oldtrlrnr

I have a 2006 AP2 with about 33K miles on it, and original battery. Recently I've noticed that the battery sometimes cranks the engine slowly - hasn't failed to start it except for one time when it got totally discharged cuz I left something on I guess.

I have also noticed that if I play the radio for ~ 15 minutes with the engine off, the battery will get so low that it won't turn the car over and I have to call AAA. This has been the case for over a year.

I'm thinking it's about time for a new battery, but would like to test it before jumping to that conclusion. I used to test batteries with a hydrometer, the specific gravity of the electrolyte indicating the level of charge - very old school (like me); this battery has no access ports for the cells.

Is it safe to just check the DC voltage with a multi-meter?

Any opinions on the Odyssey batteries? Are the good? Really much lighter than oem battery? Do they last longer than standard batteries?

Grateful for any suggestions.

Bob Peitzke

s2cho

if you go to auto parts or a auto store you can test your battery for free.

they test to see
-if it will charge
-how strong of a charge it can hold
-how long it will maybe last

and if it will hold a charge and its a strong charge they will charge it for a few hours or even
charge it over night for free.
i thought my battery was dead but i took it in for over night and its just like i got a new battery

strong consistent 14.5 volts all the time

and for the Odyssey batteries... its very good to save weight and space in the engine bay
but the prices kill me. my friend got one for his evo and it worked fine, but we had to gettho make a
smaller battery tray

AngryTurtle

Orly? Your 12v battery puts out 14.5v?

mister x

Like cho said, have it load tested and if it reads on the low side, replace. I been using the Odyssey PC680, it's a great battery and worth the price IMO. While a cheap department store battery may work with care and maintenance, I play the odds that a dry cell will be more reliable. You don't want a dead battery miles from the nearest bathroom with a bout of the squirts coming on.

raymo19

Er...uh...I suspect that would be the charge voltage from the alternator - sounds about right.

SgtB

Around 12.80 off, and 14.5 charging. Voltage doesn't mean anything though. You have to load a battery to test it.

2003AP1

if you dont have a load tester you can have someone start your car. As they start it take a multimeter to your battery. When they start it if the volts drop below 9.6 when they start it your battery is no good. Its not a sure fact way if it doesnt drop below 9.6, but if it does drop below 9.6 they you can be sure its bad.

AngryTurtle

Er...uh...I suspect that would be the charge voltage from the alternator - sounds about right.
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