Winter battery prep/check

My 03 TDI is going on it's third winter in Ontario (lived in BC prior), curious if there is a way to check the battery life now as know whether to replace it or not pre-winter? What is the usual life on the battery in the ALH cars? (For what it's worth, had the glow plug harness and two plugs fixed in the spring as to pass emissions, and of course benefit this winter)

The car will spend the occasion night outdoors. Most nights however will be in a moderately warm subterranean parking garage downtown toronto.

Thanks.

Morreale said:

...curious if there is a way to check the battery life now as know whether to replace it or not pre-winter?

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Perform a load test of the battery. The battery should be fully charged when performing this test. This test takes less than a minute to perform. This is the most important test when it comes to being able to crank an engine (and a high compression engine at that) in cold weather.

Another test is a capacity test (in addition to a load test), but you won't find a shop that will perform a true capacity test because it is very time consuming....hours....simply not worth the time and cost.

You should also have an on-board voltmeter that tells you how well the battery is being charged by the alternator.
Engine idling voltage...


And to top it all off, you can have a new battery, but if your connections at the starter or any other high current draw device are poor due to corrosion, good luck!

Here is a perfect example. A friend bought my last car which I maintained myself since buying it new in 1999. The original battery was still in it after 15 years. He replaced the battery last winter (his first winter with my car) because it was giving him signs of slow cranking. This summer he replaced the starter. Sure enough, the main power feed to the solenoid was white and green with corrosion. All it needed was a cleaning of the connections and he could have saved himself a battery and starter. The battery in another family car lasted 18 years.

Many times just cleaning the connection is not enough as the corrosion goes into the wire. Replqcing a corroded wire is a better choice unless, you are 100% sure the corrosion didn't make it inside the wire.

imo000 said:

Many times just cleaning the connection is not enough as the corrosion goes into the wire. Replacing a corroded wire is a better choice unless, you are 100% sure the corrosion didn't make it inside the wire.

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You mean inside the "crimp". If it does, I dip the ends in muriatic acid, neutralize the acid and then solder the ends.

That is is why I solder the ends of my cables of cables I can easily get to like the ground strap on my last car. Other cables, spray the cable ends with corrosion inhibitor when they are new and thereafter.

If all that sounds like "work", it certainly beats standing next to your car some rainy cold night.

lookup wingnut's how-to thread. nice write up by hermtdi on battery maintenance. I'm on 10 years with original battery.

dieselsipper said:

I'm on 10 years with original battery.

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Ahhhh, thats a new battery in my books.

5 winters is my max.....they will fail eventually. Cost vs pain is worth it. That being said, ignoring other known ground issues a good battery won't help. It's called preventative maintence folks for a reason...if you want your old car to start faithfully,do the work......

craig01b said:

5 winters is my max.....they will fail eventually. Cost vs pain is worth it. That being said, ignoring other known ground issues a good battery won't help. It's called preventative maintence folks for a reason...if you want your old car to start faithfully,do the work......

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Outside of the 5 years max I agree 100%. I have cleaned and protected all ground wiring religiously. I love dielectric grease! Currently I'm not too worried about the old battery as I won't be driving the TDI this winter. I'm basically waiting for any signs of weak cranking and then it will be replaced. Also I should mention my TDI is garaged overnight except when I work nights, which I think has helped maintain the battery condition for the last 10 years. Also, I never drive my TDI for short trips around town, only road trips and commuting.