Battery dead, used for 1 year...

SD3_Driver · #1 07-05-2009, 10:11 PM

My batt. went dead thursday after little more than a year of use.. i did notice sometimes that when shifting @ 2,000rpm or below, the system voltage went below 13v, as low as 12.2v. that was with only the radio on. also my car's engine bay is notoriously hot ( turbocharger with some heat shield ) and the batt. was without its heat shield ( too narrow to fit, it was a replacement batt). what killed it, the early shifting???, the heat??? both????

diamondlarry · #2 07-05-2009, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SD3_Driver

My batt. went dead thursday after little more than a year of use.. i did notice sometimes that when shifting @ 2,000rpm or below, the system voltage went below 13v, as low as 12.2v. that was with only the radio on. also my car's engine bay is notoriously hot ( turbocharger with some heat shield ) and the batt. was without its heat shield ( too narrow to fit, it was a replacement batt). what killed it, the early shifting???, the heat??? both????

I would say that it was the heat or, possibly a bad battery to begin with.

SD3_Driver · #3 07-08-2009, 03:29 PM

^^^^^^after a week with the new batt. and a close look at the voltage, the system likes at least 2500 rpm to be "happy", still shifting @ 2000 rpm and the system stays over 13v so maybe you're correct, it was the heat...

PaleMelanesian · #4 07-08-2009, 03:44 PM

Heat. Keep a close eye on the electrolyte levels in the new battery and keep it topped up.

source: Interstate Batteries

brick · #5 07-08-2009, 05:43 PM

I think you have much bigger problems than the battery. You should be seeing well over 13V at idle, much less 2,000RPM. In other words, something is wrong with your charging system. Start by inspecting chassis grounds and cleaning them if necessary. If that doesn't help, the alternator is likely on its way out.

Elixer · #6 07-08-2009, 09:21 PM

If it's getting heat from the turbo it might be worth it to rig up some kind of heat shield. Batteries definitely last longer in the cold although they can't produce as much current when it's cold. Simple Aluminum foil is a great heat reflector and would work if something else can't be fit.

SD3_Driver · #7 07-12-2009, 08:21 PM

it's 12.8-13.0v @ idle... is that bad?????????? the OEM batt had a heat shield, that did not fit on that batt, but it fit on the new one so i'm not worried at all. and the turbo-manifold got a heat shield but still a little hotter than normal (NA car) under the hood..