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-   -   Swift : Battery 100% Dead : What to do? (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/21248-swift-battery-100-dead-what-do-5.html)

My earlier car battery lasted 5 years & finally I replaced it just coz I didn't know better - the battery could probably have gone one more. And this was also in much colder conditions.

1st you have to find two sizable guys. 2nd you have to have open road and plain surface for the push up. :)

If its its hilly region like ours, you need none of the above.

Technically speaking there is nothing wrong if you push start your vehicle or with jumper cables.

There are objective ways to test the battery. All you need is a voltmeter. It makes sense to purchase a good multimeter. It's utility is only realized later. After purchase I found it came handy in the household itself, many times. :thumbs up

1. Drive your car around for 30-40 mins.
2. Stop and turn off your car.
3. Check the voltage across terminals.
4. If voltage has dropped below 12.2-12.3 AND it is 3+ years old battery, it's time for a change. In your case, if say, its shows 12.5V plus, I wouldn't think about battery change if I were you.

Can we get this kind of check (+ Hygrometer etc) done from any of the battery shops? Do they do it routinely?

Also does the paid service at the A.S.S include this kind of check of the batteries?

From my user manual

" Your vehicle should not be started by pushing or towing. This starting method could result in permanent damage to the catalytic converter. Use jump leads to start a vehicle with a weak or flat battery."

Never try to push start a MPFI vehicle. Period.

@carboy

Any battery repair shop can tell you about the condition of your battery. A.S.S too will be equipped with this.

Murthy

I have a year old Swift VDI with 20+K on the odo. I primarily use it for office commute (100 Km to and fro) everyday and occasionally for the highway trips. I had been punctual in servicing also

Today as I turned on the key all lights (engine ok, brake light etc) went blank. Checked all the lights/accessories (if i had forgotten to switch them off and hence battery drain)

Initial thoughts ranged from fuse problem to immobilizer problem. Checked the fuse and locked/unlocked car for a few times. Tried to restart but of no avail.

Dejected and not knowing what has happened I called the MOS and they started the car with a jumper wire

since my 20K servicing was also due, I sent the car to service center today itself. I also asked them to check the alternator, wiring etc. to ascertain the cause as it's only a year and I have had not faced such problem in any of the other car.

They asked about the driving style and said since I have been switching off the engine at every light (>40 sec) (with ac off at every start) this has caused unnecessary damage to the battery.

I would like to TBHP experts is this assumption correct?Should I not kill the engine at>40 sec lights. Does this switching off and on causes unnecessary strain on the battery

Please let me know

regards

Yes, switching off on red lights will cause extra burden on the battery. It can possibly make your battery life short.

No. It is not the cause that your one year old battery is dead today.

That is not true. Did they check the battery ? Was it drained or was the connections loose ? Did you install any electrical stuff lately ? Check the wiring for any rat bites. Battery will not die because you siwtch off/start a the signals.

MOS is misguiding you here - a year old battery is not supposed to conk off if you switch off the engine at lights and again switch it on again ! When an engine starts , its given that there would be more load on the battery i.e. higher current would be drawn but it does not mean that the battery would be killed or even damaged ! The battery's ratings are supposed to take care of the peak load and usually there is a substantial margin of safety thats kept to avoid any conk out .
I would advise you to first check what kind of battery you have - is that a maintenance free ? My Swift had Exide batteries which was sealed and maintenance free which means one does not have to top-up liquids . In case its not maintenance free then periodic (anywhere between 3-6 months) topping up of acid and water is required . If the battery was not checked during servicing , the top-up would have been missed which either makes the cells dry or the specific gravity to fall ( i.e. Acid content to become low) or both and the battery does not function .

I recently changed by battery after 2.2 yrs at 30k kms.I think your battery could be a defective piece.

While it is true that cranking the engine puts strain on the battery, this should not be a cause for it to die down in a year. The primary purpose of the battery, apart from powering the electrical devices, is to crank the engine.

On the other hand, a battery needs a continuos charge/discharge cycle. Only charging during running and seldom giving it a chance to discharge also decreases it life. So the MOS is wrong in his assumption.

Try checking the fluid levels in the battery, in case it is a non maintenance free battery. Else check the terminals. It is always advisable to keep the terminal well lubricated with Petroleum Jelly so as to improve conductivity. Else they get rusted and will not function properly.

Thanks souravc. I believe they are not MF. I checked the fluid level and it was almost half to 3/4. Anyways I have asked service station to find out the exact cause and replace the battery altogether if necessary since it is still in the warranty period

Swift diesels are known to start exhibiting the OEM battery problems from 16 months onwards to 30 months, at which point you have to shell the money for a new battery. Mine died at about 18months, and found from friends with swifts and the battery guy this is a common occurrence.

Secondly please check the diesel heater (glow wire) fuse or the sensor, which shorted in my car recently which drained the battery completely as the heater will just keep working even when the car was off and locked.

I have seen 3 instances of sudden discharged battery so far, experienced from close.

1. My santro - I had kept the fog lights switched on for many hours.

2. My friend's M800 - Alternator belt had slipped off. This was after a service. So, ignorance of Maruthi service guys.

3. My colleague's Indica - Faulty power window switch (master, on driver's side cluster). Detected by Tata auth service folks.

Glad if this helped.

This is not true, i have been switching off my car for last 11+ years at almost every traffic light and in 8 years of Indica ownership i had one battery change, and in 7 years of Baleno ownership (Still going strong) had one battery change.

Its up-to you but switching off will not cause this, there could be three possible reasons for this (1) Some leakage somewhere. (2) Defective Battery. (3) Design problem with the car. Cant think of another one.