4 year old battery

Measuring 12v with the car off and 14v on. Should I plan for a new battery soon?

 

dont understand battery anxiety/paranoia

short suburban jaunts

commuter bump & grind

not the best yet a direct result of life styles & environs

not unusual the batt is in deficit

still not yet ready for a new one..................subject to the SAME circumstances

 

Thats not how you test a battery. That sounds ok voltage though

 

4 years old probably. A decimal point to the 12 volts might help but 4 years is about right for a flooded cell battery

 

Well at least your alternator is in good shape. The cranking amps of your battery are the real thing in question, and with cold weather that is what is crucial. You can go to Autozone or any other parts store and they'll typically test your battery for free and determine if it's almost time for replacement or not.

 

14 volts running means your alternator is working. Turn on a few electrical loads like blower fan and hi beams, see if it stays up around 14 volts, it should

For the battery itself, try this. Disable the fuel pump (pull a EFI fuse) and crank the engine over for a good 5-6 seconds while watching the meter. If the voltage drops below 10.0 the battery is weak.

An even more backyard trick is to simply leave the headlights on for 10-15 minutes and see if the engine will still start. A strong battery should be able to run headlights for at least 15-20 mins and still start the car.

*actual length of times above are just a rough example, if you want a more accurate method of testing buy a battery tester

 

It would be better to know the number AFTER the decimal point.
Ideally, you want 12.6+

However, you test a better under load.
So the voltage in a battery not under load, really doesn’t help in this situation.

 

I never could plan on replacing a battery because there is no way to ever know how long a batt. will last. Many get replaced before the free replacement warranty is out & many last waaaaay longer than the complete pro rated warranty period. I've never replaced any battery till it shows some sign of a problem, but that's just me.

 

YUP. On a well maintained vehicle the battery will give you plenty of notice. Much like water pumps and alternators.

 

Not unless it gives you trouble. If you are worried get a NOCO battery jumpstarter.

 

Fully charged battery 12.6 volts, running 13 volts or better. Battery's should last 5 years over that who knows. Toyota seems to have good battery's Johnson Controls makes for them.

 

Some of the better multimeters have a peak high and low feature. Connect it to your battery, set the meter for peak low dc volts, start the engine. It'll record the lowest point the voltage dipped to. Trying to do the same with a digital multimeter without the peak feature isn't possible. It'll flash a lower number, but it's not the same, I've tried.

Here's the part that's subject to interpretation. Starter voltage drop test, 10.5 or below is what used to be taught but I think that was because alternators were set to charge to 14.7. Now I'm seeing brand new vehicles charging to 14.2, starter voltage drop testing showing 10.2 on a new vehicle. A recent training video I watched said 9.6 or below is a fail, this seems very low to me, so low that a battery with that result would noticeably crank slow, as in battery is weak.

I have a battery load tester that will fail every battery I put it on other than one that's brand new. So I only use it, along with a amp clamp, to put a load on the battery, with the engine running, to test the alternator charging output. If the belt is loose, it's best to adjust before this test or the belt will squeel like crazy. Really, I rarely do this test because the load tester is so dang big.

Battery terminals and posts get dirty, acid covered, oxidized, corroded over time. A cleaning with baking soda and a battery brush will do wonders. If your terminals need soaking to get clean, the best thing I ever used is soda as in coke, diet coke, pepsi, whatever. Battery terminal protector, everyone has their opinion, everyone is right. Nothing, huge gobs of axle grease, felt discs, spray on stuff, pick your poison.

Parts stores are in business to make money selling parts. If you show up and ask for a free battery test, they're going to try to sell you a battery. That is unless a good friend of yours works there and does the test, then you should get the truth.

Another good rule of thumb, if it's more than 5 years old, plan to replace it no matter what testing result you get. If it tests good, you can shop around for a good deal, but don't wait too long, it'll leave you stranded unexpectedly. When I bought my Tacoma, the battery was 7 years old. I tested it, and it passed very good. It wasn't long before it started cranking weak, and I'd have to jump it if it sat for too long.

Which battery to get, don't get us started. Everyone has their opinion, everyone is right.

 

If an aftermarket (assume 2009 Tacoma from profile) it depends on quality of battery and in what state as hot climates eat batteries faster.
Peace of mind is a factor also. In FL I change mine every 4 years and its an AGM. I keep the previous one as backup on off road trips often solo.
I also tow boat trailers and getting stuck on a busy ramp sucks. Up to you.

 

That isn't necessarily or always true, and why I always carry jumper cables. ( I need to get one of those jump packs ).

I replaced mine last month. Started as always no issue at all, drove to work and shut it off. Nothing was left on. Came out 8 hours later and it wouldn't even light the headlights. Graveyard Dead. Got a jump start from a co-worker and drove it home. Turned off at home and attempted to restart immediately and nothing, not even a click.

There was no warning.

 

Be sure to read the reviews on those jump boxes.
I’ve had 2 of the new lithium small jump packs.
I never had any luck with them on anything other than my lawn mower.

I finally went back to the old style big jump box.
It’s big and heavy but it works.

I’m not saying the new lithium packs don’t work.
As a lot of guys seem to like them.
I’m betting part of my problem was the amount of money I spent on them.
(Yeah, the old say was true. I got what I paid for)

 

This. A battery usually will give you signs its about done before it leaves you stranded. Turns over slow, lights dim down when cranking, windows roll up slow when not running. I look at replacement when the signs start popping up, not solely based on a predetermined time frame.

 

For peace of mind, I usually just replace a battery every four years. I’ve had batteries give a subtle warning that they were going bad and I’ve also had them totally crash with no warning. Always seems to conk out at the worst time.

 

Good point blockhead, you could replace them ever 2 yrs. a feel even more peace of mind. Yes, todays improved batts. don't give near as much, & sometimes no warning. But I'd sure be disappointed if I replaced a batt. after 4 yrs then gave it to a friend who drove it another 4 yrs. So I'm like Jimmyh, I'll replace it when it needs replacing, but everyone has got to do what makes them feel peace of mind. I guess no wrong answers. Good luck to all.

 

Thanks for the tip. The last one I had was huge but it did the job for years, but gave up the ghost after about the 11 year point.

 

I go by how well it turns over the engine after sitting all night. I don't take voltage measurements or go solely by age. As soon as it starts to struggle on a regular basis, it is time. All it takes is a morning like today (-17 F here in the Frozen Tundra) to put that to the test.