192K miles 2004 matrix 2ZEFE
on an older car I would not even ask the question. Just use the battery I have as long as it lasted.Some of Scotty’s videos talk about the importance of the battery powering computer modules and ignition systems. Something that has bugged me about this vehicle is how long it has to crank before it starts up. I finally got a little electronic battery tester. It says the battery has about 65% of its life left, it is fully charged, but that the cranking amps are a little low. it looks a little small sitting in The space, and the holding clamp doesn’t even touch the top of the battery. I’m just wondering if I’m under powered a bit. I’ve even had some trouble with my AC posted on another topic that may be electrical in nature. Could this be related? 🤔
a rule of thumb pass/fail test for a car battery is it must maintain 9.6 volts for 15 seconds when tested at one-half the CCA rating. A battery dealer will do this for you free of charge.
But you can do a crude test yourself by pulling the fuel injection fuse and cranking the starter while monitoring voltage.
Thanks! I’ll try it.
You said it looks small sitting in its space and the brackets don't touch. You have the wrong size battery for the vehicle. Look it up on line for the correct size battery for your vehicle and get the one with the highest cold cranking amps you can afford. Any auto parts dealer will have this information.
Well instead of highest CCA rating so it can put out more power I would go with higher AH rating so it has more energy. It reduces alternator work and lasts longer. You can also check with a voltage meter (you can find some videos on YT) the voltager from alternator to batery and power at the battery so you would know are there any power loses and how good are the cables.
