This is glorious, I have been researching "rejuvenating car batteries" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Have you ever come across - Ammaceen Reconditioning Rabblement - (should be on google have a look ) ? Ive heard some unbelievable things about it and my co-worker got great success with it.
My former employer Johnson Controls Corp. owns 80% of the replacement battery business and acts like a monopoly. They set the price high and the other manufacturers just match it for high profits. Lead Acid batteries are the number 1 recycle product in the World, nearly 100%, so no raw material cost. It cost them, 12 years ago, about $8.00 to build and ship a battery. They manu. Sears Die Hard, Interstate, Optima, Dura Start. Ford OEM., Mercedes OEM. and on and on. They recently went on a huge price gouge. They are a monopoly and buys out competitors. The original Optima batteries, before being bought by JC last forever. I have some that are 27 years old. The newer ones have a fault built in that causes them to start loosing voltage after 5 years. Built in obsolescence.
I still have two of the originals in tractors that are 20+ years old! I have another 12 or so in cars and trucks/boats/rv's and none of them last anymore. I bought the later ones based on the performance of the originals.
I wouldn't buy optima anyways, for half the price one can goto walmart and get a battery with more AMPs and able to swap them out all over the place 24/7 compared to paying more of optima with less CCA. Matters for those of us driving diesel trucks that need the AMPs in the cold.
I have a 05 Chevy blazer with a upgraded alt that fits your silverado 2500 ... AD-244 140 amp @ idle which is 50 or 60 amps more then my old stock I no longer have dimming headlights with say the radio and AC on I have had many batteries feeling out what is good and bad... My 2 cents..Just buy whatever you want ..aslong as it has a min 5 year warranty and Try your best to get a battery no older then 6 months old I would even Leave the walmart for another one if they have older batts ...My battery is a maxx everstart 8 months now ..no issues and thats with Canadian -40c and F weather
I know I'm knit picking here but you only have one battery not 6. The individual groups of plates are called cells. You have 6 cells which come together to form a battery of cells.
It may not always be an easy repair on your car. Take the Dodge avenger and Chrysler Sebring for example. The battery is located in the driver side wheel well meaning you have to put the car up on stands to remove a battery. AGM batteries, although more expensive, have better warranties as well. And they're great for luxury cars due to their larger reserve capacity. And although disconnecting the battery when it's not used, won't stop the battery from losing it's charge. Any rechargeable battery will lose it's charge over time and should be charged periodically even when not in use, hence the use of a battery tender. Some even have a quick disconnect adapter for those hard to reach batteries.
Very well directed, created, animations, and graphics. I have seen a lot of how-to videos and this is one of the best. Thank you! off to go buy a new battery.
If your car has an ECM (computer), I'd shy away from installing a quick disconnect adapter. The computer, radio, clock, etc. need the battery power all the time. Be careful with those trickle chargers too. Ones, like the one shown in the video have a tendency to overcharge and even destroy a battery over extended use. They are usually set with a too high cutoff voltage. What they do is cycle on and off. Typically bring battery voltage up to around 14.5, then cut off, wait till the battery gets down to around 13.5 then kicks back in. I had one of these on one of my boat battery once during off season (about 8 months). When I went to start the boat next season, engine woudn't crank! Found out the float charger burn't up the battery! I may still use this charger, but only leave on my boat battery for about a week, wait 2 months, put back on for a week. That seems to work out ok.
Mostly newer BMW/Mercedes to stay away from the quick adapters. The modern ones losing electrical connection will cause a lot of faults that can only be cleared by the dealer. But even regular cars in the past twenty years, the computer learns your throttle application for best efficiency at low throttle levels. This can take several hundred miles for the system to learn. Once you disconnect, the car may feel different, and not necessarily in a good way. This is why when dealers change batteries, they usually put a temporary battery pack online to ensure the memory buffers are kept intact.
You can't go to high in the CCA rating. If your engine doesn't need the extra capacity it simply won't use it. Where an extra high CCA rating is extremely useful is in cold weather starting. A higher CCA rating means you can start your engine reliably more times that day, before failing because you have the extra standby capacity. I have see batteries with low CCA fail to start an engine in very cold winter temperatures where my neighbor could not start their car at all. My car parked right next to them started my car normally and then jump started several neighbors who could not start their car. I then drove several very short distances (not long enough to charge my battery), shut off and restarted my car easily each time (the temperatures were 35 degrees below zero Fahrenheit that winter). That is why I always get the battery with the highest CCA rating that will fit my car. It costs more but I can always start my car reliably (it only takes one breakdown for you ti regret buying a cheaper battery).
Those of us that drive diesels know all to well, add on top of cranking a high compression engine the drain of glow plugs and/or grid heaters. Walmart carries the best battery and cheapest for my application and since I have to buy 2 of them when I change batteries they are 1000CCA each, crappy optima don't make them that strong.
The battery I am replacing is a 800 cca, that's what was in the car when a family member gifted me the vehicle. I now need a new battery and living in Florida I was told I don't need another 800, a 300 to 500 would be suffient.
Yeah I'm surprised he even mentioned one of those. Not to mention on many cars you'll loose the radio functionality until you can find and plug in the code. Then have to reset all your favorite stations again.
Cheers mate,I'm not the sharpest knife in the draw when it comes to machanical issues,but you actually taught me how to go buy my new battery thank you
Fairly accurate description, the sure fire way to make your battery last for many years is simply to ensure it remains above 12.5 volts at all times, just buy and use a battery maintainer/tender.
Never use a mechanical disconnect on newer vehicles. You will lose your driveability memory in the ecm. Therefore relearn procedure is necessary for the vehicle to run correctly. Other issues - IM test, DTC, etc. Use a battery maintainer. If you have a large battery drain, get it diagnosed, or it can lead to other costly repairs.
JSYK: Johnson Controls sold-off its Power Solutions division back in 2018/2019 to Brookfield Business Partners, and has become Clarios. Also, Toyota has been using OEM batteries from Johnson Controls since roughly around 2013, and are probably still using them with Clarios. Toyota has previously used OEM batteries from Panasonic (formerly Matsushita Electrical Industrial International), including in around 2009. Sears has sold its DieHard brand to Advance Auto Parts, and their batteries are now made by Clarios. To market the announcement, they hired Bruce Willis, and you can guess what & why.
Here is what I learned as to why Auto Batteries have a short life. While in the store, I decided to pop off the caps of the new battery, to inspect the electrolyte levels. The first battery was so low that 1 of the cells had no acid above the plates. On the second and third batteries, I found them equally deficient. Having studying Automotive Technology at a Public Technical School, I knew what the remedy was. After Sears installed the new battery, I went to my local NAPA auto store and spent an additional $13.00 for 32 Oz. container of battery acid aka sulfuric acid. It took almost 8 Oz. to bring the levels to the bottom of the fill ring. That was in August, 2013, and the battery is just showing signs of failure. Recently while in Walmart, I inspected several EverStart Maxx fluid levels, and discovered the same thing. So, why does the factory not fill them to the lower ring? Because, if they did, some of the electrolyte would spill out, especially when moved with a Forklift.
The BEST vid I have seen Fast, breezy and very informative, However, he admits his chemistry is weak. My question is; what is the moving force? What force starts the whole process? , Is it somehow ignited? Is it spontaneous ?? Thank you
That disconnect at the end. Every time that is used the Car Computer will reset. That means if you are going to get an inspection, your car will fail because the computer needs at least 60 miles driven on it to be recorded in the memory. Maybe the newer model cars having a back up for the computer, but as far as older cars, it's not recommended.
Biggest scams are warrantys for a battery. Bought a battery last month. Was 7 years old. Seller said I should buy a warranty as most batteries are not good after 3 years. I picked up my new battery and said ....... No thanks my last battery lasted 7 years.... I will take my chances! I swear anything to take more $ from you.
Brian, I read that a hybrid plug in 12V battery doesn't last as long because the battery doesn't start the car and the battery doesn't get a fast discharge on a normal basis. I see a recommendation of putting it on a tender regularly to resolve the issue of film formation on the plates. The recommendation does not come with an explanation on the science. Is the recommendation true?
People always say that you should buy the most expensive battery you can so the battery won't fail and leave you stranded. But guess what, all batteries will eventually fail. You can make them last longer by taking care of them (keep them full of water if they are not sealed and don't completely deplete them if they are not deep cell batteries) but one day they will leave you stranded. A more expensive battery might give you a little more time but expensive batteries are still just ticking time bombs. So I say buy the battery with the best cost per warranty time. If you can double the warranty for less than twice the cost then go for it. But after the warranty is up, keep checking your battery and expect to need a new one sooner or later.
Good video overall but there's one small issue. Crank amps and cold crank amps are measurements of discharge rates, not capacity. Discharge rates are a measure of how much power can come out for a period of time, typically continuous OR bursts of 10-30 seconds, and capacity is a measurement of how much power the battery can actually hold, which is measured in Ah- amps per hour. Crank amps are most likely burst ratings.
CCA is a burst rating, and since Automotive batteries are normal used to just start the car, is that Burts that we car about (especially the its cold out).
Disconnecting the battery (through a device or the old fashioned way) doesn't help with self-discharge though, which can lead to sulfation and cause early battery failure as well. Connecting to a proper float charger does, and even if the battery isn't installed at the time, drastically improves it's life-cycle and shelf-life. Plus, you won't lose your radio presets and clock, or whatever... lol
Its not so easy to replace a battery on a Jaguar XF because the battery control module needs to be reset via the OBDII port and diagnostics. Its a pain because if you don't do it, the car won't charge the battery properly and will keep giving a low battery warning on the media display. A real pain!
that mechanical disconnect valve seems too much work. it would be simpler to just add a fixed breaker switch on cable couple inches from post and mounted to the side while still connect so one can just flip/open the circuit.
how do i know i can use a different car battery ? Even if it fit i want to make sure that it's ok for me to use it ?The car battery is called a ever start side post battery i thought about putting it in a 2000 saturn car or a 2002 chevy impala ?
If you replace a 12 volt car battery with another 12 car battery it will work. Here is what to watch out for. Make sure that the terminals are the same and in the same order (left to right or right to left); does it fit the space correctly (it must not be too big or two small or the bracket will not hold the battery in place and you will break the battery); does to have the same capacity (or more) than the factory recommendation (i.e. the same or more CCA is good, less is not good).
We don't have power written like that here in Europe, or at least Romania, here it's normal Ah and shortcircuit current - so I can have a 60Ah battery with 500A cranking current. Nothing about temperatures.
From personal experiance, do not use one of those disconnect devices he showed. I had one on my truck in San Diego to keep my truck from being stolen. They have a tendency to vibrate loose under normal condition causing your battery to not charge. It even worse when your driving and your engine quits running due to now current flow. BE WARNED, STAY AWAY!
In Japan they've dumbed down the battery buying process. There's no amps, chemistry or anything like that, they only have the mileage and years ratings, the higher of those two the "better" the battery is supposed to be.
Nice informative video... thanks I HAVE A QUESTION CAN YOU PLEASE REPLY IF YOU HAVE TIME? ACTUALLY I WAS WONDERING IF I CAN HOOD TWO BATTERIES TOGETHER, ONE IS 12V ACID NORMAL TRADITIONAL BATTERY AND ANOTHER ONE IS 12V DEEP CYCLE OPTIMA YELLOW TOP BATTERY. IS IT SAFE TO DO THAT FOR LONGER PERIODS? MANY THANKS AND ADVANCE..
Not a good idea. The batteries will not charge correctly since they take a recharge at different rates. You should always use 2 like batteries that are the same age.
I agree, the two different constructions require different charging. You can easily boil off the electrolyte in one battery while the second one is still not fully charged, and you could have a situation where one battery is at a higher charge level so it will discharge to charge the lower battery.
Great video to explain these starter batteries. I get a Lithium for my electric cars so I don't have any toxic LEAD. It's one of the worst pollution in the world. We took it out of paint and even gas why not car stater batteries. I use Ohmmu.com They last 3 or more times longer ,they are half the weight. The new Hyundai IONIQ Blue is the 1st automaker OEM lithium starter battery.
Complete rip off. Car batteries are the most recycle product in the World! 98% are recycled and reused including the lead, acid, and plastic. 10 years ago when I worked for Johnson Controls which owns 80% of production, it cost $7.00 to manufacture and deliver.
Most starter batteries should never fall below 8v. If the vehicle is not turned over once in a while, and sustains a very low voltage it can slowly do harm the battery.
Yes. Anything below 9 Volts is a severe problem. The battery can withstand that a few times but its very bad for the battery and the starter. It probably means that there is a bad problem that needs to be repaired. That car is probably unreliable.
yeah the battery drained itself twice for a unknown reason we never figured out but it hasn't done it since but yesterday we just got a new battery for it because the cold here in Missouri its gotten down to -26 degrees f one night and the battery just couldn't handle the cold so we got a new one and now it starts and runs just fine now
Batteries have a limited lifespan. Temperature extremes (above 90º F and below 40ºF) shorten the battery's life as does the vibrations from being inside a motor vehicle. A common failure is that vibration causes the plate material to flake off and create short circuits between the plates. If a call is effectively short circuited to another cell then you will not get the voltage from that shorted plate. If one cell is shorted then you 12 volt battery becomes a 10 volt battery. This can continue happening until there is insufficient voltage to spin the starter and fire effective sparks (generally if it falls below 9 volts while cranking then the engine is unlikely to start).
The most important number is the "resurve capacity". 800 amps for two min is useless. 800 amps for 30 min will get you going. Most batteries don't have that number one them. If the manufacturer doesn't advertise it don't buy it.
still confused, my 2012 Audi A5 Quattro battery has the following specs and I'm having a hard time finding a replacement at the chains stores, they can't even get the group number right. 8K0 915 105 D, 12V 380A 80Ah DIN, 640A EN/SAE,
I was debating a friend of mine who said "motorcycle batteries are 12v batterys jus like a 12v car battery the difference is the size not the voltage..you can use a motorcycle battery in a car " i said wtf i dont think so..so before i go any further with this stupidity..is he right?
Wow I'm glad you clarified that for him because I'm sure he didn't know that already. I'm sure he only said it was a side post battery because he didn't see the top posts, not because he was showing OEM batteries come in side post or top post depending on the vehicle
eweryone would have a Ele(c)(t)ronic charg(e)r, it (k)eeps my 5 batteries for 18 years still running good. just charge 2 times a year and check acidlevel. 0,5-1,0 cm above plate . still around 1,20-1,25-1,28 in every cell! lead and acid with removeable top is best, so you can maintain the battery. its a shame to polute the Earth with all wasted battery , when people dont know how to maintane the battery. it will last longer than 5 year, that manufactors and shop will say.
I wish optima would make higher CCA batteries, forces me to buy walmarts, 1000CCA vs 850CCA, really matters for me I drive a diesel truck. And more AMPS doesn't always mean that it cost more, the walmart battery is the CHEAPEST one, the optima is almost double the cost of for less AMPs, screw that.
Don't unplug the battery in your car without a obd2 power adapter. This keeps your computer on. If you remove the battery it can wipe all data from the computer. The car may not even Start after. Look it up Scotty Kilmer did a video recently on it