Low charge to no charge issue pulling hair out
I just had to swap the battery out of my 67 Barracuda because it wouldn't restart after a long trip back home. There had been clues for a while although I didn't put it all together until it had insufficient juice to turn the starter.
After getting a jump start I brought the car to my garage, shut it it off and measured battery with the key on start.
Voltage dropped to 5. The battery is shot.
I put it on the little charger and after a few minutes it decided that the battery didn't need charging, just 'conditioning'.
Sorry. This is wrong. The acid is probably cooked out or no longer exchanging ions or such. Can't complain - its from 2008.
Checking a different Optima that I hadn't traded in it, but was dying after about 4 years of use.
The charger correctly diagnosed this battery as low on charge. It also thinks the voltage is 11.4 but my multimeter says its lower than that.
When doing a voltage check on a new battery 12.7 to 12.8 Volts is about what we'ld expect at 60 ot 70*F
I'd consider 12.5 to 12.6 as marginal.
But as discussed earlier, immediadely after charging there will be a surface charge. can't go by that. The surface charge voltage goes away slowly over time or quickly if a load is placed on the battery (such as turning on a light). It does not represent any significant amount of stored energy.
This photo essay with an old school charger shows how a voltage and current relate when charging
I just had to swap the battery out of my 67 Barracuda because it wouldn't restart after a long trip back home. There had been clues for a while although I didn't put it all together until it had insufficient juice to turn the starter.
After getting a jump start I brought the car to my garage, shut it it off and measured battery with the key on start.
Voltage dropped to 5. The battery is shot.
I put it on the little charger and after a few minutes it decided that the battery didn't need charging, just 'conditioning'.
Sorry. This is wrong. The acid is probably cooked out or no longer exchanging ions or such. Can't complain - its from 2008.
Checking a different Optima that I hadn't traded in it, but was dying after about 4 years of use.
The charger correctly diagnosed this battery as low on charge. It also thinks the voltage is 11.4 but my multimeter says its lower than that.
When doing a voltage check on a new battery 12.7 to 12.8 Volts is about what we'ld expect at 60 ot 70*F
I'd consider 12.5 to 12.6 as marginal.
But as discussed earlier, immediadely after charging there will be a surface charge. can't go by that. The surface charge voltage goes away slowly over time or quickly if a load is placed on the battery (such as turning on a light). It does not represent any significant amount of stored energy.
This photo essay with an old school charger shows how a voltage and current relate when charging