Battery issue perhaps...

[TheSiege]

I started my car and went for a 15 minute ride, the temp here is in the high 30s.
I parked my car and listen to the radio for about 5 minutes, my lights were on too, but the engine was not running.
After 5 minutes the radio had turned off, I turned off my lights and tried to start my car and it wouldn't start. The 4 lights that were on were 55w each so about 220w. The radio is stock and wasn't loud.

I jumped the car and let it idle for about 30 minutes.
I hooked up a MM and had about 12.76v
I started the car and it dropped to 9.62 under the load of the started and the charging voltage was about 13.96

Is this a pretty clear indication that its the battery?

2012 Camry Stock Battery

 

[boomerang]

Yes, it's the battery. Good job on the diagnosis. Cold weather is when marginal batteries start acting up. I just had it happen on my lawn mower.

 

[Brian Stirling]

Four years is pretty early for the battery to die. 13.96V looks OK under charge though it does tend to be a bit over 14V under charge. 9.62V when starting may be a bit low, but trying to drive the starter motor at 3HP or more is going to drop the battery voltage below 12V.

I'm guessing it's a zero maintenance battery and that it doesn't have caps for each cell so checking water level or electrolyte density may not be possible.

Typically you should expect a car battery to last more like 6-8 years with modern cars so 4 years is at the very low side of the curve.


Brian

 

[TheSiege]

Four years is pretty early for the battery to die. 13.96V looks OK under charge though it does tend to be a bit over 14V under charge. 9.62V when starting may be a bit low, but trying to drive the starter motor at 3HP or more is going to drop the battery voltage below 12V.

I'm guessing it's a zero maintenance battery and that it doesn't have caps for each cell so checking water level or electrolyte density may not be possible.

Typically you should expect a car battery to last more like 6-8 years with modern cars so 4 years is at the very low side of the curve.


Brian

It actually does have caps and water levels are good. That was the first thing I checked.

 

[Raizinman]

OEM batteries in my experience don't last as long as aftermarket. Mainly because most vehicle manufacturers only warranty them for 12 months. Likewise, you have no idea how long the vehicle sat in the factory parking lot or how long it sat at the dealership. I tend to replace my OEM battery at the 3.5 - 4.0 year range as I prefer to replace the battery on my terms rather then being stuck somewhere inconvenient. As for aftermarket batteries, depending on the vehicle and how it is driven and where it is driven (hotter weather shortens life) about 5 to 6 years is right.

 

[boomerang]

It actually does have caps and water levels are good. That was the first thing I checked.

You can get it checked out at many auto parts stores especially the chains. They'll load test it right in front of you.

 

[sontakke]

"The 4 lights that were on were 55w each so about 220w. "

Were you off-roading? Usually, if you are on the surface street in urban or semi-urban area, you will 2 lights of 55w each and NOT 4.

By the way, when I do the cost benefit analysis, at the first sign of the battery trouble and if the battery is over few years old, I put the new one first and then start looking for parasitic current etc if the new battery dies on me.

$100 battery lasting four years is $25/year. In the scheme of operating vehicle expenses, that is peanuts. I am willing to pay that to make sure I will not have to jump start the same battery twice.

 

[LTC8K6]

Check the battery voltage with the headlights on and the engine off.

If you have a bad cell, the voltage will drop right down to the 10V range.

 

[XavierMace]

Four years is pretty early for the battery to die.

Maybe where you live.

 

[TheSiege]

Were you off-roading? Usually, if you are on the surface street in urban or semi-urban area, you will 2 lights of 55w each and NOT 4.

By the way, when I do the cost benefit analysis, at the first sign of the battery trouble and if the battery is over few years old, I put the new one first and then start looking for parasitic current etc if the new battery dies on me.

$100 battery lasting four years is $25/year. In the scheme of operating vehicle expenses, that is peanuts. I am willing to pay that to make sure I will not have to jump start the same battery twice.

My fog lights come on with my headlights, by choice, 4 sources of light, which is legal. I was parked.

 

[BUTCH1]

Four years is pretty early for the battery to die. 13.96V looks OK under charge though it does tend to be a bit over 14V under charge. 9.62V when starting may be a bit low, but trying to drive the starter motor at 3HP or more is going to drop the battery voltage below 12V.

I'm guessing it's a zero maintenance battery and that it doesn't have caps for each cell so checking water level or electrolyte density may not be possible.

Typically you should expect a car battery to last more like 6-8 years with modern cars so 4 years is at the very low side of the curve.


Brian

"Modern cars" are actually WORSE on batteries than older cars. The BCM (body control module) is a small computer system that is ALWAYS running. That's how your car can receive commands from the FOB to lock/unlock/sound horn, ect. Here in FL I have yet to get to 4 years on a battery, the heat is murder on them. A lot of it's lifespan is also determined by your driving distance, short trips with a lot of accessories running means it never gets fully recharged. I only drive 2.3 miles to work so I've gotten into the habit of shutting everything down and running the engine @2K RPM for 5 minutes or so to hopefully help it out.
EDIT: Good place to learn about all kinds of batteries is "Battery University"

 

[LTC8K6]

"Modern cars" are actually WORSE on batteries than older cars. The BCM (body control module) is a small computer system that is ALWAYS running. That's how your car can receive commands from the FOB to lock/unlock/sound horn, ect. Here in FL I have yet to get to 4 years on a battery, the heat is murder on them. A lot of it's lifespan is also determined by your driving distance, short trips with a lot of accessories running means it never gets fully recharged. I only drive 2.3 miles to work so I've gotten into the habit of shutting everything down and running the engine @2K RPM for 5 minutes or so to hopefully help it out.

Just put it on a charger once in a while to fully charge it...

A 1.5A maintainer will top it off overnight. Do that every other weekend or so.

No need to try to overheat your cats with 5 minutes at 2K revs.

 

[BUTCH1]

Just put it on a charger once in a while to fully charge it...

A 1.5A maintainer will top it off overnight. Do that every other weekend or so.

No need to try to overheat your cats with 5 minutes at 2K revs.

I don't think they would overheat in 5 minutes but it does waste fuel, at least @2.10/gal it's very cheap right now.

 

[eng2d2]

Just put it on a charger once in a while to fully charge it...

A 1.5A maintainer will top it off overnight. Do that every other weekend or so.

No need to try to overheat your cats with 5 minutes at 2K revs.

Doesn't charging shorten the lifespan of battery?

 

[LTC8K6]

Doesn't charging shorten the lifespan of battery?

Relative to the recharge it gets every time you start the car?

No.

But, letting the battery go dead certainly does shorten it's life.

 

[thomsbrain]

Well, that's pretty quick to go dead, even with the lights and radio on, and since it was fully discharged, it will be weaker moving forward. Since the voltages aren't actually too bad, my guess is you could keep driving on it for a while if you drive it daily, but I'd go ahead and replace it to be on the safe side.

 

[eng2d2]

Check the battery voltage with the headlights on and the engine off.

If you have a bad cell, the voltage will drop right down to the 10V range.

Did you mean start your car? With the light the drop is very slow unless you really have a bad battery.

 

[LTC8K6]

Did you mean start your car? With the light the drop is very slow unless you really have a bad battery.

That's the idea. To spot a battery with a bad cell. When you don't have a load tester or can't crank the car.

The headlight load is typically enough to show that you have a dead cell.

It can be difficult to check cranking voltage by yourself on a modern car.

Plus, the car may not crank, and you may not know why.

No load, the battery may read 12V, and you may think it's okay. Turn the lights on and it reads 10V, and you know it's got a bad cell.

 

[eng2d2]

^^ Thanks for clarifying ^^

 

[Torn Mind]

A car that is left sitting and/ or not driven long enough distances will have its battery drained down to nothing if the battery is not disconnected. Because clocks, audio, etc all suck power.

Trickle charging is another preventative measure, although not always feasible, i.e concrete apartment parking garage or leaving it plugged outside in the elements.

Highway driving is definitely helpful in keeping the battery alive if you cannot trickle charge it.

 

[Brian Stirling]

"Modern cars" are actually WORSE on batteries than older cars. The BCM (body control module) is a small computer system that is ALWAYS running. That's how your car can receive commands from the FOB to lock/unlock/sound horn, ect. Here in FL I have yet to get to 4 years on a battery, the heat is murder on them. A lot of it's lifespan is also determined by your driving distance, short trips with a lot of accessories running means it never gets fully recharged. I only drive 2.3 miles to work so I've gotten into the habit of shutting everything down and running the engine @2K RPM for 5 minutes or so to hopefully help it out.
EDIT: Good place to learn about all kinds of batteries is "Battery University"

Yes, modern cars, very modern cars do tend to have electronics running even when the engine is off and if the car isn't driven often or if the trips are short the battery may not get fully charged and over time the battery may die. Improvements in charge circuits helped to improve battery life but the addition of constantly on electronics can reduce battery life if you don't operate the engine often or long enough.


Brian