Battery testing?

[Ice-9]

Hey, anybody know how to test your car battery? BESIDES trying to start the car, thank you. I've been having weird problems with my car not starting, and I just had the ignition worked on. So now I'm trying to figure out if it's the battery or something else that's still broken.

[speedracer120]

I think auto parts store will check the battery for you if you take it out and bring it in. I think:hmm:.

[coleslaw]

Yeah, I know that AutoZone does for sure (at least the one near me), and I think others too. Or you could try using a voltmeter/multi-tester.

[Ice-9]

Cool. I'll probably do that. I think the stupid security system is draining the battery really fast. I'm not sure if I should replace the battery and see if it stays okay, or just disconnect the security system. Hmmmph, stupid old cars.

[hapoo]

heres a good tip. If your battery is dead drop in 2 tablets of aspirin. The acetylsalicylic acid will give your battery one more jump start until you can replace it. (I love Maxim:D)

[giambona]

Bring it back to the guy that worked on the ignition and see what he says.

[Slider]

Okay, a little battery 101. First of all, you can test your battery with a voltmeter. Interpert the readings as such:
12.0 = Dead battery
12.2 = 25% charge
12.4 = 50% charge
12.6 = 75% charge
12.8 = 100% charge

However, this will not tell you the load capacity of the battery. For this you need a load tester which any parts store should be able to do for you for free.

Also, you can get a hydrometer and test the specific gravity of each cell, and see if you have a weak cell. There are more tests, but if you havent found if the battery is good or not by this time, it is too late.

But, if you just had electrical work done, I would first check to make sure the ground connections are still good. That is the problem in about 70% of the drivability issues that I find. Make sure the connections on the battery are tight and clear of corrosion (including under the terminal clamps)

Hope it helps

-Slider

[Sportzcoop]

Dont rule out other possibilities though. A weak battery could be caused by bad battery cables. Also have the alternator belts checked because if there is a problem with either of those a new battery wont do anything because they will drain it too.