Car battery!

X-Machine · 4th May 2005, 02:14

Hey guys,
Well the car's battery plays a very pivotal role,as far as the electricals are concerned.Heck,the car would not even start without a good battery.
This is one of those things which always gets me into a fix.I always fail to understand how to judge a proper battery for the car.So can someone please throw some light on it.
Thanks.

c10 · 4th May 2005, 09:57

Hi X-machine...

its true batter is very important in a car, and even more if its a diesel engine...i drive a Diesel contessa and i have Amaron Battery...i've heard ppl say diesel vehicles need to started every day atleast once but believe me, at times i dont start her for nearly 5 to 6 days and when i start her she dosent hesitate...all i wanna convey is Amaron Battery has been doin favourably with my diesel contee since 3years with me...

if you are dirving a petrol then she would do even better for you...

Regards,

c10

cheatingdeath · 4th May 2005, 10:20

go wih the brand names ... something like amaron or excel..... will the important point here is to keep the gravity under check .. as its a reversible reaction charging and discharging is done under on roof ... and amaron also comes with a lighting system when the battery turns dead the light changes to red or else it is green through out

ravi_28_8 · 4th May 2005, 11:14

go for an good brand like amaron or exide etc. make sure it suits your car. go regular check ups, atleast once in 2 months.

vahss_11 · 4th May 2005, 11:27

i am having exide, which is 18 months old,, charged last week,, i think it was due to hi-fi deck,,,,,so do check tell the dealer your requirements,

amitoj · 4th May 2005, 11:35

Say, is it possible to "upgrade" your battery as well? I mean, if the car has add ons like fog lamps, bulbs of higher wattage, 4 huge speakers, a horn that goes AWOOGA AWOOGA etc etc... can one go for an "upgraded" battery? I am not even sure of what exactly an "upgrade of a battery" means... so any clues anyone?

Cheers
Amitoj

Psycho · 4th May 2005, 11:38

Suggest that you go for a hassle free battery, also please check your electrical needs before you choose a battery, any addition electricals like upgraded halogens, extra spots, amplifiers etc do add load to the battery hence you will need to pick up the right AH rating for your car.

Eg: For my car a contessa the company battery is a 45 AH, whereas I have added on 4 - 90/100 halogens, 2- 50 spots, 1 amplifier and hence upgraded to a 75 AH, havent run into problems since as 10 AH of the battery is not being currently used.

amitoj · 4th May 2005, 11:41

Psycho, did u need to make any changes to the alternator as well?

Psycho · 4th May 2005, 11:51

No changes to the alternator are required as long as the voltage and the charge specifications for that battery are met, luckily the Amaron series are highly interchangable. The one I got happens to be an LCV battery and it has never run down on me till date.

However this is not true in the cases of older cars with Dynamo's on them, they would need to be reset to give a higher charge amperage.

Domnic · 4th May 2005, 11:53

Quote:

I am not even sure of what exactly an "upgrade of a battery" means... so any clues anyone?

What they mean is basically getting a higher rated battery. Rating goes upon AH (Amp Hours). which shows the amount of amperes it can supply for an hour.

an example take a 75ah battery... if there is a draw of 10amps the battery will last to about 7.5 hours with that load without the alternator charging it . You can decide on load by dividing the watt rating by volts. w/v=i , v X i = w.

Cheers
Dom

cheatingdeath · 4th May 2005, 12:51

hey if you have a lot of goodies on your car go for two batteries ... i know ford ikon with all neons heavily loaded deck and killer lights which jump with some sound of music .... he has two batteries

Steeroid · 4th May 2005, 13:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Psycho

Suggest that you go for a hassle free battery, also please check your electrical needs before you choose a battery, any addition electricals like upgraded halogens, extra spots, amplifiers etc do add load to the battery hence you will need to pick up the right AH rating for your car.

Eg: For my car a contessa the company battery is a 45 AH, whereas I have added on 4 - 90/100 halogens, 2- 50 spots, 1 amplifier and hence upgraded to a 75 AH, havent run into problems since as 10 AH of the battery is not being currently used.

Curious - if a car comes with a specified battery, isnt the alternator also designed to recharge batteries of that specification? So if you plonk in a bigger battery would it receive sufficient charge, and would it put an additional load on the alternator?

Changing/upgrading batteries were much easier on earlier cars (I wont call them older/outdated because I belive they are more flexible and hence more desirable), especially the older diesels. With the newer cars, EVERYTHING has to be EXACTLY as specified by the manufacturer, or else you will run into some sort of trouble which will take ages to figure out. And it would void the warranty. Hell(a?), I cant upgrade the headlamps on my car!!!

nitinbhag · 4th May 2005, 18:04

[quote=Steeroid]Curious - if a car comes with a specified battery, isnt the alternator also designed to recharge batteries of that specification? So if you plonk in a bigger battery would it receive sufficient charge, and would it put an additional load on the alternator?
QUOTE]

Usually the manufacters overdesign the alternators, so if a put in a battery with a slightly higher AH rating (maybe 10 AH, am guessing), it should be OK.. However a bigger battery does need a higher current alternator.. If you do not upgrade it, you are risking overheating or burning of the alternator

X-Machine · 5th May 2005, 02:49

Thanks for all your replies.
Now,the thing is that i am not changing the battery of my car.That was'nt my querry.

I wanted to know that how does a battery really work.It has 6-8 cells,which one has to charge when the battery is low.So how does that affect the performance of the car?? Also,once my mechanic inserted this device into this acid and water mix in the cell(pardon my ignorance).All he said he is testing the power of the battery and plates of the cell.What is this acid and plates thing in the battery for???

X

adya33 · 5th May 2005, 04:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by X-Machine

Thanks for all your replies.
Now,the thing is that i am not changing the battery of my car.That was'nt my querry.

I wanted to know that how does a battery really work.It has 6-8 cells,which one has to charge when the battery is low.So how does that affect the performance of the car?? Also,once my mechanic inserted this device into this acid and water mix in the cell(pardon my ignorance).All he said he is testing the power of the battery and plates of the cell.What is this acid and plates thing in the battery for???

X

these following links will help you

how batteries work
http://science.howstuffworks.com/battery.htm

What is the difference between a normal lead-acid car battery and a deep cycle battery?
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question219.htm

CAR AND DEEP CYCLE BATTERY FAQ
http://www.uuhome.de/william.darden/

hope this will help

p.s. : i don't think battery will make any difference in performance of car

4th May 2005, 02:14	#1
X-Machine Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Mumbai/Tokyo Posts: 1,475 Thanked: 29 Times	Car battery! Hey guys, Well the car's battery plays a very pivotal role,as far as the electricals are concerned.Heck,the car would not even start without a good battery. This is one of those things which always gets me into a fix.I always fail to understand how to judge a proper battery for the car.So can someone please throw some light on it. Thanks.
	() Thanks

4th May 2005, 09:57	#2
c10 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 187 Thanked: 9 Times View My Garage	Hi X-machine... its true batter is very important in a car, and even more if its a diesel engine...i drive a Diesel contessa and i have Amaron Battery...i've heard ppl say diesel vehicles need to started every day atleast once but believe me, at times i dont start her for nearly 5 to 6 days and when i start her she dosent hesitate...all i wanna convey is Amaron Battery has been doin favourably with my diesel contee since 3years with me... if you are dirving a petrol then she would do even better for you... Regards, c10
	() Thanks

4th May 2005, 10:20	#3
cheatingdeath BHPian Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 275 Thanked: 10 Times	go wih the brand names ... something like amaron or excel..... will the important point here is to keep the gravity under check .. as its a reversible reaction charging and discharging is done under on roof ... and amaron also comes with a lighting system when the battery turns dead the light changes to red or else it is green through out
	() Thanks

4th May 2005, 11:14	#4
ravi_28_8 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 77 Thanked: 2 Times View My Garage	go for an good brand like amaron or exide etc. make sure it suits your car. go regular check ups, atleast once in 2 months. Last edited by Domnic : 4th May 2005 at 11:40.
	() Thanks

4th May 2005, 11:27	#5
vahss_11 BHPian Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Thane(Mumbai) Posts: 118 Thanked: 8 Times	i am having exide, which is 18 months old,, charged last week,, i think it was due to hi-fi deck,,,,,so do check tell the dealer your requirements,
	() Thanks

4th May 2005, 11:35	#6
amitoj Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Windham, NH USA Posts: 3,348 Thanked: 3,105 Times View My Garage	Say, is it possible to "upgrade" your battery as well? I mean, if the car has add ons like fog lamps, bulbs of higher wattage, 4 huge speakers, a horn that goes AWOOGA AWOOGA etc etc... can one go for an "upgraded" battery? I am not even sure of what exactly an "upgrade of a battery" means... so any clues anyone? Cheers Amitoj
	() Thanks

4th May 2005, 11:38	#7
Psycho Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,043 Thanked: 110 Times View My Garage	Suggest that you go for a hassle free battery, also please check your electrical needs before you choose a battery, any addition electricals like upgraded halogens, extra spots, amplifiers etc do add load to the battery hence you will need to pick up the right AH rating for your car. Eg: For my car a contessa the company battery is a 45 AH, whereas I have added on 4 - 90/100 halogens, 2- 50 spots, 1 amplifier and hence upgraded to a 75 AH, havent run into problems since as 10 AH of the battery is not being currently used.
	() Thanks

4th May 2005, 11:41	#8
amitoj Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Windham, NH USA Posts: 3,348 Thanked: 3,105 Times View My Garage	Psycho, did u need to make any changes to the alternator as well?
	() Thanks

4th May 2005, 11:51	#9
Psycho Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,043 Thanked: 110 Times View My Garage	No changes to the alternator are required as long as the voltage and the charge specifications for that battery are met, luckily the Amaron series are highly interchangable. The one I got happens to be an LCV battery and it has never run down on me till date. However this is not true in the cases of older cars with Dynamo's on them, they would need to be reset to give a higher charge amperage.
	() Thanks

4th May 2005, 12:51	#11
cheatingdeath BHPian Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 275 Thanked: 10 Times	hey if you have a lot of goodies on your car go for two batteries ... i know ford ikon with all neons heavily loaded deck and killer lights which jump with some sound of music .... he has two batteries
	(1) Thanks

4th May 2005, 18:04	#13
nitinbhag BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 262 Thanked: 2 Times	[quote=Steeroid]Curious - if a car comes with a specified battery, isnt the alternator also designed to recharge batteries of that specification? So if you plonk in a bigger battery would it receive sufficient charge, and would it put an additional load on the alternator? QUOTE] Usually the manufacters overdesign the alternators, so if a put in a battery with a slightly higher AH rating (maybe 10 AH, am guessing), it should be OK.. However a bigger battery does need a higher current alternator.. If you do not upgrade it, you are risking overheating or burning of the alternator
	() Thanks

5th May 2005, 02:49	#14
X-Machine Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Mumbai/Tokyo Posts: 1,475 Thanked: 29 Times	Thanks for all your replies. Now,the thing is that i am not changing the battery of my car.That was'nt my querry. I wanted to know that how does a battery really work.It has 6-8 cells,which one has to charge when the battery is low.So how does that affect the performance of the car?? Also,once my mechanic inserted this device into this acid and water mix in the cell(pardon my ignorance).All he said he is testing the power of the battery and plates of the cell.What is this acid and plates thing in the battery for??? X
	() Thanks