Is my car battery dying ?

[LVSteve]

Wife was going to take our car to work for a change but it wouldn't start. Disuse has been a problem since I retired, but I did charge the battery about three weeks ago. Checked the voltage with it sitting on the drive and it was 11.47 V. I'm guessing that's not good on a modern, AGM battery. The car is a diesel, so I suppose that will find out a flaky battery double quick.

 

[Doug M.]

I'd think 3 weeks of sitting should not have that result, so ...

 

[Nevada Ed]

Did you ever notice that this usually happens when Fall arives and the frost stats to stick to the windshield? !

Not the best time to work on cars.

 

[Rudi]

A trickle charger might help.

 

[LVSteve]

A trickle charger might help.

Agreed, but this vehicle lives on the driveway with no gates in a regular neighborhood. Enter the tweakers...

 

[taz666]

Did it turn over?

 

[LVSteve]

Did it turn over?

I'll have to ask her, I was still snug in the pit. I wonder if she didn't notice the pre-heat delay notice.

 

[Ματθιας]

How old is the battery?

Heat kills everything. If your battery older it's probably on its way out.

 

[NYlakesider]

How old is the battery?

Heat kills everything. If your battery older it's probably on its way out.

Right you are, and cold will do it also Three years is a good average of battery life in my experience.

As my Vettes were good weather drivers I always had a tender on if it was going to be parked more than a couple days. So much electronic **** in new vechicles and many have a parasitic draw.

 

[Narragansett]

As said before, what is the age? Try bringing it back with a slow trickle charger.

If it needs replacing, just use OEM specs. Most all batteries are the same. Walmart, NAPA, Autozone, Advanced auto and so on. The chances are 98% that they were private labeled and made by East Penn in Reading, PA. That would also include Deka

 

[Imissedagain]

Pull the battery and charge it to AGM specs.
Load test it, and if it passes, put it back in the vehicle.
Several weeks without use, a good battery will work.
Alternators do not work well with a "bad" battery.
That's why we pull it, if you can't charge it and test,
with it in the vehicle.
I'm a retired marine electronics tech, and batteries
must be right to run the gear.
Some boats have two and some twenty.
Always fun isolating bad ones in a big bank.

 

[Autonomous]

Car batteries suffer degradation when they get below 12.3 volts.
Parasitic draw is pretty high with new vehicles.
All my trickle chargers (3) started to overcharge after a couple seasons. On my RV I put a modern digital battery charger on it every 3-4 weeks or when it gets down to 12.4 volts. No need to leave it on overnight.

 

[zogger]

Your battery is probably going to die very soon. I'd replace it ASAP.

 

[LVSteve]

I charged in the car for two hours at 4 Amps and the car started. I could not charge it for a longer period because the internal system intervened. The battery is at least 6-years old, because that's how long we've owned the car and we have never put a battery in it. I have a sneaking suspicion the battery is OEM just by looking at it. Hard to tell in the well in the trunk. Unless it was changed by the former owner in the three years they had it, it might be the original. Either way, we've probably had our money's worth.

 

[Ματθιας]

If you got 6 or 9 years out of that battery, that's crazy! I think it's replacement time.

 

[Oldengineer]

LVSteve,
I worked for the Electrical and Fuel Handling Division of Ford for a while and we (the company) were drowning in battery warranty. New vehicles that suffered from “lot rot”, I.e., hadn’t been started in months. The research showed that the concern was predominantly in the sun belt. The fix was to have the dealers start the vehicle every 2 weeks and let it run for 30 minutes. In addition, a state of charge “eye” was added to the battery. A black eye was bad news. The bottom line was don’t let the battery discharge below about 12.2 volts. These were new vehicles with new batteries. If you have 5+ years on your battery you are well overdue for a new one.

Tom H.

 

[MORSNO]

Replace your battery! Once you draw it down below 12 volts, you've basically killed it from holding a charge very long.

 

[Greyman50]

Granddaughters car battery died so I replaced it. Guy in the auto parts store told me this battery has a 3 year warranty. Just wait 2 1/2 years and turn it in for a new one. He said they never check batteries being returned.

 

[pantannojack]

I have been lucky with NAPA blue lead acid batteries. One in a 91 E350 lasted 11 years; Another in a 96 Bronco still good after 7 years. A Interstate in the Bronco worked only 3, the mom and pop outlet said my alternator was bad, but it is still working after the same 7 years. I periodically clean the cable connections and at full charge inspect the electrolyte level. These have been in cold Idaho winters and hot AZ summers.

 

[BAM-BAM]

Just put a new battery in my 2016 Nissan Frontier..... ground hard but started 2 Mondays ago in the garage......... 8 1/2 years.

New jell battery was IIRC about $260. Auto Zone...... plus tax just under 3 bills.