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Life span of a car battery


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#11
A4dave

Posted 11 August 2003 - 12:17 PM

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Lol! My radiator case also inside lifespan of battery case studies ah?Big Smile.

Errr...just to share - during my Wira days, I had one time been so busy
until I neglected my car. My car just had standard ICE - single disc
player with 3-way sony speakers at the back. My battery was 1 year old at
that time. I had to top up battery once every 3 weeks. There was once I
accidentally missed it and it stretched until 7 weeks. Finally, it died on
me. Cannot start the car ( i was at home). I checked - the battery water
completely dried up. Aiyoyo.... that time also har - i was really short of
cash, cannot afford a new battery becos oredi budgeted for milk
powder......so i quickly bought 2 bottles of battery water to fill up the
battery. Amazingly - can start wor! After that - I made sure i filled it
once every fortnightly. No problems. Used it for another 7 months before
it really konked.


#12
hfyim

Posted 11 August 2003 - 12:21 PM

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Here's a tip from the workshop. If you notice the battery caps, there's a
pin size hole in each cap. Dont cover it with chewing gum (that's what the
instructor said) or with anything else for that matter.

It's a breathing hole for the battery and the acidic battery water's
escape hatch. That's why it's good to buy that cheapo battery cover so
that your hood wont rust over time and that's also why the water needs
refilling from time to time Wink

#13
labbit

Posted 11 August 2003 - 12:26 PM

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heheh no worries..i saw this kiasu taxi driver..go to my fren
workshop..complain why kenot start bla bla... then see battery water left
2-4 CM onli..... then the mechanic scold him back lol..sure kenot start
ler..lol...

#14
Sogo

Posted 11 August 2003 - 05:44 PM

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With proper maintenance, minimum 3 years.
Dont hantam the batt until kering. 6 month oso can throw away like that.

#15
kasey

Posted 11 August 2003 - 08:59 PM

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Based on my own experience, local made lead acid batteries be it a NS60,
NS70 or DIN66, they have a life span of one year to one-and-a-half year;
it is true that some have it lasted for 2 years but those are the
exceptions, consider it a bonus. Most imported named brand lead acid
batteries have better quality, I remembered having a made in Germany LM
battery, which lasted me for about 3 years but it was priced closed to 2.5
times the price of the locally made ones. Come to think of it, I would
prefer go for the local ones and change it more often.

We frequent heard comment like - "It was OK just last night, no problem in
starting and this morning it died" or " how is that there is no warning at
all, suddenly the battery just went dead". More often than not, what
actually happened was that 1 cell out of the 6 cells in the battery is
shorted internally, because each cell`s nominal voltage is 2.1 volts so
the battery`s voltage dropped to 10+ volts instead of 12+ volts, and that
is not sufficient to power the started motor to start the engine. As of
why the cell got shorted, is mainly due to the internal plates-to-grid is
shorting over time of usage (dependent of the quality of material used);
even if you properly maintained the battery but there is nothing you could
do about the heat and vibration that it is subjected to. Heat in the
engine compartment is also a main contributor to a shorter battery life,
cars with battery housed in the trunk (or for some cars, under the back
seat) would generally last longer than those placed in the engine
compartment.

As what hfyim mentioned earlier, it is quite hard to tell because most
times there is no warning, almost no tell tail sign but one physical sign
that you can spot is if you see abnormal bulging of the side walls (the
depth side) of the battery, which means the plates expands due to usage
and the battery is due for change. I have changed my Waja`s battery last
week to a maintenance free type (NS60LSMF also 46B24L - I just want to try
it out). There was actually nothing wrong with the old battery, it was
cranking strong, full charged all the time. The thing is it is 16-months
old, it is consuming a bit of water now and I could see the sidewall is
bulging quite a bit and I do not want to be caught with a dead battery at
a wrong time and wrong place (seems it always happens in life).

Even though we can not prolong the so called "designed life" of a battery,
the following is something that we can do in order NOT to shorten its
useful life.

(1) electrolyte level - must cover the plates, if you have been brave
enough to let the plates exposed, damaged is already done when you
discovered it. Normal lead acid battery starts to consume water after
approx. 6 months of usage, it would be good to check it every one or two
week and top up with distilled water when necessary. If you need to add
water weekly, not a good sign.
(2) battery terminals are secured properly and that the mounting hardware
are properly tighten to minimize vibrations.
(3) that the battery is sufficiently charged - for those who use a volt
meter, you can do a quick check on the battery voltage if it is 12.75
volts = full charged, 12.5 volts = half charged, below 12.25 volts = low
in charge. (I prefer this than checking the SG using the hydrometer, which
could be a bit messy). A more accurate reading if you let the car sit
overnight.

Just my 02 cents

kasey.


#16
hfyim

Posted 11 August 2003 - 09:31 PM

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kasey with the details as usual, much appreciated. We once visited a
battery supplier which they used their sophisticated machine to test our
waja's battery voltage. As what you've pointed out anything above 12.75
means the condition is still good.

Is it also true with the advancement of cars with the galore of
electronics built in, the life span will thus be shorter? Gone are the
days when cars were much simpler with the electronics.

#17
neo79

Posted 11 August 2003 - 11:53 PM

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I was caught out once with a flat battery. So now, no matter what
battery, come 1.5 years, it will be changed. I dont wanna be caught out
again. And on that day the batt died, I was supposed to meet my lecturer
and man, she was pissed!!

Kasey.....

You sounds like an engineering guy..Are you?

#18
A4dave

Posted 12 August 2003 - 06:16 AM

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He sounds like a Proton engineer.... or someone who has access to Waja
technical journals.Smile

#19
yjteo

Posted 12 August 2003 - 09:31 AM

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Thanks kasey for such a detail explanation... Well I think I just need to
get my battery changed! Wink

#20
bangau

Posted 12 August 2003 - 12:10 PM

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kasey,,,you are not casey ke? the singer? Aiya...sorry la..silap orang.

Mine lasted for 1.5 years. Conked out on a perfect Sunday morning when I
was aboutt o take my inlaws for a drive in KL town. Luckily one shop was
opened. Bought one and installed it.

Always check the water level but still 1.5 years. My old Satria, with keng
keng ice oso, konked at 1.5 years too.

But my HPI and QD cars lagi kuat makan battery. After 20 minutes of hard
playing, the batteris power go down like hell. Have to recharged to get
maximum power.