I am helping a family member replace the battery on his 2005 Camry. I haven't had new vehicles, so am wondering if he'll need to do anything to retain computer settings after loss of power?
The 05 camry usually hold on too the settings (stations) in the stereo and you may have to set the clock again though. There is nothing special about changing the battery on that, just the ground off first and back on last.
EDIT: Just an fyi, the battery bracket bolt on the body maybe rusted, and the long hold down bolt maybe ceased with corrosion.
On my Lexus after battery replacement I had to Reset the; power windows, clock, radio settings, rear hatch (automatic) and sunroof. Luckily everything I had to reset was described in my owners manual.
is it bad to use an old battery? i have a 5 year old battery now and the parts stores which have free battery testing told me my battery is in its last quarter of its life, so should i replace it by this winter? and is it bad to use an old battery in the last quarter of its life? does it mess up your starter and alternator?
They probably did a midtronics test which tests the internal resistance of the battery by sending a high frequency zap back through it.
A really, really shot battery will wreck your alternator but generally speaking you can get away with running until it won't crank anymore. A pretty terrible battery is still "mushy" enough to soak up the ripple from the alt's diodes. But if the battery starts burping through its vents though it's converting surplus power to heat and overloading your alt and needs replacement ASAP. They don't all die this way, BTW.
Take note your gear reduction starter won't draw the amps of the older direct drive ones, and when you start noticing symptoms you're on a steeper part of the battery's "death curve" with less time to source a replacement.
What can mess up an alternator is trying to charge a dead battery after a jump. If a battery is dead, it should be charged via an AC charger. Not the alternator. That may not always be possible.
and which brand of bettery terminal protector works the best? does it matter? and what's better, the large crc spray (aerosol) or the small ones in those little bottles made by various brands ,but the bottle looks the same, about the size of a hilighter (little bigger)