it may fail in extreme heat over time or in extreme temps(below 21 degree F). At least this is what the print out said.
Also, it registered the battery at 13.4V.
Lastly, they checked and my alternator was putting back 14+ volts to the battery upon restart of the engine off battery test.
So, my plan is to make it through this summer and this winter on this battery. Replace later.
Stopped by interstate Battery for a battery test. Their tech was knowledgeable and wasn't pushing a new battery on me. He somehow measured the temp of the engine bay or battery, it was registering at 123 degree F after a long drive mid-afternoon. Ambient temp was 95 degrees F or so.
It scored 473 on CCA(not sure if that is the one at the lower temp or not), but it was compared against 550 CCA so it came out as 'marginal'(86% capacity compared to 'new' battery) and that it may fail in extreme heat over time or in extreme temps(below 21 degree F). At least this is what the print out said.
Also, it registered the battery at 13.4V.
Lastly, they checked and my alternator was putting back 14+ volts to the battery upon restart of the engine off battery test.
So, my plan is to make it through this summer and this winter on this battery. Replace later.
I've been stranded due to a dead battery. Never again!! They can fail suddenly. This is one of those things you should pre-emptively replace. I replace mine every 5 years (I live in a mild climate ). If you live in a very hot climate, replace every 3 years. In colder climates you can go 6-7 years. This assumes you don't abuse your battery by draining it to 0% or start up the car, move it 15 feet, turn it off, then start it up and move it another 15 feet, etc.
BTW, if your battery is not located in the front engine bay, there should still be jumper access points there somewhere
BTW, if your battery is not located in the front engine bay, there should still be jumper access points there somewhere
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Originally Posted By: tonycarguy
I've been stranded due to a dead battery. Never again!! They can fail suddenly. This is one of those things you should pre-emptively replace. I replace mine every 5 years (I live in a mild climate ). If you live in a very hot climate, replace every 3 years. In colder climates you can go 6-7 years. This assumes you don't abuse your battery by draining it to 0% or start up the car, move it 15 feet, turn it off, then start it up and move it another 15 feet, etc.
A brand new battery can fail, too...
There's no magic to this, and changing it just based on time doesn't make much sense to me. There are a lot of different things which influence battery life: original battery quality, driving habits, ambient temps, current draw, maintenance practices... Changing it 'just because' seems to me like changing your oil every 3K for 'good insurance'.
Your best bet is simply to take the guess work out of it. Test the battery after a long drive when it's fully charged. In some cars (Fords) you can pull this info up on the dash by entering into test mode. Otherwise, use a multimeter.
This is from Exide's handbook:
Temperature: 57 degrees Fahrenheit
Percent Hydrometer Unloaded
charge reading voltage
100 1.258 12.59
75 1.203 12.26
50 1.153 11.96
25 1.113 11.72
0 1.093 11.60
Every 10 degree F is about .02 in voltage up or down
I don't do a lot of short trips and I live in a mild climate. So, even though I have a lot of high-draw accessories running off of my battery, it's rare than I'll get less than 7 years out of a battery. Check it and remove the guesswork. If it's below 11.8 in a full state of charge, I get rid of it. 12.0 would give you a bigger safety margin.
I've been stranded due to a dead battery. Never again!! They can fail suddenly. This is one of those things you should pre-emptively replace. I replace mine every 5 years (I live in a mild climate ). If you live in a very hot climate, replace every 3 years. In colder climates you can go 6-7 years. This assumes you don't abuse your battery by draining it to 0% or start up the car, move it 15 feet, turn it off, then start it up and move it another 15 feet, etc.
A brand new battery can fail, too...
There's no magic to this, and changing it just based on time doesn't make much sense to me. There are a lot of different things which influence battery life: original battery quality, driving habits, ambient temps, current draw, maintenance practices... Changing it 'just because' seems to me like changing your oil every 3K for 'good insurance'.
Your best bet is simply to take the guess work out of it. Test the battery after a long drive when it's fully charged. In some cars (Fords) you can pull this info up on the dash by entering into test mode. Otherwise, use a multimeter.
This is from Exide's handbook:
Temperature: 57 degrees Fahrenheit
Percent Hydrometer Unloaded
charge reading voltage
100 1.258 12.59
75 1.203 12.26
50 1.153 11.96
25 1.113 11.72
0 1.093 11.60
Every 10 degree F is about .02 in voltage up or down
I don't do a lot of short trips and I live in a mild climate. So, even though I have a lot of high-draw accessories running off of my battery, it's rare than I'll get less than 7 years out of a battery. Check it and remove the guesswork. If it's below 11.8 in a full state of charge, I get rid of it. 12.0 would give you a bigger safety margin.
THANK YOU GUYS!!!!
replacing battery today. my wife AND my daughter's car both were stranded by batteries. never again. this fall my battery would be 4 yrs old. enough is enough
best
bob
replacing battery today. my wife AND my daughter's car both were stranded by batteries. never again. this fall my battery would be 4 yrs old. enough is enough
best
bob
^I believe the concern is if one is 'headed that way', developing a bad cell and degraded performance(define 'hard to crank', different for each app/conditions outside), so some prefer to replace a battery short of 'failure' to save the alternator from overworking. You could have a 'bad' battery and be driving with it down the road and it not show those 'definite' signs such as hard to crank or worse. Depends on your app and if you have increased demand on the electrical system with monitors, subs etc etc; just from what I've gathered so take it with a grain of salt.
If someone knew when it was going to fail, then that would be different. Rarely do we have an indicator that is noticeable. I recommend people carry jumper cables.
I had a friend who owned a Mazda B2200 manual. He push started his truck for over 3 months before buying a new battery.
For several weeks, my dad jump started his bike everyday to go to work. Then one day some guys decided to steal his bike, broke the ignition, and attempted to hotwire it. They actually had it done right, but couldn't get it started because the battery was dead. It was rather funny to us after it was fixed.
I had a friend who owned a Mazda B2200 manual. He push started his truck for over 3 months before buying a new battery.
For several weeks, my dad jump started his bike everyday to go to work. Then one day some guys decided to steal his bike, broke the ignition, and attempted to hotwire it. They actually had it done right, but couldn't get it started because the battery was dead. It was rather funny to us after it was fixed.
Originally Posted By: bigmike
I've never replaced a battery until it was hard to crank or died. Doesn't make sense to me to do anything otherwise.
Maybe it doesn't make sense in Florida, but if you ever had a battery fail at night in sub zero temperatures after you've been working for the last 18 hours, or at 20 degrees when you need to make it home before a snowstorm you might have a different mindset.
Heat kills batteries, but a damaged, marginal battery often won't completely fail until the coldest winter day. Since the original poster is in Massachusetts I suspect he may also see some cold winter weather-not exactly weather in which you want to stand around with jumper cables in your hand hoping someone will come to your rescue.
I've never replaced a battery until it was hard to crank or died. Doesn't make sense to me to do anything otherwise.
Maybe it doesn't make sense in Florida, but if you ever had a battery fail at night in sub zero temperatures after you've been working for the last 18 hours, or at 20 degrees when you need to make it home before a snowstorm you might have a different mindset.
Heat kills batteries, but a damaged, marginal battery often won't completely fail until the coldest winter day. Since the original poster is in Massachusetts I suspect he may also see some cold winter weather-not exactly weather in which you want to stand around with jumper cables in your hand hoping someone will come to your rescue.
I usually manually kill mine and warranty it out before I need to purchase a new one. The interstate guy shows up and I hand it to him. Can't remember the last time I purchased a battery
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Originally Posted By: bigmike
I've never replaced a battery until it was hard to crank or died. Doesn't make sense to me to do anything otherwise.
Maybe it doesn't make sense in Florida, but if you ever had a battery fail at night in sub zero temperatures after you've been working for the last 18 hours, or at 20 degrees when you need to make it home before a snowstorm you might have a different mindset.
Heat kills batteries, but a damaged, marginal battery often won't completely fail until the coldest winter day. Since the original poster is in Massachusetts I suspect he may also see some cold winter weather-not exactly weather in which you want to stand around with jumper cables in your hand hoping someone will come to your rescue.
And if he buys a battery now it could have been made in February. If he can hold it out through the first cold snap in December he'll get one made in November as the stores will suddenly have fresh stock!
Originally Posted By: bigmike
I've never replaced a battery until it was hard to crank or died. Doesn't make sense to me to do anything otherwise.
Maybe it doesn't make sense in Florida, but if you ever had a battery fail at night in sub zero temperatures after you've been working for the last 18 hours, or at 20 degrees when you need to make it home before a snowstorm you might have a different mindset.
Heat kills batteries, but a damaged, marginal battery often won't completely fail until the coldest winter day. Since the original poster is in Massachusetts I suspect he may also see some cold winter weather-not exactly weather in which you want to stand around with jumper cables in your hand hoping someone will come to your rescue.
And if he buys a battery now it could have been made in February. If he can hold it out through the first cold snap in December he'll get one made in November as the stores will suddenly have fresh stock!
Manual transmission.
I've push started my car for weeks when the starter was intermittently going out and you can hold off on changing your battery until you know its really time.
I've push started my car for weeks when the starter was intermittently going out and you can hold off on changing your battery until you know its really time.
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