I DROVE INTO THE SERVICE BAY TODAY OUT OF 5 DEGREES COLD. THE SERVICE ADVISOR IMMEDIATELY POPPED OPEN MY HOOD AND CHECKED MY BATTERY. HE SAID IT WAS A 570 CCA
BUT IT WAS ONLY PUTTING OUT 450 – SO IT WAS BEGINNING TO FAIL. DID I WANT A NEW BATTERY TODAY AT $98.00?
I THINK MY BATTERY WAS COLD. I SHOULD HAVE ASKED FOR A CCA CHECK WHEN IT HAD BEEN IN THE SHOP FOR 2 HOURS.
INFORM ME PLEASE FRANK
Did you ask to have the battery checked or was it there idea? How old is the battery?
I would expect a battery to rate low when it is cold, but frankly I really don’t know as I have never had one tested. Every time I have replaced a battery it was because it was clearly almost dead or I replaced it because I could tell it was slowing down and I also knew it was like five years old and was due.
How was the car starting?? Sounds like they are trying to sell you something you don’t need. Wouldn’t be the first time…and won’t be the last.
How old is your current battery?
Putting out only 450?! In 5F weather? That’s adequate for a small engine. No reason to assume imminent failure.
You don’t say what car or battery group size, so it sounds like sales commission time. Car batteries are best purchased at places like walmart and auto parts stores, not at dealerships, where mark up and an install labor charge is put on the bill.
It may be near zero now, but that’s when the dealer saves up for his new boat!
Seriously, tell us what you drive and how old it is. If you can read it, get the battery ID and send it to us as well.
So what was the reason you drove into the service bay in the first place?
Please don’t post in all caps.
I was bringing my odyssey in for an oil change and a tire leak I guess it is a 660 cca 2 years old I think I’ll wait til it doesn’t start at 15 below as it did fine earlier this week. I did hear them sell a couple batteries as I sat in the customer area.
sorry about writing in caps
frank
it is … 2 years old I think … I did hear them sell a couple batteries as I sat in the customer area.
You did well to be suspicious. I would consider looking for somewhere else for my car service.
Note: If that was a dealer, there is no reason you need have your car serviced at a dealer. As long as you maintain it according to the owner’s manual and keep records your warranty will be valid. You can continue to have any warranty work done by the dealer (it will not be free elsewhere.) Dealers are no better or worse that independents but they almost always cost more.
It’s difficult for me to comment about this battery test since it’s unclear to me why or even how this battery was tested and determined to only be putting out 450 amps. A very unusual way of claiming a weak battery IMHO since I’ve never heard of or been involved with a testing method like that; if there was a testing method involved. If this was related to you by a service writer then I’m a bit dubious about it.
Ideally, the battery should go on the battery charger for a minimum of .5 an hour and a load equal to 3X the normal starter current draw of a warmed up engine applied for 15 seconds. The normal current draw usually has a 300 amp surge and a steady 125 amp curent draw. This varies a bit due to a number of factors (type of oil, starter wear, compression ratio, engine wear, ambient temperature, engine block temp, etc.). Diesels excepted of course.
At the end of 15 seconds the battery should have maintained a voltage of approx. 10.2 volts at a minimum. Lower than that means a shaky battery.
(Current draw means the amount of amps required to spin the starter.)
How can I check a battery to see if it IS the battery or the alternator? Do I disconnect the negative or the positive to see if it still runs? The truck runs fine after a jump, but when turned off , needs another jump.
In your particular case, most likely the battery is at fault, particularly if it is not holding a charge from one starting event to another. To check at home, jump start or crank up the vehicle, while running check voltage at the battery with volt meter. Ought to read around 13-14 volts if I remember correctly. That means alternator is OK. If your battery is not that old check for corrosion and clean terminals and tighten before you jump to conclusions about replacing battery.
Why are you going to wait till it doesn’t turn over? You said you thought it was a 660 CCA, but how did you arrive at that? Anyway, a 570 or 660 CCA battery in good shape should be able to crank your engine below: [-15 degrees F]. Why in heck this guy is trying to draw 450 amps is beyond me. The strength of a battery is indicated by the CCA rating which came out in like the late-60?s. The people in the battery industry
made it easy: the mechanic cuts the CCA # in half (330 for a 660CCA battery) ; and draws that number of amperes of current for 15 seconds with his load tester, then stops. At the last instant before the end of the 15 seconds he notes the battery voltage. (The load tester has a voltmeter built into it.) For a battery temperature above 70 degrees F if the voltage is 9.6 or above, battery is good.
60 degrees??9.5
50 ? 9.4
40 ? 9.3
30 ? 9.1
20 ? 8.9
10 ? 8.7
0 ? 8.5
Feel battery to get good estimate of battery temperature. Before any of this can be done battery has to be at least 75% charged up. With key off; all electrical things turned off, battery voltage is measured : [12.6: 100% charged] [12.5: 85%] [12.4: 75%]. Run this stuff by the guy if you want! Maybe take this post to a friendly Pep Boys/Autozone/Advanced Auto. Maybe you can get the guy to follow these guidelines. Good luck, post back.
ok4450 nailed it, as usual. Sounds like he has access to a Sun VAT-60, or similar testing apparatus, that counts down the seconds that a battery is under a load similar to starting and gives the voltage at the end of the test. To say that a battery is only putting out 450 amps is bogus to say the least. You did well not to fall for it.