[Shop-talk] Stranded by a bad car battery.

Sat Jan 13 08:30:20 MST 2024

Other makes do this as well. Modern cars have a 'battery management 
system' or similar because so much is now run on electricity--steering, 
for instance--that you have to have assured power at all times. I learnt 
of all this when I asked a simple (I thought) question on a Mustang 
forum about using a 12V source in parallel so I wouldn't lose all my 
settings--drive mode, satellite, etc.--when I needed to swap a leaker. 
F150s, for example, have a pretty elaborate process to even charge a 
battery:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_KmO-KaR4A

After a lengthy, er, discussion I said 'F-it' and just swapped batteries 
like I always have; I lost my custom drive mode but was none the worse 
off for wear. But, I recommend you read your owners' manual before doing 
anything on the electrical system of a car built in the last 10 years or so.

Bob

On 1/13/2024 1:54 AM, Moose wrote:
> One more note of stupidity on this topic.  Modern Range Rover requires 
> their computer to change a battery!
>
> That's right, you need to tell their computer there is a new battery.
>
> I'm not sure if other makes are going this way, but it is one item on 
> the long list of reasons I'll never own another RR!
>
> Moose
>
>
>
> From: Dwade Reinsch <dreinsch at swbell.net>
> To: David Scheidt <dmscheidt at gmail.com>, old dirtbeard 
> <dirtbeard at gmail.com>
> Cc: "shop-talk at autox.team.net" <shop-talk at autox.team.net>
> Date: 01/12/2024 23:12
> Subject: Re: [Shop-talk] Stranded by a bad car battery.
> Sent by: "Shop-talk" <shop-talk-bounces at autox.team.net>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
> Thanks to all who added to my knowledge base for modern cars and 
> batteries.
>
> I replaced the old battery the next morning, started right up, and 
> continues to run perfectly.  I guess I'll just have to have battery 
> tested after about three years of use.
>
> Thanks again!!
>
> Dwade
>
>
>
> On Wednesday, January 10, 2024 at 04:10:50 PM CST, old dirtbeard 
> <dirtbeard at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> Hi David,
>
> Yes, I do understand about the lead acid chargers. I have accumulated 
> many over the last 50 years. 🙂
>
> Best,
>
> Doug
> mobile
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> *From:* Shop-talk <shop-talk-bounces at autox.team.net> on behalf of 
> David Scheidt <dmscheidt at gmail.com>*
> Sent:* Wednesday, January 10, 2024 9:17:13 AM*
> To:* Dwade Reinsch <dreinsch at swbell.net>*
> Cc:* shop-talk at autox.team.net <shop-talk at autox.team.net>*
> Subject:* Re: [Shop-talk] Stranded by a bad car battery.
>
>
>
> On Jan 10, 2024, at 00:48, Dwade Reinsch <dreinsch at swbell.net> wrote:
>
> 
> This afternoon I was sitting in the 2016 Honda Odyssey van waiting for 
> granddaughter to finish a theater activity and I went to sleep in the 
> front seat.  Had the radio and inside lights on.  When she finished 
> and came out, car would not start.  Completely dead.  Electric seat 
> would not come back to driving position, etc.
>
> Here's the question:  In the old days a weak battery would give notice 
> by cranking slowly, etc., before failing.  This is the car I drive 
> regularly and it gave NO warning.  Luckily, I could call son-in-law 
> and he came to help.  Would not start with good set of booster cables. 
>  Would not start with 15 minutes of charging on cables before 
> attempting to start.  So in the morning I'll take pickup and tools and 
> pull battery, get a replacement, and move the van home.
>
> Does anyone have a suggestion for identifying a failing battery before 
> being stranded?  (Battery is about 4 years old.)
>
>
> If used properly, the conductance testers work well.  Not cheap, but 
> every auto parts store will test for you, assuming your battery is 
> accessible.  Many cars, starting just a bit later than your ofdesy, 
> have state of charge and battery performance information tracked by 
> the computer.  (OnStar sent me email telling me the battery is low 
> when I left my car on to listen to the ballgame at a campsite. I also 
> get a monthly email, which told me to replace the battery for a couple 
> months before I actually had it replaced.)
>
> Modern cars have much higher loads at start time, and lots of them 
> require a reasonably good voltage to turn the computer on.  Without 
> that, the car won’t do anything (the computer controls the starter 
> solenoid on most cars).  The various computers also control all the 
> other parts, which is why the seat couldn’t move.
>
> This fall, I drove my wife’s fusion to the garage to do the brakes. I 
> turned off and on a couple times to get it spotted in the right spot. 
> The third time I tried to start it, battery was dead. 20 seconds 
> earlier, it fired on instantly, with no slow cranking.  Since I was in 
> the garage, I had a battery charger handy. 10.2 volts or something 
> like that. Putting the charger on lowest setting let it start.  Plenty 
> of joules in the battery, just not enough voltage to turn the ecm on. 
> (I replaced the battery before pulling it out of the garage, it was 4 
> or 5 years old.)
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