dead battery

[frantik]

so my battery is dead.. the last few times the car was hard to start, this time it won't even roll over once before all the lights go out

what kind of battery do i need to get, and what should i do to make sure i just need a new battery?

the car doesnt get driven a lot or for long periods.. hopefully it's not the alternator :eek:

[nswst8]

Put a voltmeter across the terminals and crank it if it drops below 9.6 volts is a bad battery. Time to replace it.

You could put a charge on it and then try the load test again and then make the judgement call. You might just need to put iy on a trickle charger if it is sitting for long periods.

[accordion89]

when my alternator went out, my idiot light went on while i was driving, idiot light is pretty good at telling you your battery is not being charged

[frantik]

how long do i need to let it sit idling to charge it up? luckily i'm also almost out of gas lol... usually the car doesn't have a problem starting once i've gotten it to start the first time, but i'd really hate to take it to a gas station and have to get a jump lol

can i just use a volt meter i use for consumer electronics that i got at radio shack or do i need a more high powered one?

[nswst8]

Anything that will read @ least 15 volts, just make sure you have it set to DC

Once you get it started, read the voltage across the battery 13.75-14.5 volts is a good reading anything lower is a sign that the alternator isn't performing as it should.

Run the car for about 20 minutes and then shut it off and start it again while reading the voltage. If it drops below 9.6 volts chances are the battery is in need of replacement.

[frantik]

http://www.3geez.com/forum/images/smilies/cheers.gif

[Hauntd ca3]

as far as charging the batt goes, if you only have one of those wee 2500milliamp ones, one of those will take 24 hours or more to charge a batt of around 400cca if its pretty flat.
try find a charger that will do 5 amps, if your batt has inspection tops that you can remove from the tops of the cells, check the electrolyte level and make sure that they are all about an inch or so from the top of the batt and charge it till the sides of he batt are warm, or all the cells are bubbling away nice and evenly

[w261w261]

Lead acid batteries don't like being totally discharged, particularly in the cold, where they can freeze. I gather that cold isn't your problem in CA, and I suspect that the battery is just kind of old and tired. Do the tests that have been suggested, and if you have to get a new battery, Autozone makes one that has been favorably reviewed, plus they have a liberal guarantee and employees that barely give a shit, so you can get a new one even if you don't deserve it. I had one that was about 2 years old that was in a car that had a slow leak, so the battery drained if you didn't start it for a couple of weeks. I didn't and it was winter, so the battery also froze. I took it back to Autozone, and this not-too-smart clerk takes out a voltmeter and says, "oh boy, it's only 2 volts." Gave me a new one. Thhhhhhhhaaaaankkk you!

[frantik]

^ thanks.. how about kragen? they seem like the same fucking store as autozone. it doesnt really matter which one i get i guess it's not like i need a specific size or voltage or anything right.. as long as it's not too dinky haha

[frantik]

i just decided to replace the battery cause i didn't know how old it was (came with the car) and when i did, i found a bunch of dried battery fluid crap around the bottom of the battery and some piece of metal which i think was causing it to ground itself... it was all super corroded in one spot for not reason. regardless, car's starting now. first time in 2010 w00t