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Car Forum / Honda Cars / March 2007Accord 1999 - battery "tested" 209 CCA, "Replace!"? Why?
At a local oil change shop, my 8 year old car, on original battery, that has not had any problems starting this winter in below 0F temps, was tested, and a report shown to me - 209CCA, was 550CCA originally, and must replace battery. Is there any surefire way to determine whether to replace a battery? Never had a problem starting the car in cold days (-5F), on hot days (110F). Does crank slowly on cold mornings, but starts up on first try anyway. I know many people get scared with batteries over 5 years old, but is there any objective method to say a battery needs replacement, or is this "how lucky do you feel" analysis???? > At a local oil change shop, my 8 year old car, on original battery, > that has not had any problems starting this winter in below 0F temps, [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > there any objective method to say a battery needs replacement, or is > this "how lucky do you feel" analysis???? Batteries are cheap enough that it makes sense to change it before it fails. It is much better to drop $100 or less now, than to miss a day of work because your car wouldn't start and you had to get a ride to the local autoparts store to get a new battery, then futz with it in the freezing cold. There are far more reasonable things to cheap out on... > At a local oil change shop, my 8 year old car, on original battery, > that has not had any problems starting this winter in below 0F temps, > was tested, and a report shown to me - 209CCA, was 550CCA originally, > and must replace battery. Why was the battery tested?  SignatureTegger The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ www.tegger.com/hondafaq/ > At a local oil change shop, my 8 year old car, on original battery, > that has not had any problems starting this winter in below 0F temps, [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > there any objective method to say a battery needs replacement, or is > this "how lucky do you feel" analysis???? At 8 years I wouldn't even think twice about it. Just replace it. An older battery in less than prime condition can put extra strain on the alternator, causing it to fail prematurely. Signature======================================================= A very modest collection of Honda tech info can be found at: http://www.geocities.com/ng_randolph > At a local oil change shop, my 8 year old car, on original battery, > that has not had any problems starting this winter in below 0F temps, [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > there any objective method to say a battery needs replacement, or is > this "how lucky do you feel" analysis???? Well... I would have a slight suspicion on why an "oil change" joint tested an electrical component, i.e., the battery but OTOH, eight years is a stretch for any battery.. JT On Mar 6, 4:45 pm, "bwooste...@gmail.com" <bwooste...@gmail.com> wrote: > At a local oil change shop, my 8 year old car, on original battery, > that has not had any problems starting this winter in below 0F temps, [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > there any objective method to say a battery needs replacement, or is > this "how lucky do you feel" analysis???? Myself, I usually wait until the first "no start" situation...Then I chunk it.. I can tell when they are going south. But if reliability is a concern, you might as well change it out. 8 years is getting pretty old as far as batteries go. Did they check the individual cells to see if any show bad, shorted, etc? It's your call really. It might last another year, but then again, if you had an extended crank session some day, it could leave you needing a jump. A low battery voltage can add extra strain to the starter too.. MK The battery should have been replaced 4 yrs ago. It a wonder you haven't cooked that expensive alternator for making it work so hard. Batteries are cheap..but not being stranded some rainy ,cold night, getting help, the battery is probably sulfated. But some folks are lucky... wooster47@gmail.com> wrote in message news:1173221152.438279.310690@t69g2000cwt.googlegroups.com... > At a local oil change shop, my 8 year old car, on original battery, > that has not had any problems starting this winter in below 0F temps, [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > there any objective method to say a battery needs replacement, or is > this "how lucky do you feel" analysis???? >The battery should have been replaced 4 yrs ago. >It a wonder you haven't cooked that expensive >alternator for making it work so hard. Batteries are >cheap..but not being stranded some rainy ,cold night, >getting help, the battery is probably sulfated. But some folks >are lucky... I'm not convinced that an aging battery puts unusual stress on the alternator. I would be interested in hearing from an electrical engineer with specific knowledge on this. A couple tests come to mind: 1. Measure the battery voltage after it has sat overnight. If it is at least 11.0 - 11.5v it isn't going to accept much charge and shouldn't stress the alternator. 2. After a long drive, feel the battery. If it is not much warmer than its inert surroundings, then it can't be absorbing much energy. I am pretty cheap and I would consider keeping the battery until late fall. Summer heat is hard on batteries but you don't demand much cranking power from them. So, the battery is likely to serve you through the summer but would be pretty shaky for next winter. So look for a good sale in September and buy a fresh battery then. Keep in mind that I am not that concerned about battery reliability, especially in the summer. >wooster47@gmail.com> wrote in message >news:1173221152.438279.310690@t69g2000cwt.googlegroups.com... [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] >> there any objective method to say a battery needs replacement, or is >> this "how lucky do you feel" analysis???? >>The battery should have been replaced 4 yrs ago. >>It a wonder you haven't cooked that expensive [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > alternator. I would be interested in hearing from an electrical > engineer with specific knowledge on this. Here ya go. http://www.uuhome.de/william.darden/carfaq5.htm SignatureTegger The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ www.tegger.com/hondafaq/ >>>The battery should have been replaced 4 yrs ago. >>>It a wonder you haven't cooked that expensive [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >Here ya go. >http://www.uuhome.de/william.darden/carfaq5.htm I don't see anything here that addresses the question of stress on the alternator due to an aging battery. > On Thu, 08 Mar 2007 17:41:56 GMT, "Andy & Carol" > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > I'm not convinced that an aging battery puts unusual stress on the > alternator. I tend to agree. Only in the case of a huge current draw by some device like a monster stereo, radio transmitter, etc might this be an issue. And then only because it will quickly tap out a battery, and the alternator works hard trying to keep it charged. In most normal cases with a minimal current draw, it won't be an issue. I see low voltage as being harder on the starter motor, than the alternator. And even a half shot battery will not keep a low voltage long, once started. It will quickly charge to normal voltage. In other words, it still acts as normal, except as far as capacity. MK > At a local oil change shop, my 8 year old car, on original battery, > that has not had any problems starting this winter in below 0F temps, [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > there any objective method to say a battery needs replacement, or is > this "how lucky do you feel" analysis???? Take it to a place that has a carbon pile>analog meter and forget about the digital stuff. You will actually see the meter drop under load...I don't need to convince anybody that is to cheap to replace an 8 yr. old battery! 31100-PAA-A01RM W-ALTERNATOR ASSY- 1 1999 Accord 335.05 That enough to convince me! |
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