On 2005-05-18 loewen_tatyahoo.ca@ said: >Newsgroups: alt.autos.honda >Thanks for the info Tom. >This was a Motomaster Eliminator from Canadian >Tire up here in Canada. They are notorious for >being of low quality. I also have one for my 98 >civic, and I have to say I am not impressed, I >will probably go for a Honda OEM battery next >time, my original lasted over 8 years! >However, it is not a maintenance free battery. >I pulled the caps off, just to make sure the >water level was good, but did not perform any >other tests on the electrolytes. >So the big question here, is 800mA enough to >drain a battery over night, or a couple days? >Terry We don't know what the capacity is, since cranking batteries are rated in cranking amps.
But, I have a Group 27 fishing battery here, 12" x 6 1/2" x 8" = 624 cu. in., 115 AH capacity.
My mid-80's Civics use a Group 51, 9" x 5" x 8" = 360 cu. in.
Capacity might be proportional to volume. 360 / 624 = .577 x 115 =
66 AH for Civic battery.
If the battery were fully charged (it wasn't), .8 A would discharge it in 82 hrs.
Based on the terminal voltage reading you gave, I'd guess it was about 1/3 charged. So you're probably in the ball park.
Crappy batteries usually come with their plates only partially formed, and need a stiff initial charge. Start at around 10 hr. rate (capacity / 10), monitor voltage, limit it to 16 V. When current falls to, probably, 2 A, you're done. Leave the cell caps on, so you don't get acid sprayed around. (removing caps for charging is an old mechanic's tale!; so is putting it on a board.)
Don't do this to a sealed battery.
Tom Willmon near Mountainair, (mid) New Mexico, USA
Judging from the taste, I'd say the other one is shinola.
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