Re the life of SLI batteries for vehicles.
I used to believe that if I changed my batteries every five years I would be
almost guaranteed of not having any battery issues. Often when replacing
batteries after five years the battery vendor would test my old battery and
basically tell me the old battery was fine and I was wasting my money. I
usually still changed them as life is to short to deal with dead batteries, and
once I got out the poor student phase of my life that was one thing I didn't
want to have to deal with ever again.
Over the last month or so I have been advised that the batteries in two of my
vehicles are in need of replacement well before reaching the five year point.
My very subjective view is that they may not make batteries like they used to.
From a roving perspective this doesn't fill me with confidence about running
high power radios from such batteries with the engine off and then expecting
the battery to start the engine.
73
Mark S
VE7AFZ
mark@alignedsolutions.com
604 762 4099
> On Dec 20, 2018, at 9:19 AM, Jay RM <w9rm@calmesapartners.com> wrote:
>
> Having dealt with a 'fleet' of vehicles over the years, I have a pretty
> good handle on how long batteries should last, both in overall life and
> when on trickle loads. I would say (with no real science involved) that a
> 2 year old vehicle should NOT have any issues with a overnight dome light.
> Of course, OEM automobile batteries are a commodity now and are likely no
> way as good as they were 10 years ago.
>
> Starting batteries are usually not rated for continuous load (Ah -
> Amp/hour) but are rated in CCA - cold cranking amps. I don't think there
> is any real way to convert between the two - it's a apple/orange
> situation. But, 600 mA draw for the dome light, for 12 hours is only 7.2
> Ah. I think a typical 12V lead-acid (flooded or AGM) passenger vehicle is
> capable of 30-45 A/h, which means the battery, in good condition, should be
> able to handle the dome light for several days. I have one vehicle with a
> high quality aftermarket battery that is 9 years old which hits the 'won't
> start' wall after about 2 weeks of no running. Measured continuous drain
> when sitting is approximately 100 mA or 2.4Ah/day, which is close to 34 A/h
> - this with a 9 year old battery.
>
> I would check the battery with a load tester or, at minimum, charge it all
> the way and then measure the float voltage. If you see any issue, I'd hit
> the dealer up for a warranty replacement. Any quality aftermarket battery
> will have a full replacement warranty of at least 2-3-4 years and a
> prorated value after that. If your battery has not been abused, I think a
> free or low cost replacement would be in order.
>
> -W9RM
>
> Keith J Morehouse
> Managing Partner
> Calmesa Partners G.P.
> Olathe, CO
>
>
>> On Thu, Dec 20, 2018 at 8:47 AM Steve(K1IIG) <stephen.tripp@snet.net> wrote:
>>
>> I know a lot of Rovers use Subarus and wonder if there are any battery
>> problems with them.
>> I have a 2017 Outback and have had the battery die over night twice after
>> leaving a dome light on. I measured it at 600ma and when out the drain is
>> only 40-50ma which is normal. It charges
>> at 14.2v which also is normal. There are pages of complaints on the
>> internet
>> about batteries dying for no explainable reason.
>> Anyone know of a fix for this? I figure if anyone knows about battery
>> issues
>> it would be the Rovers.
>>
>> 73'
>> Steve
>> K1IIG
>>
>>
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