Car batteries are sure confusing

shira

Diamond Member
Jan 12, 2005
9,500
6
81
Hope this is suitable as an off-topic subject. Please move to the Garage if that's the better place.

I still have the original OEM battery in my 2003 Acura RSX. I've unintentionally drained the battery at least 20 times over the years because of the design of the overhead driver/passenger lights (there's no chime to warn you if you open the door with one of those lights on, and I'm VERY absent minded). Thank goodness I carry around a portable jump starter.

But that OEM battery is still going strong at almost age 7. I don't understand that at all. I thought deeply discharging lead-acid starter batteries was a surefire way to kill them. What am I missing here?

Another battery mystery - I've been planning to at some point replace the OEM battery with one of the high-end after-market batteries. You know the kind: 800 cold-cranking amps, even though the OEM battery is only like 420 CCA. More is better, right? But maybe not: I've read that in order to up the CCAs, the manufacturers make the plates much thinner, so more of them can be crammed into a limited volume. And thinner plates are - it's claimed - much more vulnerable to vibration, leading to reduced lifespan. Is this true? Should one just stick to a battery that just matches the OEM battery's CCA specs?

Anyone here a car-battery expert?
 
Last edited:

FoBoT

No Lifer
Apr 30, 2001
63,084
14
81
fobot.com
Hope this is suitable as an off-topic subject. Please move to the Garage if that's the better place.


Anyone here a car-battery expert?

do you want help or just silly retorts?

if you want real help, i'll move it to the garage

in the mean time, here is a semi-relevant picture
battery.jpg
 

LTC8K6

Lifer
Mar 10, 2004
28,520
1,575
126
Every car I have ever owned shuts those lights off for you after a while if you leave them on.

Just stick with the OEM battery capacity.
 

frostedflakes

Diamond Member
Mar 1, 2005
7,925
1
81
Some batteries are designed to withstand deep cycling, that's probably the case for the one in your car. That would make sense considering the CCA you listed as well, because deep cycle batteries aren't able to deliver as much current as those not designed for deep cycling. Thicker plates is actually how they make deep cycle lead acid batteries.
 
Last edited:

jaha2000

Senior member
Jul 28, 2008
949
0
0
lots of it depends on the climate...
Cold is killer on batteries, i usually buy bigger CCA batteries where i am at due to the winters.
 

hanoverphist

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 2006
9,867
23
76
sweet arrow fobot

its off center as well as too pointy... :D

as for the battery question, i have the 900cca one in my truck where the oem was something like 600 or something like that. i drive on gravel and dirt roads often for work, as well as raw desert. ive had no issues with vibration killing my battery. ive had the same battery for over 3 years, which is a good deal for the az heat factor.
 

fleabag

Banned
Oct 1, 2007
2,450
1
0
lots of it depends on the climate...
Cold is killer on batteries, i usually buy bigger CCA batteries where i am at due to the winters.
Actually cold is good for batteries, it's the summer that kills them. The difference however is that in the summer, you get more usable capacity at the cost of damaging the batteries and in winter you get less usable capacity but you're preserving them. If you plan on storing batteries because you're not going to use them, the best place for them would be in a refrigerator believe it or not.
 

vshah

Lifer
Sep 20, 2003
19,003
24
81
Actually cold is good for batteries, it's the summer that kills them. The difference however is that in the summer, you get more usable capacity at the cost of damaging the batteries and in winter you get less usable capacity but you're preserving them. If you plan on storing batteries because you're not going to use them, the best place for them would be in a refrigerator believe it or not.

ladies and gentlemen, the thread begins



OP, my experience has been similar...my battery has died 3-4 times over the past year due to leaving stuff on/plugged in, and when i got it last tested they found nothing wrong with it. i don't know if i would pay more for a better battery when my regular one works fine.
 

herrjimbo

Senior member
Aug 21, 2001
830
11
81
Actually cold is good for batteries, it's the summer that kills them. The difference however is that in the summer, you get more usable capacity at the cost of damaging the batteries and in winter you get less usable capacity but you're preserving them. If you plan on storing batteries because you're not going to use them, the best place for them would be in a refrigerator believe it or not.

once again the master mechanic and all-over automobile know-it-all is very much in the wrong.

cold is as much of a battery killer as hot.

i'd realy like to know where you get your information.
 

fleabag

Banned
Oct 1, 2007
2,450
1
0
once again the master mechanic and all-over automobile know-it-all is very much in the wrong.

cold is as much of a battery killer as hot.

i'd realy like to know where you get your information.
Cold will NOT kill your battery, it actually preserves it. Ask anyone who knows a thing or two about batteries and you'll quickly find out that you're wrong. First link for you:http://www.ehow.com/how_5629624_preserve-life-batteries.html

Btw this isn't "automobile" but more of an electronics question/answer.
 

herrjimbo

Senior member
Aug 21, 2001
830
11
81
your link has nothing to do with lead acid batteries, which automobiles use.

try linking to the subject at hand.
 

l0cke

Diamond Member
Dec 12, 2005
3,790
0
0
Just buy an Optima red top, you will never have to buy another battery again.
 

yh125d

Diamond Member
Dec 23, 2006
6,886
0
76
Cold will NOT kill your battery, it actually preserves it. Ask anyone who knows a thing or two about batteries and you'll quickly find out that you're wrong. First link for you:http://www.ehow.com/how_5629624_preserve-life-batteries.html

Btw this isn't "automobile" but more of an electronics question/answer.

From your own link

This is also only useful for batteries that are not rechargeable.


That page is regarding like AAs and stuff, not car batteries. Once again you start spouting your blatant idiocy and spend the rest of the thread (failing) to defend yourself. I hope you're happy, you once again gave several people hours of laughs
 

fleabag

Banned
Oct 1, 2007
2,450
1
0
http://www.powerstream.com/Storage.htm
"To prolong shelf life without charging, store batteries at 10 degrees Celsius or less."

"Step by step storage procedure: 1. Completely charge the battery before storing. 2. Store the battery in a cool, dry location, protected from the elements. 3."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_battery#Battery_Storage
"Batteries should be monitored and periodically charged if in storage, to retain their capacity. Batteries intended to be stored should be fully charged, cleaned of corrosion deposits, and left in a cool dry environment."


This logic applies TO ALL BATTERIES. What doesn't apply to all batteries is what state of charge you keep them at. Lead acid like to be fully charged, Lion likes to be at 40% charge and so does NIMH and NiCd likes 0% or close to 0% state of charge.
 

Farang

Lifer
Jul 7, 2003
10,913
3
0
I just replaced my recently purchased car battery because it was defective. After spending $30 on a charger, $10 on a tester, one day late to work, and three trips to the parts store, I once again learn that going cheaper doesn't often end up being cheaper. I should've went for the DURALAST instead of the VALUCRAFT.. the names say it all.

Anyway I wouldn't worry about CCA or your battery in general until it starts causing you problems. Sounds like you have a good one.
 

bruceb

Diamond Member
Aug 20, 2004
8,874
111
106
It is a known fact that car batteries do not perform as well in very cold weather. That is why you see many people needing to call AAA or similar for a jump start in the dead of winter. That said, any car battery can fail at any time, without much warning. But if you keep the terminals tight and clean, especially on a top post battery, you reduce risk of being stuck.. A car battery, will on average, last from 4 - 6 years, depending on it's capacity, condition of charging system and cables, and outdoor temperatures. It will last longer in a warm climate.
 

cardiac

Platinum Member
Oct 9, 1999
2,082
14
81
OP, you could go approx 10-20% over your original CCA. Your stock alternator still has to charge it, but it shouldn't be a problem. I live in NW Indiana, where we have 90 degree summers and below zero winters. Lead acid car batteries don't die in the summer, here they die in the winter. If the battery is not up to full charge and it gets down in the 10-20 degree range, a lead acid battery WILL freeze. And then it is shot.

In the winter, cars are harder to crank over and drain the battery faster, due to thick oil and contracted metal....

Bob
 

vshah

Lifer
Sep 20, 2003
19,003
24
81
http://www.powerstream.com/Storage.htm
"To prolong shelf life without charging, store batteries at 10 degrees Celsius or less."

"Step by step storage procedure: 1. Completely charge the battery before storing. 2. Store the battery in a cool, dry location, protected from the elements. 3."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_battery#Battery_Storage
"Batteries should be monitored and periodically charged if in storage, to retain their capacity. Batteries intended to be stored should be fully charged, cleaned of corrosion deposits, and left in a cool dry environment."


This logic applies TO ALL BATTERIES. What doesn't apply to all batteries is what state of charge you keep them at. Lead acid like to be fully charged, Lion likes to be at 40% charge and so does NIMH and NiCd likes 0% or close to 0% state of charge.



cool and dry does not mean in a refrigerator or freezer. 10C is 50F
stop spouting nonsense.
 

fleabag

Banned
Oct 1, 2007
2,450
1
0
cool and dry does not mean in a refrigerator or freezer. 10C is 50F
stop spouting nonsense.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_(electricity)#Extending_battery_life

"Battery life can be extended by storing the batteries at a low temperature, as in a refrigerator or freezer, because the chemical reactions in the batteries are slower. Such storage can extend the life of alkaline batteries by ~5%; while the charge of rechargeable batteries can be extended from a few days up to several months"
 

vshah

Lifer
Sep 20, 2003
19,003
24
81

Farang

Lifer
Jul 7, 2003
10,913
3
0
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_(electricity)#Extending_battery_life

"Battery life can be extended by storing the batteries at a low temperature, as in a refrigerator or freezer, because the chemical reactions in the batteries are slower. Such storage can extend the life of alkaline batteries by ~5%; while the charge of rechargeable batteries can be extended from a few days up to several months"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_richard

"Blackwell was so impressed with the sound that he had Little Richard record the song. However, in order to make it commercially acceptable, he had Little Richard's lyrics changed from "tutti-frutti, good booty" to "tutti frutti, aw rooty."[24][25] (All rooty was hipster slang for "all right".) The song featured a powerhouse acappella intro "Awop-Bop-a-Loo-Mop Alop-Bam-Boom!""
 

fleabag

Banned
Oct 1, 2007
2,450
1
0
alkaline != lead acid
Look, I don't know what you want from me. I'm sorry I cannot provide you the information you are looking for. I cannot at this time find a source that satisfies your specific wording. If you can, how about you find me some sources that specifically says that storing the batteries in very cold climate will DESTROY THEM. I do not know what temperature the electrolyte freezes at but I can assure you your house freezer will not even come close to approaching that.


Take it from this guy: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/general-10/batteries-in-freezer-last-longer-536011/

"This is like comparing apples and lampshades.

Anything that can be degraded by chemical reactions will last longer at cold temperatures.

In the case of a car battery, the energy available to start the car falls off at lower temperatures AND the engine is harder to start when cold--all this increases strain on the battery.
A lead-acid battery near end of life will often not recover from discharge"


What can I say? Sure there is a higher load on the battery during a cold start (at the very least b/c of the viscosity of the fluid) but it does slow down the chemical reactions, therefore extending its life. All I can assure you is that if you plan on doing long term storage of a battery, in the case of Lead Acid, you should keep it fully charged and in a cool dry place. A freezer would be fine so long as you don't develop frost on it so putting it in a container that can keep out the water would be best.

Just because you tend to find that you replace your batteries during the winter (so does everyone), it doesn't mean winter is what is actually killing them. At the very most, winter temperatures are indirectly killing them from the extra load but that would be it.