gmcjetpilot
Veteran Member
Battery Life Testing with Solar Analyzer WalMart EverStart
When do you replace your battery? (See below)
Well my 615CAA H6 sized Walmart EverStart gave me great service for 40
months. It was still working, but after two days of sitting, volts seemed to
drop off fast to 12.07 volts (50% charge) and the CCA test showed 420 CCA...
Of course there are parasitic drainage in the car, but cold day start after sitting
two days, it was slow to crank. It's working, as long as I run it everyday. 12.00
volt is about the min you want for your battery to start.
Bought another EverStart, but this one is the 730CCA model. Hard to beat $117.
They have some pro-rated life based on free at 3 years, prorated to 5 years. I
have to bring old one back. I should get a few bucks pro-rate. At least I get my $12
core charge back.
Fully charged indoors at room temp, volts are good, but next test fail.
CAA TEST showing 420 CAA (battery 615 rating) and FAIL LIGHT.
This confirms the weak starts and loss of voltage over two days.
People ask when to replace a battery? Well you can wait until it leaves you
stranded or monitor it (like a potable Solar internal capacitance tester) and
observe performance.
This tester also does a START test which measures the MIN volts instantaneously
during start. I think 9-9.5 volts is min draw down. It will also check charging system.
This is an inexpensive tester so it's not going to be as accurate and comprehensive
as a professional bench model, but it is a metric to judge
My battery was clearly on the down side of it's life, from weak starting after two days
sit, and using a volt meter to check volt drop. So "SOLAR" helped me determine it was
time, along with age. SOLAR is one brand, shop around. These are fairly cheap, under
$50.
Why I replaced it:
Low Volts after sitting 2 days.
Sluggish Starting after sitting 2 days.
SOLAR CCA Test & fail light.
New Battery $117, Worth It Not To Worry.
When do you replace your battery? (See below)
Well my 615CAA H6 sized Walmart EverStart gave me great service for 40
months. It was still working, but after two days of sitting, volts seemed to
drop off fast to 12.07 volts (50% charge) and the CCA test showed 420 CCA...
Of course there are parasitic drainage in the car, but cold day start after sitting
two days, it was slow to crank. It's working, as long as I run it everyday. 12.00
volt is about the min you want for your battery to start.
Bought another EverStart, but this one is the 730CCA model. Hard to beat $117.
They have some pro-rated life based on free at 3 years, prorated to 5 years. I
have to bring old one back. I should get a few bucks pro-rate. At least I get my $12
core charge back.
Fully charged indoors at room temp, volts are good, but next test fail.
CAA TEST showing 420 CAA (battery 615 rating) and FAIL LIGHT.
This confirms the weak starts and loss of voltage over two days.
People ask when to replace a battery? Well you can wait until it leaves you
stranded or monitor it (like a potable Solar internal capacitance tester) and
observe performance.
This tester also does a START test which measures the MIN volts instantaneously
during start. I think 9-9.5 volts is min draw down. It will also check charging system.
This is an inexpensive tester so it's not going to be as accurate and comprehensive
as a professional bench model, but it is a metric to judge
My battery was clearly on the down side of it's life, from weak starting after two days
sit, and using a volt meter to check volt drop. So "SOLAR" helped me determine it was
time, along with age. SOLAR is one brand, shop around. These are fairly cheap, under
$50.
Why I replaced it:
Low Volts after sitting 2 days.
Sluggish Starting after sitting 2 days.
SOLAR CCA Test & fail light.
New Battery $117, Worth It Not To Worry.
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