deviant

If I think my car battery is nearing its end days can I leave a charged replacement battery in my trunk to use upon the demise of the current one? Will the replacement remain charged for a month or two? Is it safe to leave a spare battery in the trunk?

Thanks for your advice.
deviant

numist

You can, and it will be fine, but check your battery first, most car batteries these days are wet cell batteries, and they can run almost indefinitely.

If you look at your battery (the one in your car) there may be a few (3-6) screw caps on the top. These openings are made for distilled water to be poured in. Fill them to the fill lines (your level may vary) and run your car for a while after recapping the reservoirs.

The water turns acidic, and having a low amount of acid in your battery is a primary reason for it not holding a charge.

Id check that before going all out to get a replacement battery.

deviant

That is pretty interesting, numist. I'll check it out when I get home. The car in question is a 2001 Honda Oddesy and the battery is the original.

Thanks!

Destrox

Just be forwarned, once you open them caps they will never be sealed again like they are when you purchase them.

They will leak, and thats a garuntee. I've seen it to many times.

Doesnt hurt anything, just can ruin your clothes w/out realizing it.

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Sion

being a former auto parts salesman, I have a LOT of experience with batteries. I've sold em, bought em, charged em, replaced em, warrantied em. you name it, i've prolly done it.

that being said, it is my considered opinion that a battery that is only 3 years old should not be failing yet, unless is has been subject to some kind of abuse for which it is not intended. the abuse of which I speak are things like alternator failure (when this happens, the vehicle draws juice from the battery to keep running), repeated drainings from leaving the headlights or dome lights on, or from LONG periods of disuse (parking the car for months at a time and not starting it at least once a week), etc. Assuming that the battery has not been subjected to this type of abuse, it should last about 5 years. regardless of the warranty a battery carries, anything over 5 years is living on borrowed time. the longest Ive ever heard of a battery lasting is about 8 years. and while that is indeed impressive, it is also VERY rare.

and that applies to almost all batteries regardless of manufacturer. and dont be fooled by the really long warranties (80 months in some cases) that some batteries carry. this is NOT a guarantee that it will last that long. it is a marketing/sales tool. of course, do not be put off by that either. if the price is right for you budget, DO get the longest warranty you can. that way, when the battery dies in 5 years, you can get a prorated discount on its replacement.

first thing to do is to stop in to almost any auto parts store and have them run a diagnostic test on the battery, charging system and starter. if the battery truly is on its last legs, it will be revealed during the load test. if there is anything wrong with the charging system, its best to find out early, so you wont be burning up new batteries. and the starter should be tested to make sure it is not drawing excessively on the battery. a dying starter can often draw 2 or 3 times the amount of amperage from the battery as it is designed to do. over time, this will kill a battery. it can also be dangerous, as the cables from battery to starter are not of heavy enough guage to carry that much amperage and there is a risk of fire.

as for adding water, that kind of battery maintenance is just about history. 95% of automotive batteries made today are sealed, maintenance free. you literally have to go out of you way to find one that isnt, at least for automobiles. deep cycle/marine batteries are still mostly made with access ports for water addition.

finally, if you do decide/need to replace the battery, be sure to buy one that is sufficient to the vehicle. each car has a manufacturers minimum reccomendation for cca (cold cranking amps). be sure to buy a battery that at least meets (and preferably exceeds) that minimum. if the car requires 500 cold cranking amps, get one thats 550 or better. the older a car gets, the more you should try to exceed the minimum.

one word of warning about putting a battery in the trunk. in general, this is ok, but remember than even a sealed, maintenance free battery has small vent port somewhere (usually on the top of each side) to prevent battery explosion in the event of overcharging. because of these ports, if the battery were to fall on its side, the acid WILL leak out, causing damage not only to the interior of the trunk, but also to the battery itself. if it is a sealed battery, there will be no way to replace the acid. if you think there is a chance that where or how you drive could cause the battery to fall over, either dont put it in the trunk, or if you do, secure in some way to prevent tipping. putting it inside or on some good heavy plastic is a good idea as well.


ok, lecture over. im going outside now (in the frigid cold) to replace the spark plugs on my NYer.

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arch13

Hehe. Sion, you'll appreciate this.
The current jeep i'm rebuilding is a 93' wrangler sahara with a diehard battery from 95' That diehard was in it when i bought the car to rebuild and lasted all the way till last week. On top of that, it didn't die from true failure, but because it was a warm weather battery (CA) and I drove this car up to Rhode Island for a little while. the cold weather is what finally made it give up the ghost. I was impressed to say the least.

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Sion

very impressive lifespan there. of course, it should be noted that I live in the north (Ohio to be precise), which tends to be harder on batteries than warmer climes.

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nash

I just had to replace the factory battery in my '95 car. Died 'cause of recent cold weather.

grumpyolddude

Nice explanation, Sion!

Deviant.... If you are going to buy a replacement battery, why not just install it? Carrying it around in your trunk just exposes it and the rest of your trunk's contents to unneccessary risk. Besides, a battery, over time, will tend to lose charge if unattended. This is especially true in colder weather. You could be unpleasantly surprised... just like finding a flat spare tire.

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Cycler

Yeah forget that adding water crap. Buy sealed. I've got to redo a battery tray from the adding water etc, leaking etc, on my 1982 Toyota 4x4. Optima yellow top.

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deviant

Wow - I hadn't expected such a response to have built up since I last checked this thread... Good advice.

My civic battery went out at about 4 years so I just don't want my gf to get stranded somewhere. Sounds like the best thing to do is to get it tested and then go from there.

Thanks everyone.
-d