Is My Battery Dead?

[Gannet167]

I have a "Toyota True Start" battery in a second hand 4Runner. It looks like the battery is about 4 years old. It has been run dead a few times. Once a light was left on that killed it to basically 0 volts, totally dead. I've always been able to jump start it and charge it up by driving around normally and it's fine. Until now.

It was recently run dead and after a jump start was only showing 10.5 volts, suggesting a dead cell. It required a charger to get it back to life. My small 1.2A charger took over 24 hours but it did bring it back to 12.6 volts. It worked well for a while. Then I let the truck sit for a few days, cold weather came and the battery was again dead.

I put it on charge again, thinking it might fix some sulfation and bring it back to life. After letting it charge for almost 24 hours, it was full, then I let it sit for 12 hours, all at room temperature and it was still showing 12.6 volts. Maybe it's fine again?

I tried load testing it in the truck by turning on every electrical device I could (key on, engine off) and saw the volts drop to 12.1, but after 10 minutes they stayed steady. Cranking the engine it looks like they fall to about 9.7 but the engine starts too fast for the meter to stabilize and I can't tell what it bottoms at. I started it over and again about 6 times in rapid succession, no time to recharge, and it still seemed to turn over ok.

Is 9.6 volts too low? I don't trust my local shop to load test it, I think they'd tell me a brand new battery failed their load tester.

 

[wiswind]

Regardless of what the manufacturer says.....5 years is what you should reasonably expect from a automotive battery.
A full discharge will stress a battery and shorten its life.
I see that you are in the cold north......so I would say, "if in doubt, change it out" as this battery could well give you an unpleasant surprise during a cold snap.

I like to get the highest CCA battery that I can that fits my vehicle.
I also like to replace things on MY schedule.
But.....like most people....I don't like to spend $$$ if I don't have to.
But when I do.....I try to get the best that I can for something like this.

 

[Tdbo]

I'd say to go buy yourself a new battery.

 

[user52165]

4 year old battery in Canada - replace it.

Can't just use a voltmeter to do a thorough test. Replace it.

 

[69GTX]

12.2-12.3 volts is probably too low. I kept my last battery alive for an extra 3 years once it got to a near "death" state (plates exposed and heavy sulfation)....lasted 6 years total. But it took weekly charges to ensure it stayed usable...in winter sometimes 2X/week. As long as you don't mind getting stranded at some point you can keep going this way. When it started making the instrument panel gauges go nuts on startup (ie too low a voltage) I knew it was time to replace it.

 

[TFB1]

If you want your alternator to remain happy, always at least partially charge a dead battery instead of just jump starting... Why?? A totally dead battery has low resistance so alt is charging at max which can possibly over heat it... Also as others have said, it shortens battery life as well...

 

[user52165]

"As long as you don't mind getting stranded at some point you can keep going this way."


Does ANYBODY fit this category??

 

[Leo99]

Originally Posted By: user52165
"As long as you don't mind getting stranded at some point you can keep going this way."


Does ANYBODY fit this category??


Many people change their battery after it's dead and won't start their car. I like to be proactive and change my battery out early.

 

[Gannet167]

If the vehicle was a manual transmission, I would be much less worried about being stranded. The new 800 CCA battery I will likely buy is cheap insurance on not being stranded when it's -40. I just don't want to buy it, and then realize that after a little patient charging, the old one is basically still fine.

 

[69GTX]

Originally Posted By: user52165
"As long as you don't mind getting stranded at some point you can keep going this way."


Does ANYBODY fit this category??



I would suspect EVERYONE has put themselves in this situation at some point in their lives when it came to maintenance on their battery, car, home, tractor, etc. And some probably do this repeatedly. When it comes to tires, batteries, suspension, exhaust, fluid changes and other systems it seems people frequently push them to the very limits of equipment life. I got an extra 3 years on my last battery with some tlc....count me in. And it wasn't until the last month of life that I realized it was over the edge.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: Gannet167
If the vehicle was a manual transmission, I would be much less worried about being stranded.


Careful your new iron doesn't have a theft immobilizer that preempts roll-starting. Maybe "try it before you trust it."

 

[Gannet167]

It's an auto. So no Flinstoning it to life.

 

[Bluestream]

Okay, get the battery charged and then load tested by a professional. Turning on all the lights is not load testing. The battery looks like its 4 years old? What does a four year old battery look like? Using a 1.5 amp trickle changer can take 24-48 hours to charge a battery.

Contrary to what another poster said, Canadian batteries should last 7-8 year under normal condition due to the cooler temperatures that operate under.

 

[HerrStig]

Discharging a non-deep cycle battery flat a few times will damage the ability of the battery to hold a charge.

 

[Gannet167]

Looks 4 yr old by the sticker on the battery, but I'm not 100% sure I'm reading it right. That timeline, and the fact another sticker has the original dealer parts dept on it, corresponds with the previous owner's time frame of ownership.

My last battery also lasted close to 10 years, and in -30 winters. So I feel like there's a good chance that this battery may have life left. If it isn't healthy, it's because it was run dead several times. But in some instances this can be at least partially reversed with extended charging to reverse the sulfication. The trickle charger said it was fully charged after about 24 hours, which I thought was a bit fast, and a good sign.

I will have to take it somewhere to get load tested properly.

 

[JMJNet]

I have a load tester at home, the needly type and it seems to be more accurate than the one at the store.

The AZ around here does not try to sell me a battery, last time, they attempt to charge it before selling me another one.

I have a cheap load tester, it is usually very accurate.

The day when the batteries last 10 years is gone, unfortunately.
There is a reason why the store does not warranty them for 9 years anymore. At least not around here.

 

[xfactor9]

There's no need to load test it. It's dead. A battery only has 1500 shallow-discharge cycles in its lifespan under the best conditions, and each time you discharge it to 0 volts it's the equivalent of a few hundred cycles. So your battery is toast.

 

[AKhan87]

Originally Posted By: Gannet167
Maybe it's fine again?
I had a Battery that started to act up because a light was left on for a whole week during winter time, long story short, even after driving it around after a jump, it died a few time within a week's period, I got it tested, showed bad, for some reason, it never died on me again up until the end of the summer but it was done by that time. (7 months later)

 

[Vikas]

Let us do some calculations. A typical $100 battery with 4 years of life implies $25/yr on battery cost. Suppose you were able to limp it along for extra 7 months.

So you have now saved $14.95.

Was it worth it?

 

[zzyzzx]

Is My Battery Dead?

Yes!!!