1995 540 - Dead battery ?

[yaofeng]

Take the battery to the parts store to be load tested. It is free.

[cmk]

Went to start the car, the dash lights up but won't crank.

Background:
- Work at home, only drive the car every couple of days, mostly short trips.
- Last week went to start and the cranking was laboured, but it started.
- Once started runs without issue.
- On Sat did 2x 2hr highway drives, assumed if battery was low should recharge it.
- Mon (today) went to start the car: dash lights up but won't crank.

Checked:
- Pulled back-seat and checked voltage across terminals - 12.2v
- Charts show this to be ~50% charged.
- On trying to crank voltage drops to ~10v, and spike drops to ~7v.
- Haven't checked any current/voltage in engine yet.
- Battery looks to be orig equip (i.e. 12yrs old)
(Part # 61 21 8 353 442, RealOEM show part only available until 12/98)

Conclusions:
- I'm 80-85% sure it's just the battery giving up the ghost.
- I've had chipmunks in the engine setting up nests and chewing hood lining, concerned they may have chewed a wire and caused a short.

Questions:
- Is my conclusion about the battery being done sound ?
- Aside from a dealer, where can i get a new battery in Mississauga/Toronto area ?
- If a new battery does not fix things where should i start looking next ?
- If a new battery does fix things how can i check to see:
- if there is high parasitic drain somewhere ?
- if the recharging system is working correctly ?
(Sat drive obviously did not recharge battery)

[Ross]

Check the voltage when running, it should be near 14. If not you have a charging problem and the alternator/regulator are suspect.
The batteries have a date code stamped in them. If yours is a Douglas battery it's on top in the center where the handles fold in, the first two digits are the year of manufacture.

[Dave M]

It does sound like you have have just enough juice, on occasion, to start the car. A two hour drive may not fully charge a battery. In fact, I've been told only a long session on a charger will do the trick. As someone stated, get it (load) tested and if its ok, have them put it on a charger for the full duration.

If its bad, I've been using a Canadian Tire Battery for quite a few years now with no issue. They have a pretty good warranty, will charge it for free if you happen to drain it, and they should have one in stock. I just bring my old one with me, size up a new one with adequate amperage and walk out. Most importantly, there is almost always a CT in the area and with your receipt, you can get a new one should you need to.

Dave

[leicesterboy15]

Mine used to be the same, if I left it for any more than 4 days the car would not start, a charge later and the car started first time, then it went down to 2 days and then the start was laboured even if it was just a day. Decided to bite the bullet and get a new battery, crank is much livelier and had no problems since. It sounds to me like your old battery is old and needs replacing, once they discharge I find they are never the same again. Go for a good quality one but it doesn't have to be a super ultra one as they will have no benefit over a good Bosch one or the like (unless maybe if you deal with extreme temperatures regularly):

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/products/products/210431/car_batteries.html

I would have thought that if it was a charging problem you wouldn't have gotten a 2hr drive out of it.

[cmk]

Had to be able to use the car today so i just called the dealer, they had a replacement in stock, put it in and it seems fine so far.

While running, the voltage across the terminals is >14V so charging system seems ok.

I would have gone with a Sears DieHard Platinum or a Canadian Tire one but i couldn't find one that matched all the specs on the current one:
12V 85Ah 450A 150RC 800CCA

When i got to the dealer they had two parts that superseded the OE, one is made by Douglas the other by Excide. One of the parts guys said that Douglas isn't making them anymore (true ?).

Couldn't find a manufacturer date stamp on the Douglas, so i walked out with the Excide after having them test and show me it was good (date stamp Dec'07).

From some research (http://www.batteryfaq.org/) it seems like CCA (cold crank amps) and RC (reserve capacity minutes) are key.

I was surprised that the new one (both Douglas and Excide) has a CCA rating of 760.

[Dave M]

Hope this solves your problem. Out of interest, what is the dealer charging for a battery (ballbark).

Dave

[cmk]

The new battery cost CAN$ 291 + tax.

The part # is either:
61 21 8 381 760 - Douglas
61 21 7 567 185 - Excide

It comes with a 5yr warranty.
First 2yrs complete replacement.
Last 3yrs prorated.

[Dave M]

The new battery cost CAN$ 291 + tax.

The part # is either:
61 21 8 381 760 - Douglas
61 21 7 567 185 - Excide

It comes with a 5yr warranty.
First 2yrs complete replacement.
Last 3yrs prorated.

Thanks,

Its much more expensive (X3) than a crappt tire batt., but likely a better product.

Enjoy it,

Dave