battery tell tales

If it's going to leave you stranded, it will be when your far from home on a sunday evening.............


Most auto parts stores, or Sears, have a battery tester. It puts a load on the battery & will give you an idea of it's ability to hold a charge & it's overall reserve power.

That's where I would start. The only hassle is gaining access to the battery posts to have it checked (under the passenger foot rest)

 

Mike,
I replaced an Interstate with an Odyssey. It dropped right in the car. I would notice a battery light during the crank cycle. When my car was inspected before purchase Penske/Wynn tested the battery and noted that it should be replaced.

Jeff


ODYSSEY MODEL 34R-PC1500T
Pulse (5-second) Hot Cranking Amps (PHCA) 34R-PC1500T
Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) 850
20Hr Nominal Capacity (Ah) 68
Reserve Capacity Minutes 135
Dimensions
L x W x H - Inches 10.85 x 6.76 x 7.82
Metric Dimensions
L x W x H - mm 275.6 x 171.7 x 198.6
Weight (lbs) 49.5
Weight (kg) 22.4
Application Notes
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I just replaced the battery in my (360) as it totally died one cold morning - as is often the case. I didn't really notice any tell tales signs - probably because it slowly deteriorated over time. But when i put the new one in there was a big difference - it cranked faster, fired up quicker and seemed to idle better when cold.

So you may not notice signs of it approaching total failure as it may be progressive as was the case with mine. I'd get it tested, but when in doubt, get it changed, the electronics in these cars are far too fickle to play around with potential for sharp voltage swings etc.

 

If the battery is weak and you don't use the car for while it will not have enough power to start the car. On the other hand it may have just enough power to turn the engine slowly, but in either case the dash lights will pulse and the voltage spikes this is indicative of can damage the car's electronics - the dash module and ABS/ASR ECU for example (which are expensive to fix).