Car batteries are sure confusing

[Rubycon]

You forgot to tell everyone to make sure their batteries are at sidewall pressure!

 

[FoBoT]

my local walmart keeps the car batteries in refrigerators

 

[PhoKingGuy]

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!""

This post is full of win

Good golly miss molly?

 

[Rubycon]

my local walmart keeps the car batteries in refrigerators

Which one?

http://www.peopleofwalmart.com

 

[Bignate603]

There seems to be some confusion over battery life and battery capacity for lead acid batteries. Battery life of a lead acid battery (both how long it can sit without self discharging and how many years it will last under normal usage) is better at cooler temperatures. In hot climates you may need to replace your battery more often. I live in Phoenix and people complain that many batteries only last a year or two because of the heat (cheap ones die fast, usually the better brands last noticeably longer). It's a real problem.

In cold climates the capacity (cranking amps) is reduced. This is why your car won't start on a cold morning, you don't have enough available power to get the car going. The battery was probably marginal before this and the cold put the nail in its coffin. If you charge up the battery and only use it in warm weather the battery will probably last a while longer.

Basically heat will kill a battery faster, but cold will make you notice when a battery is marginal.

 

[Bignate603]

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.

Wrong. You yourself said that cold slows down the reaction. Slower reaction = lower voltage and less available cranking amps. The same thing that increases a battery's life at cold temperatures also decreases the available power.

People replace batteries more often during the winter because the cold temperatures bring out the worst in the battery. A battery that worked ok when it was warm but not when it was cold was probably already dying. You just notice it when you combine the effects of the cold on an already marginal battery.

 

[BUTCH1]

There seems to be some confusion over battery life and battery capacity for lead acid batteries. Battery life of a lead acid battery (both how long it can sit without self discharging and how many years it will last under normal usage) is better at cooler temperatures. In hot climates you may need to replace your battery more often. I live in Phoenix and people complain that many batteries only last a year or two because of the heat (cheap ones die fast, usually the better brands last noticeably longer). It's a real problem.

In cold climates the capacity (cranking amps) is reduced. This is why your car won't start on a cold morning, you don't have enough available power to get the car going. The battery was probably marginal before this and the cold put the nail in its coffin. If you charge up the battery and only use it in warm weather the battery will probably last a while longer.

Basically heat will kill a battery faster, but cold will make you notice when a battery is marginal.

Ditto for that in FL, 3 years tops on batteries around here, the heat just nail's 'em..

 

[Rubycon]

Pb peaks at higher temps but those elevated temperatures also accelerate deterioration.

At lower temps less CCA is available and most engines need more torque to turn over. This is why large diesels use larger or multiple batteries or even pneumatic starter motors. (those are really neat!)

 

[yh125d]

Pb peaks at higher temps but those elevated temperatures also accelerate deterioration.

At lower temps less CCA is available and most engines need more torque to turn over. This is why large diesels use larger or multiple batteries or even pneumatic starter motors. (those are really neat!)

And block heaters and glow plugs

 

[yelo333]

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!""

This is awesome. :thumbsup;

 

[fleabag]

Wrong. You yourself said that cold slows down the reaction. Slower reaction = lower voltage and less available cranking amps. The same thing that increases a battery's life at cold temperatures also decreases the available power.

People replace batteries more often during the winter because the cold temperatures bring out the worst in the battery. A battery that worked ok when it was warm but not when it was cold was probably already dying. You just notice it when you combine the effects of the cold on an already marginal battery.

I don't understand how I'm wrong or you're wrong. I think you just wanted to say I was wrong just for the sake of it.. Yes, a slower reaction means less usable capacity but that doesn't mean the cold specifically destroys the battery. yes people replace batteries more often during the winter because it generally exposes the marginal batteries, like you said, for what they are.

 

[Capt Caveman]

OP - your oem battery lasted 7 years. Just go to Sears or AutoPalace and get a comparable battery and it'll last you another 5-7 years for $60-70.

Never listen to Fleabag. Any high school kid can google but comprehending what one google's is a completely different story.

 

[BoomerD]

Pb peaks at higher temps but those elevated temperatures also accelerate deterioration.

At lower temps less CCA is available and most engines need more torque to turn over. This is why large diesels use larger or multiple batteries or even pneumatic starter motors. (those are really neat!)

WHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

Lots of the big construction equipment has pnuematic starters...they wind fast...quickly.


I don't think the cold weather itself kills the battery, but the extra load on the battery and the increased starting requirements do take their toll. Between the added torque needed to start, (whether from "tighter" metal or thicker oils) plus the added demand for electrical "appliances" such as wipers, heater fans, rear window defogger, more headlight usage, etc., the battery is under a heavier load...and a marginal battery will crap out quickly under those conditions.

YES, the electrolyte in a discharged battery will freeze, and if it's totally discharged, it will probably do so at the temps of a home freezer.

I've seen fully charged batteries freeze when we were in Wyoming at -40 or colder. We had electrical battery blankets, engine block heaters, stick-on heaters for transmissions and differentials...all to keep vehicles "drivable" in the sub-zero weather.

 

[destrekor]

I was going to come in here after reading the title, and ask for fleabag's expert opinion.
Then I read the OP and was going to beg for said opinion.
Then a few more posts and I just kept reading hoping, nay, praying to deities I don't believe in, that fleabag would make a post.

Oh how my day has been made, and a new epic thread has been established. Oh sweet jesus I am ecstatic. I might need to sign up for email subscription updates for this thread, just so I don't miss anything.

 

[Rubycon]

WHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

Lots of the big construction equipment has pnuematic starters...they wind fast...quickly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI7byyL4wMA

Love it!

 

[destrekor]

OP - your oem battery lasted 7 years. Just go to Sears or AutoPalace and get a comparable battery and it'll last you another 5-7 years for $60-70.

Never listen to Fleabag. Any high school kid can google but comprehending what one google's is a completely different story.

Ah, I remember those days. Too damn stubborn to ever admit being wrong, and frenetically searching google for anything remotely close to the topic at hand, just to aid in incomprehensible rebuttals.

Still stubborn and hate admitting when wrong, but I'm much more graceful in accepting the inevitable, and much more capable with google and researching any topic. If there's anywhere close to a decent chance I'm right, I will find the knowledge somewhere and proceed to plagiarize it. That is the mark of an internet debate winner. Citing various websites in retort is just juvenile and it always shows. :ninja:

It's all about cheating. And having confidence in the art of bullshit. But to have real confidence, one must have a high level of mastery in the skill of bullshitting, which takes years of experience to hone said skill.

 

[ShawnD1]

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.

So true. I was helping my dad get the motorhome out of storage one year and the batteries were completely dead; it wouldn't turn over at all. After cleaning the terminals with a steel brush, that huge 7L engine turned over like nothing.

One of my friends cars was having problems with random stalling and power cutting out. The problem went away when the battery terminals were brushed and the connectors were clamped down as tight as possible.

OP - your oem battery lasted 7 years. Just go to Sears or AutoPalace and get a comparable battery and it'll last you another 5-7 years for $60-70

This and good tires are probably the best car maintenance you can do. Is it really worth it to save $20 and buy a piece of shit battery? For something as important as a battery, obviously not. Get a good battery.

 

[fleabag]

YES, the electrolyte in a discharged battery will freeze, and if it's totally discharged, it will probably do so at the temps of a home freezer.

I've seen fully charged batteries freeze when we were in Wyoming at -40 or colder. We had electrical battery blankets, engine block heaters, stick-on heaters for transmissions and differentials...all to keep vehicles "drivable" in the sub-zero weather.

http://www.tpub.com/content/armyordnance/OD0010/OD00100182.htm

Specific gravity of the electrolyte when it freezes.
"1.000 : 32f
1.100 : 19f
1.150 : 5F
1.200 : -16F
1.250 : -62F
1.280 : -90F"

"b. Battery capacity is greatly reduced by low temperatures because the
electrolyte thickens and is less active. In order to perform satisfactorily in
cold weather the battery must be kept in peak condition, so when the temperature
drops you will have to keep a closer watch on the battery. In cold weather do not
let the specific gravity drop below 1.250. The electrolyte is subject to freezing;
the exact freezing point depends on the specific gravity. In a fully charged
battery the electrolyte will freeze at -90°. As the specific gravity drops, the
freezing point rises. Figure 7 shows the freezing point for various specific
gravities. If the battery electrolyte does freeze, the ice forces active material
from the plates and can crack plates and containers. Let a frozen battery thaw out
in a room at normal temperature before charging. In this way the battery can be
saved if freezing has not already caused too much damage"

 

[BoomerD]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI7byyL4wMA

Love it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qaY...ORhggeg8XAC9tyutyXxQCal0anR3w7BmlY2b_ZeDWsKgZ

 

[Rubycon]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaE9pQ3MuIk&

Scary at 1:17.

 

[Paulson]

I had to replace a the OEM battery in my suburban this last winter (it's a 2001 so it got a good 7 years out of the battery... that day it was really f'n cold too, something like -30 with a windchill of -50... it was damn cold.

I put in an interstate battery for $100... hopefully it lasts a long time.

Still have the original OEM battery in my impala (2004)

 

[BassBomb]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaE9pQ3MuIk&

Scary at 1:17.

I work for MAN

 

[Rubycon]

I work for MAN

 

[DivideBYZero]

Fleabag: Google Mechanic