Accord 1999 - battery "tested" 209 CCA, "Replace!"? Why?

At a local oil change shop, my 8 year old car, on original battery,
that has not had any problems starting this winter in below 0F temps,
was tested, and a report shown to me - 209CCA, was 550CCA originally,
and must replace battery.

Is there any surefire way to determine whether to replace a battery?
Never had a problem starting the car in cold days (-5F), on hot days
(110F).
Does crank slowly on cold mornings, but starts up on first try anyway.

I know many people get scared with batteries over 5 years old, but is
there any objective method to say a battery needs replacement, or is
this "how lucky do you feel" analysis????

 

Batteries are cheap enough that it makes sense to change it before it
fails. It is much better to drop $100 or less now, than to miss a day of
work because your car wouldn't start and you had to get a ride to the
local autoparts store to get a new battery, then futz with it in the
freezing cold.

There are far more reasonable things to cheap out on...

 

Why was the battery tested?

 

At 8 years I wouldn't even think twice about it. Just replace it. An
older battery in less than prime condition can put extra strain on the
alternator, causing it to fail prematurely.

 

Well... I would have a slight suspicion on why an "oil change" joint
tested an electrical component, i.e., the battery but OTOH, eight years
is a stretch for any battery..

JT

 

Myself, I usually wait until the first "no start" situation...Then I
chunk it..
I can tell when they are going south. But if reliability is a
concern,
you might as well change it out. 8 years is getting pretty old as far
as
batteries go. Did they check the individual cells to see if any show
bad, shorted, etc? It's your call really. It might last another year,
but
then again, if you had an extended crank session some day, it could
leave you needing a jump. A low battery voltage can add extra strain
to the starter too..
MK

 

The battery should have been replaced 4 yrs ago.
It a wonder you haven't cooked that expensive
alternator for making it work so hard. Batteries are
cheap..but not being stranded some rainy ,cold night,
getting help, the battery is probably sulfated. But some folks
are lucky...


> wrote in message
news:...

 

I'm not convinced that an aging battery puts unusual stress on the
alternator. I would be interested in hearing from an electrical
engineer with specific knowledge on this. A couple tests come to
mind: 1. Measure the battery voltage after it has sat overnight. If
it is at least 11.0 - 11.5v it isn't going to accept much charge and
shouldn't stress the alternator. 2. After a long drive, feel the
battery. If it is not much warmer than its inert surroundings, then
it can't be absorbing much energy.

I am pretty cheap and I would consider keeping the battery until late
fall. Summer heat is hard on batteries but you don't demand much
cranking power from them. So, the battery is likely to serve you
through the summer but would be pretty shaky for next winter. So look
for a good sale in September and buy a fresh battery then. Keep in
mind that I am not that concerned about battery reliability,
especially in the summer.

 

Here ya go.
http://www.uuhome.de/william.darden/carfaq5.htm

 

Take it to a place that has a carbon pile>analog meter and forget about the
digital stuff.
You will actually see the meter drop under load...I don't need to convince
anybody
that is to cheap to replace an 8 yr. old battery!

31100-PAA-A01RM W-ALTERNATOR ASSY- 1 1999 Accord 335.05

That enough to convince me!

 

I tend to agree. Only in the case of a huge current draw by some
device like a monster stereo, radio transmitter, etc might this be an
issue.
And then only because it will quickly tap out a battery, and the
alternator works hard trying to keep it charged. In most normal
cases with a minimal current draw, it won't be an issue.
I see low voltage as being harder on the starter motor, than
the alternator. And even a half shot battery will not keep a low
voltage long, once started. It will quickly charge to normal
voltage. In other words, it still acts as normal, except as far
as capacity.
MK

 

I don't see anything here that addresses the question of stress on the
alternator due to an aging battery.