Official battery testing technique!?

[Tom]

Is there a way i can test a battery so i can be 100% sure it is perfect? I know the AA have a computer thing that can calulate a batterys cca which is impressive but how can i check a battery to that extent at home? Obviously i can check its at 12.6 volts but that doesnt seem like a good check to me... Then theres load testing... Are those 2 enough to confirm a batterys health?

Basically i have a starting issue, where i think the engine is cranking right at that borderline starting speed where it starts but it just doesnt start the first rotation of the engine and i think either the battery or starter are to blame, car is 10years old so maybe its at the end of the second batterys life?

[Niall]

All you can do is check the battery voltage when the car is being cranked.
Id say if its dropping near/below 10, its had it.

Also, I've got one of them testers which i use at work. All it does is simulate a load over a set period of time and calculates remaining AH based on that. They aren't overly accurate.

[Tom]

Well i just went out and put the meter on it, 12.50/12.49... The cars been sat for about 4 hours locked now and not driven today, wont be able to crank and check for a drop til tomorrow now, unless i attempt it in the dark :/ sod it im going to have a go!

---

Dropped 12.2 with ignition on and then 10when cranking and came back up to 11 then started. Cranked for a good 3seconds before it started which was nice.

[Tom]

There is SO much contraversy on this subject, cant find a solid answer anywhere online, some say 9.6 and its shot others say 10.5, some say the headlights are a high load lol. What a faff, a new battery is a tidy 100quid and i dont want to blow that for almost no reason

[rocker8742]

Got a spare battery lying around? Link the 2 with some jump leads and see if its any better?

[eskimogod]

lot of places will check your battery for free altho the answer they give might be slightly biased given most places that do the testing sell them.. but im ever so slightly cynical

[Tom]

Going to pop in halfords later and see if my mate down there has access to a tester :/ anyone else have an opinion on my current battery?

[Piggy]

Stick ya tonque across it

Most garages like quickfit will do a free battery test, its just a simple gauge that puts load on the battery and shows if its any good

[Toms306]

Must have a long tongue Piggy...

Tom, your battery does sound low tbh, assuming it's the same as the Golf battery they're massive to cope with turning over a heavy engine, bigger starter than a 306, heating the glow plugs and the extra electrical load items (yes, even headlights are a heavy load btw).

[Eeyore]

If youre going to get a new one make sure you get a bosch silver line. Never had any problems and i believe you can take them back and get them replaced no questions asked!

[Niall]

Halfords don't do the bosch silver lines anymore. They are using Yuasa silvers as a premium battery which are still great. We use Yuasa stuff all the time at work and it's spot on most of the time.

[Tom]

Yuasa os what i have now, bloody great 5year one.

[Toms306]

How old is it? Probably 5 years and a month, that's usually when guarantee'd items fail.

[Niall]

My bosch failed at 4yrs 10 months. Lucky of what! Lol

[Tom]

No way to know how old it is...

[Niall]

If it's a Yuasa, there's a 6-8 digit code stamped on the top somewhere. Take a pic and I'll tell you how old it js.

[Tom]

5 050694 030529

Thats the number on the barcode, no nimber stamped on the top...


Heres a curve ball, halfords yuasa battery tester said the battery is A ok i didnt get a good look at the screen but the chap said its spose to have 760 and its got 846 i assume he means amps, surely that cant be right lol!?

[Toms306]

Sounds right for cold cranking amps tbh! Hmm, are all terminals tight, inc the starter ones?

[Niall]

That's one of their old style stamps and I haven't got the sheet for them but it's either 2006 or 2005 in pretty sure :/

[Tom]

The cars a 54 though! Surely thats not the original audi one??

[Toms306]

It'll be stamped/stickered with the VAG logo if its original...blue Golf was still on the original at 10 years old...

[Tom]

Dont think its original then! Its yuasa branded

[Toms306]

Cant remember what brand they used tbh, probably whoever did them the best deal at the time, think it was Varta in the Golf but Audi might've spent a bit more. But if it's very obviously a normal Yuasa them it's not the original, originals were black with the brand written in tiny white writing and the VAG part number scrawled across the top lol.

[Tom]

Definately not oem then. Hmm. Not sure what to do now. Its more of a cold start issue and my cold starts are at 3am and i dont want to be f*cking around at that time lol.

[rocker8742]

Did you try hooking it up to another battery?

[Tom]

It still does this every morning, it doesnt do it every start so its hard to know if the jump pack is helping. I have tried it twice with the jump pack attached to the battery and it has started better. Now i think of it, i will charge up the jump pack and try it tomorrow morning!

[Tom]

Started better this morning with jump pack and that was at 4am. Hmm. Will try again when i finish work and see what happens. Its looking more and more like a weak battery.

[darrenjlobb]

Surely you can tell if the battery is down....It will motor faster / better with a jump pack vs without...

[Ruan]

Lol yeah...

If you really want to know, get a drop tester on it.. Those shitty little computerised things are crap, unless she's shoving out 500a+ you'll never know whether it's really working properly.

[darrenjlobb]

I just fail to see the point in battery testers, its fairly obvious if a battery is good, or if a battery is getting old / bad....