'92 Accord Battery Problem

Greetings To All:

I have a rather mysterious issue with the battery in '92 Accord LX (4 dr. 2.2 liter) which I have been trying to resolve. In a nutshell, the battery voltage keeps dropping to less than 75 percent (down from 12.6 v freshly charged) to about 12.25 to 12.35 v after only a few hours of sitting. This voltage drop occurs whether the battery is connected to the cables or not, and a "probe light test" revealed no hidden drain such as a trunk or glove box light. I guess my basic question is: do I need to buy a new battery? I know this may seem obvious, but a mechanic did a full electrical test on the vehicle a few months ago, and the only thing he found was that the 10 amp alternator fuse had corroded terminals. This fuse was replaced, but the alternator itself tested as good. I just tested the alternator again yesterday with a Motomaster Elminator unit from Canadian Tire, and it showed operation at 100 percent. I also charged the battery in the 12 amp mode from about 12.25 v up to 12.6 v in short order, but it quickly lost voltage down to 12.35 v within a few hours. Please note that the surface charge had been dissipated prior to all testing. The battery itself is a sealed, "maintenance-free" dealership OEM model and is less than a year old. It is the second new battery (in a row) to run low or bad in this car within the past three years. If the car sits in the garage for just a week, the voltage goes down to 11.5 v and of course the car then has to be jumped in order to start. I am relatively new to Canada, so I was wondering if part of the problem with short battery life up here may be weather related. In any event, thanks in advance for any information or suggestions. - Paul

Reply to
Paul
Loading thread data ...

Paul wrote in news:sqtg03ttotnd619922icd779bq7uf86k8e@

4ax.com:

Have you checked for charging voltage across the battery terminals? At idle it should be 14.4V.

If the battery is running down even though you have the cables disconnected, then you truly have a weird problem. I suggest trying the different manufacturer. Wal-Mart's Eveready batteries are pretty good.

It's NOT weather-related. If anything, Canada's cooler weather helps contribute to longer battery life.

Reply to
Tegger

Hi Tegger:

I pulled out my digital multimeter t>Paul wrote in news:sqtg03ttotnd619922icd779bq7uf86k8e@

Reply to
Paul

Tegger wrote in news:Xns98FFE39364520tegger@207.14.116.130:

IIRC,a fully charged lead acid battery is about 13.5 volts. I'd never buy a battery from the DEALER;who knows how long it's been sitting on a shelf(nobody buys batteries from the dealer...costs a lot more.);I bet the plates are sulfated and the battery is no good. It could even be low on electrolyte! Like Tegger said;buy a battery from Wal-Mart,save some money and get a fresher batter too.

BTW,most "maintenance-free" batteries are not really sealed,they have access caps that can be removed and distilled water added to top off the cells(and they ALL have to have vents to release the hydrogen gas generated.) Even "sealed maintenance-free" batteries lose electrolyte over time and that helps kill the battery even quicker.

Reply to
Jim Yanik

Reply to
Paul

Paul wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Bingo. The battery was probably marginal (partly sulfated) to begin with and the deep-discharge was enough to kill it.

Reply to
Tegger

Jim Yanik wrote in news:Xns990030DDF33Cjyanikkuanet@64.209.0.84:

12.65V with surface charge taken off.

Each cell of a lead/acid battery is worth approx 2.1V.

That's a "reduced maintenance" battery. If anybody's selling those as "maintenance free", he's lying.

Reply to
Tegger

That's probably it. It's not the first time I've seen a battery suffer from a total discharge.

However, 12 volts or more should not hamper starting (or operating) your vehicle and I would ignore it until it drops below 12 volts...

JT

Paul wrote:

Reply to
Grumpy AuContraire

Hi JT:

Thanks for your post. Yes, the problem is that the th>That's probably it. It's not the first time I've seen a battery suffer

Reply to
Paul

I don't notice that you say how old the battery is anywhere. If you got it from a Honda dealer, they have a 3 year free exchange warranty (no pro-rated charges until after 3 years), at least they have that here in the US. If it is still in the free period, I would take it back to the dealer where you got it and ask for another one.

Reply to
E Meyer

If it's holding twelve volts, it will start fine.

JT

Paul wrote:

Reply to
Grumpy AuContraire

Grumpy AuContraire wrote in news:7yhOh.201681$ snipped-for-privacy@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net:

The car will start fine with a battery well below 12 volts. That doesn't mean the battery is any good.

And it's hard on the alternator trying to charge a battery that won't hold

12.65V. The more amps an alt has to produce, the more heat it makes and the shorter its life.

Remember that the voltage regulator will reduce charging amps the closer the battery gets to full-charge.

Reply to
Tegger

Ah ha, even one run-it-stone-dead event can kill a lead acid battery, especially a cheap one.

John

Reply to
John Horner

You are right to replace it. A battery like that puts a great deal of extra load on the alternator and doesn't do the starter any favors either. If it can barely make 12 volts unloaded then I wonder what it collapses to under the load of starting.

Automotive batteries are not built to take the stress of full deep discharges. There are special deep discharge batteries made for marine trolling motors and such.

John

Reply to
John Horner

If the battery is loosing charge while disconnected, that is just sitting in its holder, check two things. First - ensure that the battery is clean (no dirt, etc on the outside of the case) and dry; secondly - have a mechanic do a hydrometer test to check the condition of the electrolyte. If the battery has been discharged severely, even once, it may never recover even with a full recharge.... DaveD

Reply to
Dave and Trudy

Hi: Many thanks for letting me know about that....I will certainly try to get a refund since I firmly believe the battery was bad from day one. I finally took it out of the car tonight and read the following alphanumeric info.on the label:

Group 24 - 31500 - SF1 - C11JB, Label HS2F3

I'm not sure what date of manufacture this >I don't notice that you say how old the battery is anywhere. If you got it

Reply to
Paul

Reply to
Paul

Reply to
Paul

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.