How Reliable Battery Testers. What’s your Strategy in Replacing Battery

how reliable are battery testers.

when do you change out.

 

You are talking about performing a load test? I’d get it done at two different places when a standard battery is about 5 years old. The gel batteries cost more but last about twice as long. I don’t wait for any battery to leave me stranded I replace when they reach the end of useful life even if they make the load test. I like the Interstate battery at Costco because I’m tight.

 

I have this one. I rarely use it. And can’t say I have used to to “confirm” a bad battery.
https://www.jbtools.com/schumacher-electric-btf-250-12-volt-digital-battery-and-charging-system-tester/

In reality, you’ll need a good Tester.
My under standing is the better ones have a way to determine the plate area in the battery.
And can calculate the overall state of the battery.
Far more expensive than I want to spend on a tester.

I usually replace the battery when it wont start my truck.
Which is not the best time to “replace it”.

 

Waiting for a battery to fail can put excess load on alternator as it gets weak before the big fail. Use the load test to determine condition

 

I’ve been on an every 30 month sched w/batteries. Lots of starts /stops and short trips every day for work. Winter and Summer. Looking to extend that but don’t want to get stranded.

 

You are absolutely correct.
Like I said, when the battery fails to start the truck is not the time to replace it.
My local Firestone and Free Service tire has a tester that can read the over health of the battery.
They even print it out for me. I just don’t want to pay them for their battery or install.

I’ll be the first to admit. I don’t always do what I should.

 

My OEM went about 7 years. I am still on the 2nd battery.
It probably needs replaced. I would think a good battery that isn’t being drawn down a lot would be ok every 5 years? Of course climate plays a big factor too. I live in East Tennessee. We don’t experience extreme temps very often. Rarely in the single digits and almost never in triple digits.

 

Yes. It’s all the Winter starts and short trips every day that has me changing it so often.

 

I use a multimeter to test the battery but hardly ever need to. I buy two year warranty batteries, first sign of weakness, it's replaced. Battery is key, no bump starts with AT.

 

Have a MT. If i have to roll crank it , i go get a battery

 

I never needed a good battery or starter motor, just a small hill, until this deluxe Tacoma.

 

Not sure what you mean by how reliable are battery testers. No one should wait for a battery to fail before replacing it. Here’s what I do and I have been doing this for 40 years with dozens of vehicles successfully. I don’t buy the expensive batteries. I buy Costco or Walmart batteries that all last at least 5 years except in extreme conditions. I replace my battery every 5 years. In your area your battery may not last 5 years, then replace it at 4 or 3 or what ever. So every five years I get a new battery no matter the condition of my current battery. My batteries cost $100 or less. That works out to be $20 a year or $1.50 a month for a battery. That’s damn cheap. That’s really really cheap. It makes no sense to wait for the battery to go bad.
If you wait to replace your battery when it fails it will almost always fail at the a most inconvenient time or place. You gain nothing by waiting a little longer to replace your battery. Think of it as routine maintenance that you replace very 5 years.
I had one battery crap out in 3 years. Took it back to Costco under warranty and they replaced it no problem.

 

I had a fairly new battery go bad on me recently. It showed good voltage on the multimeter, but when I ran it on the load tester (harbor freight) the battery fell flat to 10v and 0 amps.

 

Mine have been pretty reliable. I have an old reliable

$44 Schumacher BT-100 , 100 Amps, 6 Volt, 12 Volt, for Testing Batteries Up to 1000 Cranking Amps

Schumacher BT-100 load tester. Then I got an electronic load tester, a Topdon AB-101 that is a fraction of the weight and size of the Schumacher, and has worked out well.

I load-test the batteries in my vehicles at every oil change. The Topdon once recommended battery replacement on daughter's 07 Camry and i kept putting it off because battery voltage was good and the car turned on right away; well, about 2-3 months later, the battery went dead - pretty nifty technology. I'm looking to get another one because I'm shopping for a motorcycle and neither of these load-testers can test a motorcycle battery. I'm looking at the Topdon BT100.

 

Tow package w/the 27f battery and HD alternator on mine so batt’s not cheap. I suppose I could Rrplace w/24 but I tow in Winter and Summer so I guess I just accept they cost more

 

I use 27f batteries and get them at Costco or Walmart. Don’t pay over $100 for them. 5 years later I buy a new one.

 

my battery tester (brain) has been reliable
when the battery fails to start the truck, my brain knows it has failed.

as for when to change out, I change out when it fails

 

I 10/10 do not trust any load or battery testers at a parts shop. I have had them read wrong on multiple components too many times. Its voltmeter all the way for me and then a change every 4-5 years like Sprig said. Get a harbor freight volt meter; their cheap ones are really cheap and the expensive ones are actually really nice (as long as your not relying on them for testing something like a 50Kva xfmr lol). The battery should be mostly be for starting, if you NEED a strong battery to tow or for running anything else while the car/alternator is running there is likely another problem.

 

I have tow package but only use 24F batteries. Generally, the 27 only gets you longer reserve time; CCA will be the same. To me, the extra weight and price of the 27 is not worth the trade-off. Now, for the trailer battery, a 27 deep cycle battery may be worth it.

 

It is hot weather that kills batteries, not cold weather. But even a weak battery will often start a vehicle in warm weather. You just find out the battery is going bad when it gets cold and you don't have enough to start it. You should be able to get a lot more than 30 months out of a battery, especially in colder climates. I typically change mine every 5 years, but got 7 years out of the factory battery on my Tacoma. The one that I replaced it with died with no warning after 1 year. The 3rd has now been in there for 5.

You almost always have warning signs. When it starts slow or if it ever needs to be jump started then I buy a new battery, not before. If concerned about being stranded buy one of these along with a set of jumper cables and keep them in the truck. They really work very well.

https://www.amazon.com/Audew-20000m...1604920751&sprefix=car+battery,aps,178&sr=8-9

But anything electrical can be unpredictable. I've seen batteries last 10 years, or suddenly die with no warning after 10 months. And by die, I mean completely dead. The vehicle won't even turn over when being jump started.