[bblost]

Goto to the nearest battery service point.
Have them hook up a voltmeter.

How to Test a Car Battery

Connect positive red lead of voltmeter to positive of battery terminal and the black lead to the negative terminal. Check the voltage level. If its in the range of 12.6 to 12.8, your battery is doing well and adequately charged. Anything below that like 10 V or lower means it is in need of charging.

Now reconnect the battery and start the car. Keep it in idling mode and check the voltage reading between the same points again. If it is around 10V, then the battery is okay. Anything below 10 V means that either the car battery needs charging, or some other problems are causing the voltage decline.

For long battery life, never run any electrical system like blowers, radio, lights etc with the engine off.

[Raccoon]

^^^ Dude, the voltages mentioned are not correct.

[longford]

Originally Posted by bblost

Goto to the nearest battery service point.
Have them hook up a voltmeter.

How to Test a Car Battery


For long battery life, never run any electrical system like blowers, radio, lights etc with the engine off.

well, thats exactly what I did and what was told.

Upon reaching the hyundai service center to pickup my car, the advisor said that the battery is weak and needs to be replaced, as a panacea to the warm startup problems. I also asked him, how he was so sure and asked whether they replaced the battery and checked it out again. And he said yes.

I was however, not very convinced but told him I will be back if the problem persisted after the battery gets changed. On my way back home, I took it to a Exide authorised dealer and asked him to check the battery. He told me the exact thing that you mentioned and showed me the meter readings also. Just battery was showing around 12 something and upon starting the car it was showing around 9. He indicated that the battery was charging and said you should not have issues if the car is running for a longer time. He also mentioned that on cold start the battery level is probably around 8 and the load on battery also increases when driving on lower gears. I reminded him that even after longer drives of 1 hr+ at minimum 3rd gear, restart at traffic is an issue. He simply said that may be because of weak battery.

My battery is of 2005 and am not sure if he was trying to get me to consider a new one, but then he seemed earnest in his approach and explanations.

Now I am confused. 2005 ka battery, to change or not to change.
Advise pl.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by longford

1. The problem may not just be battery, could be the starter also.
2. Battery lasts 3-4 years. Mine is around 8 years (assuming OEM??) So definitely replace
3. Go for Amaron/Panasonic/Bosch but not exide.

Would be wonderful what my fellow bhp-ians think and advise me on next steps.

...upon starting the car it was showing around 9.
...I am confused. 2005 ka battery, to change or not to change.

1. Odd that cold starts are not a problem but hot starts are. In any case, the voltage figures indicate your battery is due for replacement. And with the winter coming up, the problem will aggravate. Starter has no issues IMO.
2. 4-year-old battery is just ok for replacement - expecting any more life is not worth it.
3. Go for any battery, but the Accent requires a more expensive DIN-specification battery - it's the battery case with a little lip at the base, where a clamp fits, unlike a regular battery where a clamp is placed over the top. Exide, Tata Green, SF, Amaron are all good batteries - I'd suggest you go for the best price and best warranty to suit your requirements. Forget about the debate on which brand is best.

[sierrakamat]

dont change you can push start the car in case of failure so dont worry its not that the car will never start besides the new battery also can go kaput so swhy worry enjoy your trip instead.

[longford]

Thanks SS and sierakamat. appreciate your advice.

actually, once last year i forgot to turn off the parking lights on a rainy morning and by evening, it was dead as a dodo. so the push start had to be applied.

But this warm startup problem, has been the last couple of months.

Hmm.. some more research and then will change the battery if the diagnosis is conclusive or anyway.

[Trust_In_Thrust]

^ Seems to be a case where cells are not able to hold the charge .Get the specific gravity checked for individual cells .

[Raccoon]

Push starting a modern car is not a good idea. Also, if your battery is really weak, you are taxing other components. There is no need for so much thought and guesswork. Its not too difficult to tell if the battery is due for replacement.

IMO, the brand is important. For eg. one issue is that even though a company gives x months warranty, I'd not expect it to kick the bucket right after the warranty period expires. Exide for eg. is known to do that. Also, it doesn't help a lot to say "Yay, I have warranty!" when the battery dies in the middle of nowhere... Many other issues...

[pr_ans]

Originally Posted by Raccoon

brand is important. For eg. one issue is that even though a company gives x months warranty, I'd not expect it to kick the bucket right after the warranty period expires. Exide for eg. is known to do that.

I agreed with Raccoon.. It happened to me with my Exide battery on my Ikon. Exactly after a month after the expiration of the warranty, the battery was dead.

I got a new one Amaron FLO, No problems whatsoever...

[sudharma]

Originally Posted by longford

But this warm startup problem, has been the last couple of months.

Hmm.. some more research and then will change the battery if the diagnosis is conclusive or anyway.

Your battery is on borrowed time for sure. Push start is applicable to normally aspirated vehicles only. Normally won't work on FI vehicles.

The Battery shop guys have a simple test to locate a weak cell(s) in the battery. They use a very thick cable similar or thicker than the Power connection to the starter motor and short the battery terminals for a few seconds. The electrolyte in the weak cell(s) will start bubbling where as that the good cells remains normal. I don't know the scientific logic of this test, but it is effective in locating a bad cell. Also they have a " Load Tester " to monitor the cells under different conditions which is accurate.

Warning:-This is for information only. Don't try this yourself. Let the battery Shop ( Auto electrical repair shop) guys do it.

Don't wait for the battery to fail completely. As it is on borrowed time, get it replaced ASAP.

As for your starting problem when hot, your starting motor may require maintenance. get it checked. May have a partially shorting / grounding coil ( armature ) or a worn out Brush / Bush / Bearing.

[longford]

I agree with the reasoning that the battery is on borrowed time . Come to think of it, I thought it was an OEM from 2001 till the battery guy tells me at the end that its a 2005 edition. It was like you have driven far but luckily not far out as it may been with a 2001 OEM!

Change is happening next week to Amaron Pro/FLO. Any ideas on the prices and what to bargain for? Thanks.

[gigy]

If you have problem only when the engine is hot then the starter needs attention. good battery will read 12v when car is checked in morning, its 2v per cell with 6 cells totalling 12v, if one cell is weak in a closed circuit the good ones will be discharging through it. if you read 10v then change battery.

Don't keep push start as an option, use it only in a no-go situation. it might do more damage than good for the electronics around.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by longford

But this warm startup problem, has been the last couple of months.

In that case you would do well to open up the starter before undertaking a big trip. The problem areas are likely to be either the solenoid contacts burnt out, or the carbon brushes worn out. When heated up, these build up enough resistance to prevent the starter from working.

ALSO change the battery. A 9v reading after cranking spells trouble, esp. in winter.

[longford]

Well, thanks for the advice. appreciate it.

On the battery meter there were like two guages. One showing 12 volts and the other one ( i am learning these terms ) is the load meter on the alternator. Basically, what I understood was that the first one is just battery terminal connect and see. The second one is noted when the engine is started. The meter was a needle based indicator and not the digital LED displays.

I went back to the service station this morning to fix a vibrating irritating noise from the rear part of the car and updated the advisor on my last evening exide dealer visit. He said the reading that his guys saw was 12v on the first guage and said that it needs to be 13v. Now this guy was sincere and earnest and was not trying to get me to buy anything that I did not need to. But he said that the problem was the battery and told me that I must get it changed before the trip.

Also checked the web on similar problems and there were a few mention at hyundaiforum , of the accent 2001 stalling in the US. Some plausible explanation given included that the ECU codes to be investigated and cranking sensor may need to be replaced.

Hmm.. more research is on. Off to the hmaservice site now for techie gyan.

Its like the car is a part of you and the aches somehow gets you to be in pain.

[Soumya_Ramesh]

Recently in my car i replaced the battery. The battery does not die all of a sudden, which means you can recognize its weakness. When it is getting weaker, the engine might not start in a single crank and this will be your first warning sign and after that it does come for few days. So if your battery has not reached this stage then you need not have to worry.