Honda Car Forum

Hello,
Recently went in for an oil change at 35K.
The battery load test failed on my car even
though I appear to have no starting problems.

My questions:
Besides the honda battery (delphi), are there
other good replacement batteries?

I'm looking at:
Everready (by AC delco) $65
Energizer $60
Bosch $79
Diehard $79 (Sears)

Is it normal for the battery to fail load test
at only 36K?


THANK YOU!

ap wrote:
> Hello,
> Recently went in for an oil change at 35K.
> The battery load test failed on my car even
> though I appear to have no starting problems.
>
> My questions:
> Besides the honda battery (delphi), are there
> other good replacement batteries?
>

I would get it retested somewhere else. This sounds like it could be a
profit-making "service" for the dealer.

> I'm looking at:
> Everready (by AC delco) $65
> Energizer $60
> Bosch $79
> Diehard $79 (Sears)
>
> Is it normal for the battery to fail load test
> at only 36K?

Generally not, though it depends a great deal on the history of the
vehicle. Cold winters, hot summers and lots of short trips all reduce
battery life. The biggest battery killer is running 'em down and then
jump starting. Have you ever left the lights on and killed the battery,
then needed a jump start? If so, then it is highly likely that your
battery is ready for replacement.

Consumer Reports did a battery comparison test recently. You might want
to check it out if you do need a replacement.

John

Replace the battery, it could go at any time is it worth it, to need the car
to go somewhere and the battery is dead?

Tom


"ap" <corsica@ragingbull.com> wrote in message
news:1122302819.747066.122750@z14g2000cwz.googlegr oups.com...
> Hello,
> Recently went in for an oil change at 35K.
> The battery load test failed on my car even
> though I appear to have no starting problems.
>
> My questions:
> Besides the honda battery (delphi), are there
> other good replacement batteries?
>
> I'm looking at:
> Everready (by AC delco) $65
> Energizer $60
> Bosch $79
> Diehard $79 (Sears)
>
> Is it normal for the battery to fail load test
> at only 36K?
>
>
> THANK YOU!
>

"ap" <corsica@ragingbull.com> wrote in message
news:1122302819.747066.122750@z14g2000cwz.googlegr oups.com...
> Is it normal for the battery to fail load test
> at only 36K?
>

That really depends on the climate. When I lived in Phoenix I never had a
battery survive three summers - they would almost always give up early in
the third summer (like around May, since summer there is pretty much
May-September, and it's hit 100 degrees in March.) Now I live in Flagstaff
and the only battery I've had to replace in 4 years was in a car we had
recently bought.

Other things can suck the life out of a battery, especially if they are run
down and charged by driving the car.

Mike

On Wed, 27 Jul 2005 05:49:38 -0700, "Michael Pardee"
<michaeltnull@cybertrails.com> wrote:

>"ap" <corsica@ragingbull.com> wrote in message
>news:1122302819.747066.122750@z14g2000cwz.googleg roups.com...
>> Is it normal for the battery to fail load test
>> at only 36K?

Batteries are not engine componants, they work by time, and not miles.
Was the battery topped up?

>>
>
>That really depends on the climate. When I lived in Phoenix I never had a
>battery survive three summers - they would almost always give up early in
>the third summer (like around May, since summer there is pretty much
>May-September, and it's hit 100 degrees in March.) Now I live in Flagstaff
>and the only battery I've had to replace in 4 years was in a car we had
>recently bought.

Did you let the car run for a little before turning the AC on, and
similarly turn the AC off a little bit before you turned the engine
off in Az? if not, thats what would have killed them.

>
>Other things can suck the life out of a battery, especially if they are run
>down and charged by driving the car.

Yes and no. The battery is designed to be chargable. using, and
draining and charging the battery doesn't 'damage it' per se. If it is
kept below 10V for an extended period of time (say 12 hours or more)
then it is irreperably damaged. using a trickle charger is the best
way to charge a low battery.

>
>Mike
>

flobert wrote:

> Yes and no. The battery is designed to be chargable. using, and
> draining and charging the battery doesn't 'damage it' per se. If it is
> kept below 10V for an extended period of time (say 12 hours or more)
> then it is irreperably damaged. using a trickle charger is the best
> way to charge a low battery.

Au contrar, cycling a battery, especially cycling it into a deep
discharge mode, absolutely is a major factor in it's expected life time.
Automotive lead-acid batteries do not recover well from deep
discharge events. Take almost any new conventional battery and run it
through twenty cycles of 90% discharge followed by full recharge. Most
will be dead by the end of such a torture test.

John

"flobert" <nomail@here.com> wrote in message
news:v01ie1hvmou7nejth7a0ruui64voajc0u1@4ax.com...
> On Wed, 27 Jul 2005 05:49:38 -0700, "Michael Pardee"
> <michaeltnull@cybertrails.com> wrote:
>
>>"ap" <corsica@ragingbull.com> wrote in message
>>news:1122302819.747066.122750@z14g2000cwz.google groups.com...
>>> Is it normal for the battery to fail load test
>>> at only 36K?
>
> Batteries are not engine componants, they work by time, and not miles.
> Was the battery topped up?
>
>>>
>>
>>That really depends on the climate. When I lived in Phoenix I never had a
>>battery survive three summers - they would almost always give up early in
>>the third summer (like around May, since summer there is pretty much
>>May-September, and it's hit 100 degrees in March.) Now I live in Flagstaff
>>and the only battery I've had to replace in 4 years was in a car we had
>>recently bought.
>
> Did you let the car run for a little before turning the AC on, and
> similarly turn the AC off a little bit before you turned the engine
> off in Az? if not, thats what would have killed them.
>
My car didn't have A/C but had short battery life the same as my wife's. Two
years, then replace (and that was with batteries advertised as being
designed for hot climates). On hot afternoons the temp guage would already
be off the bottom peg before I ever started the engine. The day it was 122,
when I started my car the battery simply exploded.

I also buy only full-service batteries. Sealed batteries in that heat are a
bad idea, and I just carry on the tradition here.

Mike

"John Horner" <jthorner@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:BgdGe.10564$6M3.6708@trnddc03...
> flobert wrote:
>
>> Yes and no. The battery is designed to be chargable. using, and
>> draining and charging the battery doesn't 'damage it' per se. If it is
>> kept below 10V for an extended period of time (say 12 hours or more)
>> then it is irreperably damaged. using a trickle charger is the best
>> way to charge a low battery.
>
> Au contrar, cycling a battery, especially cycling it into a deep discharge
> mode, absolutely is a major factor in it's expected life time. Automotive
> lead-acid batteries do not recover well from deep discharge events.
> Take almost any new conventional battery and run it through twenty cycles
> of 90% discharge followed by full recharge. Most will be dead by the end
> of such a torture test.
>
> John

More on that and the heat issue on William Darden's great battery site
http://www.uuhome.de/william.darden/carfaq12.htm

(The Interstate Battery map he has agrees closely with my Phoenix
experience, too: 30 months.)

Mike

On Thu, 28 Jul 2005 22:48:01 GMT, John Horner <jthorner@yahoo.com>
wrote:

>flobert wrote:
>
>> Yes and no. The battery is designed to be chargable. using, and
>> draining and charging the battery doesn't 'damage it' per se. If it is
>> kept below 10V for an extended period of time (say 12 hours or more)
>> then it is irreperably damaged. using a trickle charger is the best
>> way to charge a low battery.
>
>Au contrar, cycling a battery, especially cycling it into a deep
>discharge mode, absolutely is a major factor in it's expected life time.
> Automotive lead-acid batteries do not recover well from deep
>discharge events. Take almost any new conventional battery and run it
>through twenty cycles of 90% discharge followed by full recharge. Most
>will be dead by the end of such a torture test.

a 90% discharge takes its voltage to somewhere in the 5-6V range,
obviously that damages plates. 10V is about 50%, and is aboutt he
minimum limit for successfull resotation.

>
>John

On Thu, 28 Jul 2005 15:53:20 -0700, "Michael Pardee"
<michaeltnull@cybertrails.com> wrote:

>"flobert" <nomail@here.com> wrote in message
>news:v01ie1hvmou7nejth7a0ruui64voajc0u1@4ax.com.. .
>> On Wed, 27 Jul 2005 05:49:38 -0700, "Michael Pardee"
>> <michaeltnull@cybertrails.com> wrote:
>>
>>>"ap" <corsica@ragingbull.com> wrote in message
>>>news:1122302819.747066.122750@z14g2000cwz.googl egroups.com...
>>>> Is it normal for the battery to fail load test
>>>> at only 36K?
>>
>> Batteries are not engine componants, they work by time, and not miles.
>> Was the battery topped up?
>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>That really depends on the climate. When I lived in Phoenix I never had a
>>>battery survive three summers - they would almost always give up early in
>>>the third summer (like around May, since summer there is pretty much
>>>May-September, and it's hit 100 degrees in March.) Now I live in Flagstaff
>>>and the only battery I've had to replace in 4 years was in a car we had
>>>recently bought.
>>
>> Did you let the car run for a little before turning the AC on, and
>> similarly turn the AC off a little bit before you turned the engine
>> off in Az? if not, thats what would have killed them.
>>
>My car didn't have A/C but had short battery life the same as my wife's. Two
>years, then replace (and that was with batteries advertised as being
>designed for hot climates). On hot afternoons the temp guage would already
>be off the bottom peg before I ever started the engine. The day it was 122,
>when I started my car the battery simply exploded.
>
>I also buy only full-service batteries. Sealed batteries in that heat are a
>bad idea, and I just carry on the tradition here.

Depends on the type of sealed battery. My preference is for a sealled
gas recombination based one, with gas vent - they don't explode at
all, don't even leak fluid. Used to run them all day long in a big
plastic greenhouse, lit by some 40KW of lighting, inside an old WW2
building, with the outside temp in the 110's - not a single
roble,.Course, at $300-ish a shot for a reletively small 30Ah one,
they're not cheap, but worth it - especially since they'll do about
2000A peak output, and will take the same input as charge.

>
>Mike
>