How long should a car battery last?
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But as per my OP it "just lost charge" between 7 & 14 days.
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So potentially at 40mA quiescent current, over 14 days it would lose 13Ah of it's capacity. Not normally a problem with the average capacity being around 60Ah, but that's going to be suffering sulphation and if the battery capacity has already been compromised by sulphation, then 13Ah could easily be enough to stop the vehicle starting.“I may not agree with you, but I will defend to the death your right to make an a** of yourself.”
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The fourth link down for me isn't a YouTube video.
There is a YouTube video reasonably high in the list, though - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COJr7!!!3Hw
If that's the one you mean, then that's not checking the CCA - Cold Cranking Amps. The big clue there is that the meter is on a voltage setting, and is in parallel to the load. It's checking the voltage of the battery, not the current being delivered. You'll note the engine-running voltage at the end. Even if it was in series with a battery lead - and capable of handling that current - it still wouldn't tell you the maximum possible current the battery is capable of delivering, any more than your test of static consumption did - all it would tell you is how much your starter motor is consuming.
To test CCA, the maximum current the battery can possibly deliver, you would need test equipment capable of managing and measuring nearly 500A for your battery. Even that wouldn't tell you anything about the capacity of your battery to store current - which is what you're complaining about.
The fact that you need to keep charging your battery while the car is in the garage merely confirms that your usage is insufficient to properly charge it - if it was, there would be no need to use a charger, nor benefit in doing so. Your current alternator problems are merely exacerbating that, and are almost certainly what's causing your battery problems, not a manufacturing failure in the battery itself.
It does when I click on it, but is now 3rd down and is 6mins 10 secs long.
Your link gives same as I obtain when trying to link to a video, "this video does not exist", hence why I linked to Google.
It shows multimeter @ 12.87 and suggest it should not drop below 10 on starting. The meter shows it dropping to 11v then back to 14v after starting.
.Don`t steal - the Government doesn`t like the competition0 -
The fact that you need to keep charging your battery while the car is in the garage merely confirms that your usage is insufficient to properly charge it - if it was, there would be no need to use a charger, nor benefit in doing so. Your current alternator problems are merely exacerbating that, and are almost certainly what's causing your battery problems, not a manufacturing failure in the battery itself.
I have always said the car gets little use, but surely if I use a charger whilst in the garage it is being charged, after all chargers are sold to charge batteries!
It does look like I am going to have to buy a new battery, but for the future bearing in mind info from this thread, will it be OK to put the battery on a charger,(4amp),via a timer for say 1 hour per day whilst in the garage, because even with a new battery and an alternator that is OK the car will still not be run sufficiently to keep charged via the alternator.
.Don`t steal - the Government doesn`t like the competition0 -
Your link gives same as I obtain when trying to link to a video, "this video does not exist", hence why I linked to Google.
Ah... The swearyfilter (or similar) has, for some reason, changed some characters in the URL - replace the three exclamation marks in the URL with the three characters O - B - 2
Indeed it does. Which is a perfectly fair test of how the voltage behaves under load. But it's not testing CCA.It shows multimeter @ 12.87 and suggest it should not drop below 10 on starting. The meter shows it dropping to 11v then back to 14v after starting.I have always said the car gets little use, but surely if I use a charger whilst in the garage it is being charged, after all chargers are sold to charge batteries!
Yes, they are. But a dumb charger is not intended to compensate for a failing charging system in the car, which is what you're using it for.It does look like I am going to have to buy a new battery, but for the future bearing in mind info from this thread, will it be OK to put the battery on a charger,(4amp),via a timer for say 1 hour per day whilst in the garage
A better solution would be to get a smart charger, which you can then leave permanently connected....because even with a new battery and an alternator that is OK the car will still not be run sufficiently to keep charged via the alternator.
As you say, it's been adequate until recently, when the charging system started to fail.
Sort the cause of the problem, not the symptom. You cannot, it seems, resolve the ENTIRE cause - because you're also unwilling to address your pattern of use of the car - but you can certainly address the additional cause which has tipped the charge from acceptable to unacceptable.0 -
The fourth link down for me isn't a YouTube video.
There is a YouTube video reasonably high in the list, though - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COJr7!!!3Hw
If that's the one you mean, then that's not checking the CCA - Cold Cranking Amps. The big clue there is that the meter is on a voltage setting, and is in parallel to the load. It's checking the voltage of the battery, not the current being delivered. You'll note the engine-running voltage at the end. Even if it was in series with a battery lead - and capable of handling that current - it still wouldn't tell you the maximum possible current the battery is capable of delivering, any more than your test of static consumption did - all it would tell you is how much your starter motor is consuming.
To test CCA, the maximum current the battery can possibly deliver, you would need test equipment capable of managing and measuring nearly 500A for your battery. Even that wouldn't tell you anything about the capacity of your battery to store current - which is what you're complaining about.
The fact that you need to keep charging your battery while the car is in the garage merely confirms that your usage is insufficient to properly charge it - if it was, there would be no need to use a charger, nor benefit in doing so. Your current alternator problems are merely exacerbating that, and are almost certainly what's causing your battery problems, not a manufacturing failure in the battery itself.
To be fair, that's on e of the better youtube videos out there about this stuff and gives a good practical base - if it passes the tests he shows then there's not a whole lot wrong with it. The only thing I'd probably do different is disable starting so that the cranking voltage is maintained for a few seconds.
In practice, you can simplify the test by doing the same but with the car in gear and the brakes hard on (assuming your car's got a manual box). You don't even need a voltmeter. If the starter solenoid stays engaged rather than clicking in & out then the battery has plenty of reserve current capacity for normal starting because it means it's holding over about 9 volts (roughly the holding voltage or most solenoids) at stall current, and stall current for a starter is WAY over anything it'll draw in normal use!
Don't hold it for more than a couple of seconds if you don't want to melt your starter though and don't repeat too often if you value your ring gear teeth
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Ah... The swearyfilter (or similar) has, for some reason, changed some characters in the URL - replace the three exclamation marks in the URL with the three characters O - B - 2
Indeed it does. Which is a perfectly fair test of how the voltage behaves under load. But it's not testing CCA.
Can,t see the 3 exclamation marks? However is irrelevant if it is not showing the CCA, bit naughty of the poster.
.Don`t steal - the Government doesn`t like the competition0 -
A better solution would be to get a smart charger, which you can then leave permanently connected.
Sort the cause of the problem, not the symptom. You cannot, it seems, resolve the ENTIRE cause - because you're also unwilling to address your pattern of use of the car - but you can certainly address the additional cause which has tipped the charge from acceptable to unacceptable.
What is a "smart charger" and how would it differ from a 4 amp charger via a timer?
How can "you're also unwilling to address your pattern of use of the car" when that is the use this car gets?
I do not want to get rid of the car completely, it serves my needs, is reasonable to run and, (apart from this issue) is pretty reliable.
A couple of years ago it was laid up in the garage on blocks for 5 years with the occasional start up, (it wasn't the intention to lay up for that length of time originally but hey),and when I put it back on the road it started up without problems and sailed through the MOT, with the battery, (not the one this thread is about obviously), on for that length of time with periodic charges via a charger.
.Don`t steal - the Government doesn`t like the competition0 -
How to probably sort out the charging voltage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdqcLdliCQs
Brush sets and regulators are available here, or possibly through your local factors. Around £10 inc post or the brush set and £25 or so for the regulator (if needed) depending on alternator part number:
http://www.jcrsupplies.co.uk/products/ALTERNATOR_REBUILD_PARTS0 -
What is a "smart charger" and how would it differ from a 4 amp charger via a timer?
A smart charger monitors the battery, and changes the charging current to best suit the battery's requirements.
A dumb charger just puts out some current, whether the battery needs it or not.
The maximum current is irrelevant to that distinction - there are high-current and low-current smart and dumb chargers.
Thank you for proving my point.How can "you're also unwilling to address your pattern of use of the car" when that is the use this car gets?
Your usage pattern is heavy on batteries. When the car was charging properly, this was not apparent, because it was at least being properly charged in the use it does get. Now that you have a charging problem, this has changed.0 -
I had a similar problem. I hardly use my car these days, driving in London now is a real pain. Sometimes it sat for months without being driven.
The remedy for me was simple. First off I charged the battery, it was ok, it held the charge.
I then bought a battery isolator switch. Very cheap to buy and very simple to fit.
So now when the car is not in use I simply isolate the battery, to prevent it from slowly draining.0
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