The car battery has been a pivotal part of the automobile for a long time. The battery was a big …
The car battery has been a pivotal part of the automobile for a long time. The battery was a big upgrade from the manual crank to start systems in the old days. The main source of your batteries power used to be to provide power to the starter when you turned the key to start the car. Now days that is not simply the case. The battery provides power to all of the electronics in your vehicle. The battery voltage is maintained while driving by the alternator which charges the battery while driving. The battery carries 12 volts and the alternator actually has to charge between 13.5 to 14.5 volts to keep the battery charged at its 12 volt level. The battery uses amperage to engage the starter to start the car. Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) CCA is a rating used in the battery industry to define a battery’s ability to start an engine in cold temperatures. The rating refers to the number of amps a 12-volt battery can deliver at 0°F for 30 seconds while maintaining a voltage of at least 7.2 volts. What does this mean? Well a weak battery when put under a the load of cranking the starter will dip well below that 7.2 volt mark and will essentially not allow your car to start. That being said there are a couple of things we can do to ensure our cars start for us on a regular basis and understand what we need to look for when it comes time to replace the battery.
One of the best things you can do to extend battery life is park in a semi-climate controlled environment which would be the garage. Many people think that the winter is hardest on a battery. That is not necessarily the case. At 32 degrees F, the battery loses about 30% of its power. At 0 degrees F, the battery loses almost 50% of its power. The cold weather can cause the acid inside of the battery to gel which slows also slows the transfer of electrons between plates and thus the energy transfer. So the cold weather actually does not damage the battery, it does however make it much less efficient and essentially make its end of life cycle more apparent. The summer months are what actually damage the cars battery. A by product of the chemical reaction in the battery is lead sulfide and water. The water by product then evaporates during the summer months which lowers the level of acid inside. Inside the battery are lead plates that are surrounded by the acid. As the acid level lowers, the plates are not completely covered leading to again, decreased ability to start the car. As stated earlier that the winter hinders the ability of the battery to start the car, the warmer months still allows that battery to work even when it is not fully powered.
So putting it all together, a technically bad battery can still start a car when it is warm. A bad battery will not function when it is cold. Most batteries will only last 3 years. Batteries are not as well built as they used to be. This is mostly due to a class action lawsuit years ago. Batteries used to be pro-rated, now they have a warranty that is usually 18 to 36 months. There are only 2 main manufacturers of batteries, this brand buying is not necessarily important. So when it comes time to search for a battery, the warranty should be the key factor in purchase decision. There are different types of batteries such as AGM batteries which is Absorbent Glass Mat in which these batteries have very low internal resistance and high currents. AGM batteries are more expensive but tend to perform better and have a longer life than the conventional Lead-Acid Battery. If you have a vehicle with an excessive amount of electronics and you are willing to pay the additional cost, an AGM battery might be something to consider.
The best thing practice is to have your battery tested regularly. Many shops and stores will do this at no charge. A battery tested lower than 75% should be replaced. The test may show good but it essentially does not have much life left, and we all wait until its too late and the car will not start. In many newer cars you have a battery light that will illuminate, but some things to look for when that light is not on are odd performance issues such as delayed acceleration, weird electrical malfunctions like dash lights now working or dimming. Loss of power in modern cars will cause a lot of weird things to happen. Thus have your system checked at least once per year to make sure you stay on the road and off the back of a tow truck.
