lalaMAX

like stated above, because it's the third time this week i that i need to use a jumper to start up my car><....
the first two times i was installing my speaker......
and today i had the emergency light on for an hour because my friend's bike fell off the cliff...(luck that he is fine!!! and the tow truck was there)
anyway just want to make sure before i spent my money on a that battery...
if i have to replace, other questions are:
Is there any specific spec of battery am i looking for?( sorry i am newb to this, just want to educate my self...)
what do u guys recommend for battery?
what will the difference be make with the cheap but overpriced canadiantire battery?

lalaMAX

by the way... it seem fine everytime after the car gets jump start and drive a while....

Bluesbrekr

iTrader: (4)

Go to your local Auto Zone/Advance Auto/Sears. They can do an electrical system check to see what component might not be working correctly (battery/alternator)

If they check ok, you've most likely got a problem with your system wiring.

Murphy5156

The battery on my 2002 Max seems to need replacing every two years for some reason. Got one at NTB last week (on of their Optima series) and it was like $120. Not cheap, but is has 2 years free replacement and 84 months prorated. They hooked the old battery up to a tester and withing minutes determined that it was bad. Also, they check the alternator to make sure THAT'S not the problem.

Mints33

iTrader: (5)

Are you still on your original battery? If so, chances are you have a dead cell in your battery. Instead of providing 12v+, it may only be at 8v which isn't enough juice to start your car. However, once started by jumping, your alternator takes over and runs your car, but it puts more stress on your alternator. Sears Diehard Gold is a good battery. I replaced my original w/ a Autozone Gold series battery about 2 months ago, but I don't know if you have Autozone in BC. Optima Red is over rated!

Get Sears to test your battery first, should only take a couple of minutes.

02theMax

iTrader: (2)

I found that my water level was low. I topped up each cell and charged it, I haven't had any problems in over 6 months. Don't just buy a new battery check it out first.

misiek

iTrader: (2)

test it first... but if u do need a battery go with an optima

lalaMAX

got no autozone in here, Canada... the only place i can find optima is Walmart, but not sure if they have my size...
is it free to test the battery in US? coz in canada, everything have to pay.... not to mention the autozone free clear code....

02theMax

iTrader: (2)

Free test at Canadian Tire if you have one in your area.

LA02MAX

iTrader: (3)

I ran on my original battery until this past summer with >50k miles and it was still fine I didn't notice any difference at all after installing my redtop

But I agree with Bluesbrekr...they do the diagnostic test pretty quickly

lalaMAX

does battery make difference?
like redtop vs. some canadian tire cheaper ones...
or i should look for the longest warrentee?

Mints33

iTrader: (5)

I'm sure a lot of batteries are manufactured by the same company, but w/ a different sticker for the brand name. A Cdn Tire battery is probably as good as any other (Sears, Costo, etc...), but I would get one w/ a decent warrantry on it. 3 year free replacement, and 7 or 8 year pro-rated sounds good. However the pro rated part is pretty much useless getting close to the end of the warranty period.

Optima Red top only carries a 2 year free replacement, if you have some aftermarket system which draws a lot of power, then the Optima may be a good choice, but if you're stock, no need to spend the extra bucks on nothing.

Batxel

iTrader: (1)

Optima has 3 year free replacement. At least mine came with one when I bought it from sears

twitch579

Get a battery load tester. Surface charge should be around 12.45 volts, under load the battery should hold at least 10-11 volts for at least 10 seconds. Load testers (load meters) are available at Sears or flag down a Snap-On truck.

lalaMAX

i got an aftermarket sub and a in-dash dvd...
but i thought after u start up the car, u dun need the battery anymore, i thought we got a pretty big alternator isn't it?

Mints33

iTrader: (5)

Do you have red or yellow? I was looking at a red at Autozone, and when the salesman checked the warranty on his system, he says it only shows 2 years.

lalaMAX

anyway, today i went into Wal-Mart with my stock battery, so they have a test. i realise that my battery liquid was way below the minimum level, only have around 1/3 left, and that mec said that the battery is bad and need to replace it. Only one battery came up it's an Energizer which has 640-800 CCA
which cost me only 76.98 CDN with 2 year replacement warrentee + another 7 years warrentee. i check out the optima redtop, the cheapest one was 189.99 CDN with 3 years replacement warrentee and additional 7 years warrentee. only one year difference, with more then twice of the price, plus two mec advice me for the Energiser, as a result, i went with the cheapo energiser.


I did check the Canadian tire battery, the cheapest motomaster was like 98 CDN another better one was like 148 CDN, ofcouse i'll get the cheapo walmart one.

The question is: 1.will 640 CCA good enough for our cars?
2.Anybody using energizer with problems?

Thanx alot...

madisonmxma

one of the easiest ways to test the battery is to do an open circuit voltage test with a volt meter. (It's just putting the leads across the battery posts.) A battery with a full charge will be about 12.6 volts, and a battery with under 12 volts probably won't start your car. Then Start your car and put the leads back on the battery posts and you should get a voltage of about 14.2 to 14.8 volts. If you don't than it could be a problem with your alternator.

KRRZ350

iTrader: (29)

I always found it kinda funny that panasonic made car batteries. I'm sure an energizer car battery is the shiznit, come on now, they keep going and going and going......Anyways back to the original question.....

Add distilled water to each cell, then charge (preferably overnight), then test the "specific gravity" of each cell (the eye dropper with ***** in it) then perform a 'load test' using, you geussed it, a 'load tester' available from sears for $25.

or the cheaper way is to add water, charge it overnight, check the cells and specific gravity yourself, then bring it to autozone to have it load tested.

02theMax

iTrader: (2)

Yep just like I said earlier. Just buy some water from Canadian tire fill up all 6 cells and charge it back up over night. Your battery is probably still OK you just need to refill it and make sure it holds it's charge. I'd try that first at a cost of like $2 as opposed to dropping $80 to $120 on a new battery, it's up to you though.