9550

if i dont drive my car for a few days, the battery is not strong enough to start the car. when this happens, i charge it up overnight and it starts right up
if i drive every day, theres no problems. i could actually charge it for an hour and it would start fine i think.
the battery is about 4.5 years old.
does this sound like a battery on its way out, or is it typical of an older battery that doesnt get used frequently?

Mobiusone stang

I would probably replace it. Most good batteries (not optima as they are the exception) are not that bad in price. And your average arm chair mechanic can replace on in minuets plus your batter is close to 5 years now.

Csrt4to5.0gt

Sounds like it's not holding a charge. Does it seem to be leaking battery acid anywhere? You can get the battery tested at an auto zone or even walmart to see if it can maintain a charge or not. My girlfriends car battery would do the same thing and when we went to get it tested we found out it was leaking acid. Could also be your alternator. You can get that tested for free at auto zone.

9550

no apparent leaks
if it was my alternator, wouldnt it not start when i drive the car daily?

Csrt4to5.0gt

It's most likely not your alternator but it wouldn't hurt to get it tested along with your battery. The problems can sometimes be the same for either/or. I know walmart batteries usually go bad early. I had that experience, my Gf did and I know others that have had bad walmart batteries, too.

9550

ok thanks

dawson1112

Its real simple, If it was the alternator it would not run fine as a daily driver. It would run till the battery drained and then die. And it wouldn't run for crap.

You can do all the testing you need to do right in the driveway with a multi meter.
Engine idling you should see somewhere between 13.5 to 15 volts with a good alt.

If the battery starts every day if you daily the car, and the only time it wont start is leaving it set for a few days, then you could have a parasitic drain on the system that is slowly depleting battery. A new battery would do the same if that's the case.

To test for parasitic drain you need a digital multi meter capable of reading 10 dc amps or more.


Pull the positive cable off , set the meter to 10amp dc and connect one probe to the battery and one to the cable , any reading over 35milliamps (.035 amps ) indicates something is eating your battery juice slowly. You will need to pull fuses till you find the one that gets the amp down to .035 or less.

If you test for parasitic draw and find you are in the normal range of <.035 then you are likely in need of a battery.

NOTE: you must make sure every thing in the car is off, including dome lights radio key the works.

petrock

Sounds like you either have a battery drain somewhere, or the battery can’t hold a charge (for long). Quick way to test the battery is to remove it from the car and charge it up. Then let it sit for a couple hours. Then check the voltage on the battery. If it is below 12.4 volts, then the battery is bad.

Here is a good step-by-step on testing a parasitic battery drain: http://www.wikihow.com/Find-a-Parasitic-Battery-Drain

Good luck...

PimpSlapProductions

Usually the warranty is only a few years for batteries. If the battery starts to fail and not hold the charge they will usually pro-rate the cost towards a new battery.

Moronix

It's a 99.9% chance you need a new battery.