Car Battery

B

Boro_Interlinked

Well-known member
Think I'm on dodgy ground. Even though I have a plugin voltmeter display which is fitted in the 12v socket I have failed to watch what's been going on. for some time. Last night I noticed before ignition it's reading 11.9v I came back inside and did a few web lookups and seems I'm on borrowed time. It should be 12.6. Even at 12.2 they say its a 25pc charge. and below 12 they reckon it shouldn't even start the car, Ooops. This could be me doing just doing really short journeys , since covid hit. The car starts ok and when engine running the display reads 14.5v. Is this a rescuable situation ? If so what's the best method. Attach a charger or just run the car out on much longer journeys? Does higher revs and speed count or is it the same as sat in the drive in neutral on idle. It's a Nissan Note just 12 yrs old and I've had it 5years but I don't know if the prev owner changed the battery , prob not as it was just 7yrs old when I bought it. None of my 2 previous cars to this which I ownerd 4 and 5 years needed a change of battery whilst I had them so I'm well out of practice of battery diagnostics. I do remember my dad when I was a kid , he was always hoofing them out the car and topping up with distilled water, or on overnight trickle charge.
 
At least your alternator is ok. If you have a smart charger or trickle charger then put it on and top the battery up for a few hours then check it again and see if it holds or alternatively go for a 30min drive and check it afterwards. If it’s fine then try and do a longer drive every 3 weeks ish to top it back up.
 
Given that it is still starting the car even though it was pretty chilly last night I wouldn't worry too much about it. Buy one of the battery booster gizmos if you need your car to be reliable search Amazon for "Jump Starter Power Pack" you will get one for about £60-70 and it can double as a mobile phone charger.
 
Firstly sitting on idle won't charge the battery as well as a decent run. Alternators depends on speed of rotation to charge. They are better than old dynamos and should charge at slow speeds just not as well.

Secondly you don't have sufficient voltage in the battery. Try turning everything on at Idle and see how low it drops.

You can charge the battery indoors and retest. This will tell you whether you need a new battery or its just residual drain from not driving the car. Remember the car uses power even sat on the drive for the alarm and central locking.

If your car is going to be sitting for long periods and it's garaged get a trickle charger to keep it topped off.
 
Thanks all, so far. Been out to it in drive now first time today , and I didn't know it was gonna be a chilly night, anyway it reads 11.3v :eek: but I didn't start it as can't go out yet I don't have the security code to unlock the Nissan Connect navigation and control system so I'm not gonna hoink the battery out or disconnect Have been in the garage and found 3 battery chargers but can't remember which my dad last used - they are all at least 35 yrs old , lol. Ill put a chareger on and then I'll have to plan a 1hr run out today later on , if I get it started.
 
If it starts I wouldn’t worry too much, the alternator is obviously fine. You could by a charger for forty or fifty quid or just buy a new battery for about sixty. The better will be a sealed one, don’t try topping it up with distilled water, that won’t end well.
The thirty odd year old ones - sling them.
 
A car battery is usually fine until it is isn't. Warning signs that the battery is on its way out are that when starting the car, the starter motor sounds like it is struggling to turn the engine over. At that ppoint, it is worth getting a new one.

Short journeys will not help.

The cost of buying an emergency starter thing is about the same price as getting a new battery, so to me makes little sense.
 
Steer said:
The cost of buying an emergency starter thing is about the same price as getting a new battery, so to me makes little sense.
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Exactly. Just get a new battery. They are cheap online and easily installed. I think I paid about £40 for one a year ago for my van.
 
MolteniArcore said:
Exactly. Just get a new battery. They are cheap online and easily installed. I think I paid about £40 for one a year ago for my van.
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A word of caution on buying a new battery, don't go cheap, if you can afford better. Calcium batteries are rated at about 50,000 starts and usually get a 5 year garuanttee, lead acid about 20,000.
 
I also have a Nissan Note, 2010 model. My battery went about 18 months ago . It was still running on the original Nissan battery until then. Just got up one day and couldn't even open the central locking. Sorry I can't remember where I got the replacement battery from.
 
So , looked at the battery and it even has a porthole window on top . which is supposed to tell you health indication. Mine looks totally clear and the legend says clear - needs charging, when it should look green to say it's ok. Wow , didn't know batteries now have windows. I'm so far behind :( Also there was a sticker on it , no manufacturer at all just black plastic all round, saying 2016 so I guess the old owner put that in and it's 7 yerars old. As it's not raining , put one of the chargers on it in situ in the drive, seems to be doing a trickle something as the needle moved. Went round the local motor factors on foot. A new decent one is 62 quid whereas a 1 yr gtee 'who knows what's inside it' as the man said ,is 42 quid. But , they don't fit them , used to but not now. Simple for you lot , but there is a 4inch depth recess to get to the nut holding the battery clamp and I ain't got those tools. That's fine , not decided yet. Will keep it on charge for 2-3hrs , read the voltage then decide if I go out for a 90m run to see where we are.
 
Laughing said:
A word of caution on buying a new battery, don't go cheap, if you can afford better. Calcium batteries are rated at about 50,000 starts and usually get a 5 year garuanttee, lead acid about 20,000.
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Tis true, I bought a battery online and thought I'd got a great bargain. Lasted about a year..🤦
 
The Card Cheat said:
Tis true, I bought a battery online and thought I'd got a great bargain. Lasted about a year..🤦
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20k starts is 7 starts a day for 8 years...

Batteries shouldn't fail after 1 year, even cheap ones.

The RAC and AA sell batteries and they are usually competitive.
 
Boro_Interlinked said:
So , looked at the battery and it even has a porthole window on top . which is supposed to tell you health indication. Mine looks totally clear and the legend says clear - needs charging, when it should look green to say it's ok. Wow , didn't know batteries now have windows. I'm so far behind :( Also there was a sticker on it , no manufacturer at all just black plastic all round, saying 2016 so I guess the old owner put that in and it's 7 yerars old. As it's not raining , put one of the chargers on it in situ in the drive, seems to be doing a trickle something as the needle moved. Went round the local motor factors on foot. A new decent one is 62 quid whereas a 1 yr gtee 'who knows what's inside it' as the man said ,is 42 quid. But , they don't fit them , used to but not now. Simple for you lot , but there is a 4inch depth recess to get to the nut holding the battery clamp and I ain't got those tools. That's fine , not decided yet. Will keep it on charge for 2-3hrs , read the voltage then decide if I go out for a 90m run to see where we are.
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If you don't know how to do it or don't have the tools just call out rac or whatever and buy one off them and they'll fit it for you / warranty it
 
Thanks all. After 25m went out to look at the charger and the needle was at zero. Initial reaction was , Yeah great, charged battery, second reaction was , ah no , these things don't charge like that, they need hours. So nothing to be done but reset the connectors . and it's back on again. Rest of today is trying to build this rescue package for what I have, as losing 60 notes on a new power pack wasn't in this months budget. It's nice learning all this new stuff ...that I've forgotten :)
Feel it was preventable though , probably by not keeping an eye on it over last 6 months. But at 53 I now can't keep track of whether I put the kettle on on my way out of kitchen or whether I just meant to put it on and got distracted by another thought. Consequently I find myself retunring to the kitchen frequently just to peek at the kettle :D
 
Eurocar Parts over Stockton do batteries, I bought on for my old Golf diesel & it ran great from then..

The struggling starter as mentioned earlier is a good sign it's on its way out.. my Golf had intermittent lights on locking the car (usually all) putting main lights on & if they dim immediately (engine off) is a sign it's on its way out also.
 
I did a youtube search on how to change my battery. Looked an absolute nightmare so just took it to Halfords. If it’s straightforward you can save £20 if you do it yourself.
 
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