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For the people who always post battery questions.

Geo-TH,In

Geo-TH,In

Well-known Member
The first 2 pics shows voltage.
Does voltage always tell if a battery is
good?
cvphoto94301.jpg

Does age always tell if a battery good.
IMO, it takes the right meter to tell if
a battery is good.
The meter is a voltmeter and a conductive
tester. Conductive tester may not always
tell everything. When you are dealing
with sealed battery a hydrometer is
worthless.


cvphoto94305.jpg

O
The pic of the 2017 battery is showing cranking amps. No voltmeter alone can show cranking amps.
cvphoto94310.jpg

The 2021 battery has been sitting on my shelf
Since March of this year. Never been on a charger
cvphoto94311.jpg

The 2017 battery was on a charger for 2 days.

So voltage doesn't always tell you to condition of a battery, especially if you just charged it.

Does age always mean battery is good? Sometimes
Everyone needs a battery conductive tester or a load tester. I hope I've shown voltmeter doesn't always work.

BTW, You can take your battery to auto parts store and they can better tell you if you need a battery.
As for me I save time and gas by keeping my tester in the truck. The 2021 battery works great.
The 2017 is junk.
 
I removed battery. Battery terminals are
clean. No cable connections.
Battery is resting on tractor fender.
 
nope. voltage dont tell u much about what a battery will do. it has to be load tested. just because it shows over 12 volts dont mean it will start your vehicle.
 
Though its not much of a load test I have measured the voltage and the turn on high beam headlights and whatever other load I can place on it. Check the voltage at say 0ne, three and five or ten minutes. If the lights draw the voltage down much then battery is definitely shot. Not nearly the Amp draw of the starter but does give some indication. Personally I have an old handheld load tester I inherited, not super high tech but works fairly well. At work we have a high $$$ Impedance tester, good but pricey.
 
(quoted from post at 11:24:20 07/11/21) I removed battery. Battery terminals are
clean. No cable connections.
Battery is resting on tractor fender.
Click to expand...
don't understand.....you measure cranking current with no battery connections/
 
Jessie,
google a battery conductivity tester.

Conductance Battery Testers Conductance is a measurement of the battery's ability to
produce current. To measure conductance, the tester creates a small signal that is
sent through the battery, then measures a portion of the AC current response.

Many places that sell batteries use this or an old school resistance load tester. I
have both. Easier to carry a conductivity tester. It has yet to lie to me..
 
Hey good Neighbor, fun post....... You state as follows....

'So voltage doesn't always tell you to condition of a battery, especially if you just charged it.' YES YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT

GOOD QUESTION George, the answer is NOOOOOOOOO (but you already knew that Im sure) FYI A battery experiences voltage RISE under charge but voltage SAG under a load....... Voltage alone can provide a somewhat fairly accurate, albeit not perfect, indication of its State of Charge (SOC) BUT ONLY ONCE ITS AT REST AND STABILIZED. Here's a chart I found but I cant guarantee its accuracy

Temperature: 77 degrees Fahrenheit

Percent charge Hydrometer Unloaded voltage


100 1.265 12.63 volts
75 1.210 12.30 volts
50 1.160 12.00 volts
25 1.120 11.76 volts
0 1.100 11.64 volts

In my battery testing arsenal I have a Voltmeter,,,,,,,,,,,Hydrometer (for wet FLA),,,,,,,,,,Load Tester. Using the combination OF ALL THREE one can arrive at a decent 'approximation' of the state of a battery.

I agree with you VOLTAGE ALONE DOES NOTTTTTTTTTTTTT tell the whole story but it needs to be AT REST AND STABILIZED for darn sure !!!!

Fun chatting, best wishes BE HAPPY

John T
 
JT,
Most new cars today come with sealed batteries. Going back to 2005 to 2018 all my new GM Cars came with a sealed battery. My 2018 says not to replace with a wetcell. I Can't tell you the last time I used my hydrometer. I only buy sealed batteries, especially lawnmower batteries.

BTW, I typically get 7 to 10 years out of my batteries. This one died young.
Always nice to have a spare new battery instead of going to town.

Reason for this post is to prove battery voltage alone isn't enough.
Charging a battery for 2 days isn't enough.
The age of the battery isn't enough. Rarely have I had a bad battery in a few months, but it has happened.
Load testing or conductivity testing is also deeded to determine if a battery is junk..
The ultimate load test is will the battery start the engine? Happy cranking current is needed.
Happy days.
 
(quoted from post at 12:41:15 07/11/21) Jessie,
google a battery conductivity tester.

Conductance Battery Testers Conductance is a measurement of the battery's ability to
produce current. To measure conductance, the tester creates a small signal that is
sent through the battery, then measures a portion of the AC current response.

Many places that sell batteries use this or an old school resistance load tester. I
have both. Easier to carry a conductivity tester. It has yet to lie to me..
Click to expand...
K, I understand, but that is far away from "measuring cranking current". Measuring one thing and predicting the other...and that is one way to do things. OK.
 
You need to know the voltage at a heavy ( 200 to 300) amp draw to see if it is good. If it will hold over 11 volts it should start the engine if the starter is good. If the volts drop way down to 6 or less even if it puts out over 300 amps, it will not start but may burn the brush leads in the starter. Needs volts to make the magnetic fields.
 
(quoted from post at 13:56:28 07/11/21) You need to know the voltage at a heavy ( 200 to 300) amp draw to see if it is good. If it will hold over 11 volts it should start the engine if the starter is good. If the volts drop way down to 6 or less even if it puts out over 300 amps, it will not start but may burn the brush leads in the starter. Needs volts to make the magnetic fields.
Click to expand...
WOW! " Needs volts to make the magnetic fields."
It is no wonder at all the confusion, mis-understanding, mystery, 'magic' about anything electrical! "Volts" is nowhere to be found in the formula for magnetic field strength! NI...that is current & number of turns. units, ampere-turns. Yes, it takes volts to make current, but it is the current that makes the magnetic field, not volts. Put a million volts on the coil of wire and have zero current flow and you will have zero magnetic field. End of lesson.
 
My experience is Always isn't a word to describe a battery. You can have a battery that has 12.7 volts and go to nearly zero if you put any draw on it. Then I have a battery that is about 20 years old that is still good after all the batteries I've bought since have long gone. I've had several that didn't has a month, one of which the store where I bought it from tested it and said it was good. Still it wouldn't work in any vehicle I have.
 
(quoted from post at 13:09:37 07/11/21) Jessie,

Measuring/predicting splitting hairs.
Use what works for you.
Have a happy day.
Click to expand...
i, Geo. I 'predict' that my checking account will have a million dollars in it Monday morning, but won't write a check on that until I 'measure' my account. :D

This post was edited by JMOR on 07/11/2021 at 01:44 pm.
 
(quoted from post at 11:05:28 07/11/21) The first 2 pics shows voltage.
Does voltage always tell if a battery is
good?
<img src=https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cvphotos/cvphoto94301.jpg>
Does age always tell if a battery good.
IMO, it takes the right meter to tell if
a battery is good.
The meter is a voltmeter and a conductive
tester. Conductive tester may not always
tell everything. When you are dealing
with sealed battery a hydrometer is
worthless.


<img src=https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cvphotos/cvphoto94305.jpg>
O
The pic of the 2017 battery is showing cranking amps. No voltmeter alone can show cranking amps.
<img src=https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cvphotos/cvphoto94310.jpg>
The 2021 battery has been sitting on my shelf
Since March of this year. Never been on a charger
<img src=https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cvphotos/cvphoto94311.jpg>
The 2017 battery was on a charger for 2 days.

So voltage doesn't always tell you to condition of a battery, especially if you just charged it.

Does age always mean battery is good? Sometimes
Everyone needs a battery conductive tester or a load tester. I hope I've shown voltmeter doesn't always work.

BTW, You can take your battery to auto parts store and they can better tell you if you need a battery.
As for me I save time and gas by keeping my tester in the truck. The 2021 battery works great.
The 2017 is junk.
Click to expand...

As previously stated . The only battery test that gives honest results is a load test .
 
I have both a carbon load tester and conductivity tester.

The Conductivity tester has never failed me nor has the carbon load tester. When a
battery is bad, both testers will show bad. Conductivity tester easily fits under the
arm rest of my truck. Carbon load tester has 2 analog meters. It's better suited for
bench testing, not bouncing around in a truck.

This post was for the people who always think all they need is a Voltmeter to test a
battery and don't understand why having the battery on a charger overnight doesn't
work. Or they think battery is only 3 years old, it should work .

Voltage doesn't always predict condition of battery and age doesn't either.
 
Quick simple modest but usable accuracy. This is an example. Search for Non contact starter draw meter. Cheap!!! Jim
cvphoto94348.jpg
 
You are right in a way. BUT why is it when a battery is getting weak & the voltage
drops under load & the amps go up & yet the starter only turns slow?????????? . If it
is coming from the amps it should turn faster. Give it a boost to keep the voltage up
& it will spin faster on less amps. Magnetic field comes from the atoms of the
conductor excited by the voltage. We have been falsly taught the field comes from the
amps. Not so! That is my story & I am sticking to it.
 
(quoted from post at 19:56:09 07/11/21) You are right in a way. BUT why is it when a battery is getting weak & the voltage
drops under load & the amps go up & yet the starter only turns slow?????????? . If it
is coming from the amps it should turn faster. Give it a boost to keep the voltage up
& it will spin faster on less amps. Magnetic field comes from the atoms of the
conductor excited by the voltage. We have been falsly taught the field comes from the
amps. Not so! That is my story & I am sticking to it.
Click to expand...
ine! You stick with your non-understanding of motors and please don't spread mis-information to others. Hint: as motor slows, the counter EMF falls, thus higher current. Same true whether engine starter motor or the electric motor on your air compressor! Read a good book on electric motors & maybe physics too.
 
I am in mid Mn. & helped start engines when it is 30 ,35,40 below. Battery is putting
out high amps but the voltage drops & the starter struggles to turn it over. Give it a
boost & get the voltage up & it spins over on way less amps. Doesn't that tell you
something or at least question what you have been falsly taught???????????? No matter
how you look at it, the magnetic field comes from the atoms of the conductor excited
by the VOLTAGE. In this area I am not the only one that knows this as they have seen
it many times too.
 
Another example that many know about is when the VoLTAGE drops, the ign. coil won't fire the plugs. AMPS are the same???????????????? Coil works on magnetic fields too.
 
(quoted from post at 22:00:23 07/11/21) I am in mid Mn. & helped start engines when it is 30 ,35,40 below. Battery is putting
out high amps but the voltage drops & the starter struggles to turn it over. Give it a
boost & get the voltage up & it spins over on way less amps. Doesn't that tell you
something or at least question what you have been falsly taught???????????? No matter
how you look at it, the magnetic field comes from the atoms of the conductor excited
by the VOLTAGE. In this area I am not the only one that knows this as they have seen
it many times too.
Click to expand...
pparently you don't even know enough to stop showing your ignorance, because if you did you would stop. Here, hook both starter motor (or coil if you like) terminals together and apply voltage to them. Now you have your voltage to the coils and your "atoms to excite", but does your engine start??? Really, surprise! You are not really ignorant enough to think voltage would do it were you??? I really didn't think so. Just figured you were another jaw flapper/troll.
 
A volt meter will give you a good idea if used right.
If the voltage drops way low the instant you hit the starter or turn the lights on, and still does after charging the battery, chances are it's toast.
 
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