Replacing battery soon! Options? Recommendations?
06-24-11, 05:25 PM
#16
Thankfully I've never had to replace a battery on any of my cars, so bear with me on this question if you deem it a stupid one, but I'm genuinely curious for my future knowledge. Why would I ever spend more than $75-100 on a car battery, unless I have some crazy sound system setup or something that draws more power than usually necessary? Batteries to me (and again, I've never done the requisite research because I haven't had to, but that's why I'm asking) are kind of a commodity.
So what would a very expensive battery offer you over a $100 battery?
Also, as far as installation, I was under the impression it was fairly plug-and-play; take the old one out, stick the new one in. Is there anything complicated? Why would I need someone to install it?
So what would a very expensive battery offer you over a $100 battery?
Also, as far as installation, I was under the impression it was fairly plug-and-play; take the old one out, stick the new one in. Is there anything complicated? Why would I need someone to install it?
06-24-11, 07:03 PM
#17
Super Moderator
If you like to sit in the parking lot watching movies or listening to the stereo with the engine off, a deep cycle battery like the Optima yellow top is a much better choice than a conventional battery. Regular car batteries are designed to produce a large amount of power to start the car, and then immediately get recharged by the alternator. They are permanently damaged and won't last long if they are repeated discharged. Deep cycle batteries, on the other hand, produce a bit less starting power, but CAN withstand being repeatedly discharged.
06-24-11, 08:04 PM
#18
For most older cars, it is basically plug-and-play. For ours, there's that protector thing that people sometimes have issues removing and little spacing is another problem. Otherwise, nothing more than disconnecting the terminals, out with the old and in with the new, and reconnecting them. Lots of places offer free battery installations with purchase since it's pretty easy and less time consuming.
06-24-11, 08:09 PM
#19
If you like to sit in the parking lot watching movies or listening to the stereo with the engine off, a deep cycle battery like the Optima yellow top is a much better choice than a conventional battery. Regular car batteries are designed to produce a large amount of power to start the car, and then immediately get recharged by the alternator. They are permanently damaged and won't last long if they are repeated discharged. Deep cycle batteries, on the other hand, produce a bit less starting power, but CAN withstand being repeatedly discharged.
, so I wait in my car and listen to the radio with the engine off. Usually I do this for an hour! Then I installed so many LEDs that drain my battery without the engine running. Now my battery indicator or magic eye is being bipolar. I brought a new battery and was right about to install it and noticed the indicator says "Okay" now! WTF! Last night it said it needed charging, now I'll just wait until winter starts to replace it.
06-24-11, 08:20 PM
#20
Super Moderator
I'll be interesting in hearing whether adding all of that distilled water revived your battery. From your description in the other thread, it sounds like it was almost down to the top of the plates.
06-24-11, 08:30 PM
#22
Do you think a volt meter can tell? I tested the battery when it said it needed a charge, and read 12.4 volts. I think I want to retest now to see what voltage it gets.
06-25-11, 06:53 AM
#24
Super Moderator
The magic eye is a chemical hygrometer that measures the specific gravity in just one of the six cells in your battery. It can be a quick way to spot a problem in your battery when you are under the hood, but it isn't a complex diagnostic system, nor is it sufficient to relieve you from the maintenance task of periodically opening all six caps and checking the water level.
The proper procedure for testing a battery is to adjust the level of electrolyte, fully charge the battery, and then perform a load test.
Last edited by Bichon; 06-25-11 at 10:33 AM.
06-25-11, 12:45 PM
#26
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I got a optima red top.probably never gonna buy nothing but optima from now on.But if you dont wanna spend the money and you dont power amps then you can go with anything.
06-25-11, 08:05 PM
#27
When you mean adjusting electrolyte level, to change the amounts of water? Adding some and removing some? Any way to determine if the cells are still good and able to hold charges?
06-26-11, 06:00 AM
#28
Super Moderator
Well, I installed the new battery today regardless. I got a Duralast Gold with 750 CCA for $115 which comes with a 3/yr free replacement. I tested my old battery with a volt meter and got 12.5 before I returned it to Autozone for a core refund. Strangely, I had to add 2 cups of water to the new battery to make it full. Now, my engine crank is better than before.
It means adding distilled water to bring the electrolyte to the correct level. To check for bad cells, charge the battery to 12.4 volts or higher, and use a hygrometer to check the specific gravity of each cell. A reading below 1.225 means you found a bad one.
