Learned something new about batteries

jeeeep

jeeeep

Hooked
last 3 weeks my Jeep has gotten slower to start, charged the battery but made no difference. I used my voltage meter tested voltage it was fine, tested alternater it was fine and starter checked out fine as well.
today while at orielly's i had them test it and they came up with the same results even under load... except their tester could test one more function CCA, turns out the CCA were not even close to the stated amount. I installed the Odyssey battery i had and bam, starts like a champ.
the old battery was the platinum die hard, guess I'll have to get another battery for my dual setup.

just thought I'd share the CCA info :beer:
 
WJCO

WJCO

Meme King
Yep. Battery voltage can read 12 even when it doesn't have enough power to run lights. Thanks for sharing. Glad you got it fixed.
 
jeeeep

jeeeep

Hooked
WJCO said:
Yep. Battery voltage can read 12 even when it doesn't have enough power to run lights. Thanks for sharing. Glad you got it fixed.
Click to expand...

yeah, that was what was really throwing me off - even when running and everything on it showed to have ample voltage. It boiled down to it not having enough cranking power.
 
W

whatroads

New member
You need to read 12.7 volts for 100% capacity. 12.6 is only 90%. My experience has shown anything at 12 or less is likely a dead cell. I've been using a travel trailer, off grid, for many years.
 
WJCO

WJCO

Meme King
whatroads said:
You need to read 12.7 volts for 100% capacity. 12.6 is only 90%. My experience has shown anything at 12 or less is likely a dead cell. I've been using a travel trailer, off grid, for many years.
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Jeeeep was just saying that even with a battery reading over 12v, it didn't have enough amperage to crank the engine. So he assumed battery was good, but it wasn't.
 
jeeeep

jeeeep

Hooked
single battery, and as WJCO stated, battery tested with ample voltage - 12.76 , even when running under load the alternator and battery tested 100% good. it was the CCA test where it failed and what was causing my weak starts.
 
srosario

srosario

New member
any one heard of "battery plus x2 power" i heard its made with the same specs of odyssey, im up for a battery and a friend recommended. also found these two wuotes not sure if true but someone with knowledge might shine in.
I ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1466474445.320665.jpg ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1466474460.115497.jpg
 
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A.J.

A.J.

Active Member
jeeeep said:
single battery, and as WJCO stated, battery tested with ample voltage - 12.76 , even when running under load the alternator and battery tested 100% good. it was the CCA test where it failed and what was causing my weak starts.
Click to expand...

CCA stands for Cold Cranking Amps. Basically it is the cranking power of the battery at 32deg or less. Higher cranking amps is also important for winching. The more cold cranking amps it has the easier it is to turn the start( or winch ) motor.
 
J.B.

J.B.

New member
It sounds like what they did was performed a carbon pile test on your battery. This is a very useful test to determine the state of a battery. The typically procedure is to charge the battery fully. Remove surface charge then perform the load test with a carbon pile tester on a bench. You run it to 50% of the battery CCA rating which is loading the battery. Hold it at 50% CCA for 15 seconds and watch the voltage meter. If the voltage drops below 9.6V then the battery is unable to handle its capable load and should be repaired or replaced. Most batteries now are maintenance free so you just replace them. The battery may still be used and last on lightly loaded circuits but will not perform as good as it should. After the 15 seconds and the load from the tester is removed the voltage should return to around 12V if the battery is good.
 
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