Mark from Florida

Hello Kip, it seems anymore when you buy an ATV or motorcycle battery they come in a box with a container of fluid that needs to be put in the battery. I was wondering how long do you need to charge the battery after putting what i believe is electrolyte in it? Some people have told me its ready to go after putting the electrolyte in the battery. The instructions leave a lot to be desired if you ask me.

Pouring Electrolyte into battery

Bestbatterytips.com

Mark, you ask a good question that a lot of people don’t seem to fully grasp. We’ll start with answering the question in reference to the fluid inside the container. You are correct in assuming its electrolyte (acid) inside the container. Once the electrolyte is poured into the cells of the battery, it starts a reaction inside the battery. You will get some gassing  due  to  the  release  of  carbon  dioxide  that  is  a product of the drying process of the hydrogen sulfide produced by the presence of free sulfur. Therefore, the filling  operations  should  be  in  a  well-ventilated  area. These gases and odors are normal and are no cause for alarm. The battery is approximately 80% charged after adding the electrolyte to the battery. The battery 9 times out of 10 will have enough CCA at that point to start the ATV or motorcycle. Now with that being said, you should put the battery on a battery maintainer overnight to bring the battery to 100%. Never use a auto car charger to charge a motorcycle or atv battery. These types of chargers are often to big for motorcycle and ATV batteries and will boil the electrolyte inside the battery. Now if your going to ride your ATV or motorcycle for 2 to 3 hours with no interruptions it will be fully charged on its own. Remember Mark, always wear safety goggles and rubber gloves when working with batteries. You do not want a battery to explode in your face or get sulfuric acid on your skin.

Tim from Michigan

Hey Kip, Could you tell me who makes duralast from Autozone. I recently bought a set of Duralast batteries there for my diesel truck. I have had great results with Duralast batteries in the past, and was just curious as who makes these batteries?

Bestbatterytips.com

Tim, we’ve had to make this a 6 part Q & A under our Mailbag Mondays questions. We’ll make this one part 2 on Duralast batteries. Duralast batteries are a line of batteries sold by Autozone, which by the way is on every street corner it seems anymore. Autozone is one of the biggest auto parts store chains in the country, known for their great customer service and exceptional products. They can thank Johnson Controls for their dependable Duralast batteries. Duralast is Autozone’s private label made by Johnson Controls. Autozone offers a diverse selection of Duralast batteries, ranging from small to large. They even offer the Optima Gel Batteries in Auto and Marine, by the way which Johnson Controls also owns.

Below is a look at Autozone’s Duralast Battery Line, and the Optima Battery line they carry as well.

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Duralast Battery  750 cold cranking Amps 935 cranking Amps 2 year free replacement 7 Year Warranty

Cindy from Indiana

My car needed a new battery this past weekend, and I took it to Pep Boys. They installed a Prostart Platinum Battery in my car. I was wondering if Pep Boys makes their own batteries, or is someone making them for Pep Boys? What kind of quality are we talking about with these batteries?

Bestbatterytips.com

Cindy, you pose a excellent question. Pep Boys does not manufacture batteries, they sell them. Johnson Controls has been a long time partner with Pep Boys. Johnson Controls is one of North Americas largest battery manufactures. They manufacture a large amount of private labels for various organizations. Pep Boys is one of those organizations Cindy. Johnson Controls has always been known for its innovation in the manufacturing of batteries. Rest assured you are buying a battery made by a well respected and long time battery manufacturer. Also see our article under Battery Manufactures to learn about Private battery labels made by Johnson Controls.

Below is the different batteries that Pep Boys stocks.

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Prostart Value Grade Battery 12 Month Free Replacement 60 Month Warranty

Prostart Platinum Battery 24 Month Free Replacement 72 Month Warranty

Prostart Marine Battery 12 Month Free Replacement

Prostart Lawn & Garden Battery 12 Month Free Replacement

Prostart Powersport Battery 3 Month Free Replacement

Bill from Florida

Hello, I think my cars alternator needs replaced. The headlights have become dim, and I have to use battery jumper cables to get it started if it sits  for more than 4 hours after driving it. I have put a new battery in my car, and it still needs jumped. Can you give me some tips on how to check my alternator?

Bestbatterytips.com

Bill, we would be happy to point you in the right direction. Some of the signs of a bad alternator is the light on the dash comes on, you have to jump start your car, you have a noisy alternator, dim headlights, and your car engine stalls. The alternator supplies a charge to your battery anytime the car is running. The alternator can easily be checked with a digital voltmeter. Bill its important to keep safety in mind anytime your dealing with batteries. We suggest that you always wear safety goggles, and wear rubber gloves while working with batteries. Once you have your safety items and digital voltmeter you are ready to check your alternator. Gain access to your negative and positive post on your cars battery. Start your car and just let it idle. Get the digital voltmeter and put the positive lead on the positive post on the battery, and then connect  the negative lead of the voltmeter to the negative post on the car battery. The alternator should be putting out 13.0 volts to 14.5 volts. Even if a battery only has 10 volts on its own, it will show the voltage of the alternator while the car is running. The reading from the voltmeter should be no lower than 13.0 volts, if it is your alternator needs replaced. You can get a alternator at any local auto parts store.

Battery Group Number

James from New York

Hi, I recently had to go and buy a battery for my car. I had no idea what to buy and pretty much had to rely on someone else to tell me what it was I needed. I don’t like feeling like I might be taken advantage of because I don’t know anything about what it is I’m after. I want to be more prepared next time. Could you explain to me what I need to be thinking about when buying a battery for my car?

Which Battery to buy?

Bestbatterytips.com

James, a lot of people have no idea what it is they need when it comes time to purchase a new battery. More times than not, they end up spending more money than needed.

Buying a battery for a car for the most part is pretty straight forward. However, if you don’t know what your after it can be very tiring. The four most important things are (Battery Group Number) (Cold Cranking Amps or CCA) (Reserve Capacity RC) and (Free Replacement Warranty).

Battery group size indicates the battery size that will fit the physical dimensions of your vehicle. Many vehicles can accommodate more than just one group size. However, that is where CCA and RC come into to play.

CCA is critical for good cold weather starting ability. It’s the number of amps a battery at 0 degrees can deliver for 30 seconds and maintain a voltage of 1.2 volts per cell or higher. Generally speaking, the more Cold Cranking amps the better.

RC is the power available to run electrical accessories if the alternator fails. It indicates the number of minutes a fully charged battery at 80 degrees can be discharged at 25 amps and not fall below 1.75 volts per cell. The higher the Reserve capacity the better.

Free Replacement battery Warranty is the amount of time you can use the battery and when it fails receive a new replacement at no additional cost. Keep in mind James that the national average for auto battery life is 40 months.

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Motorcycle Battery

Mark from Idaho

Hello, I’m writing you in regards to battery storage. I have a motorcycle that I store in my garage in the winter months. Every year it seems that I’m always shoveling out 100 bucks  for one of those expensive batteries. I was wondering if you had any tips for winter battery storage, as I am tired of always buying a battery.

Bestbatterytips.com

Mark, you are a victim of sulfation. When storing batteries for winter or any other season, there are a few things you must consider first. Never store a battery in a discharge state, always be sure the battery is 100 percent charged. You can check the state of charge of a battery with a digital voltmeter. I will tell you that this is the least accurate way to check the state of charge of a battery, but we are not after exact science for this process. However if you feel the urge to be exact check the battery with a hydrometer. Checkout our article on Hydrometer(Specific Gravity) for info. Please don’t forget to wear safety goggles while you work through this process. Be sure to disconnect the positive and negative cables.  Also keep in mind that you don’t want to read surface charge of a battery, so if the battery was previously on a charger or the motorcycle was just running you need to wait 6 to 12 hours before taking a reading. You will want to measure DC voltage across the main positive and negative terminals of the battery.

Below is a batteries state of charge when hooking a volt-meter to the battery.

• 12.75 & Above      100% Charged
• 12.60 to 12.74      85 to 100% charged
• 12.40 to 12.59      75 to 85% Charged
• 12.20 to12.39        50 to75% Charged
• 12.00 to12.19        25 to 50% Charged
• 12.00 & Below       Fully Discharged

Once you have determined the battery is ready for storage, we need to consider the conditions the battery will be stored in. Batteries do not like hot temperatures, so a storage area at 30 degrees Celsius or 86 degrees Fahrenheit is no place for batteries. Once you have figured out a proper location for storage, you need to make sure the battery is removed from the machine. A lot of the time motorcycles, Atv’s, snowmobiles, and automobiles have some system that requires power from the battery even if the ignition is off. A example of one of those items that requires power from the battery at all times is a clock. I mentioned to you at the beginning of this response that you were a victim of sulfation. This happens when the battery voltage drops below 12.4 volts. The more discharged a battery is, the worse sulfation happens. In short, deposits build on the lead plates inside the battery and the surface that the deposits occupy is less surface area electrons have to produce power. Results are a battery that can not produce the power in which it was designed to do.

Battery Tender Junior 12 Volt

To prevent this from happening, I would strongly recommend a float charger. Battery Tender makes a excellent product for this application. A Battery Tender 12 volt or 6 volt Jr. can be hooked up to your battery and left unattended all winter long. The advantage is that it will keep your battery at 100 percent charged, and prevent any sulfation. The Battery Tender Jr. will turn on and off all on its own to maintain your battery. Money well spent, and will pay you back many times over in the long run. Battery Tender Jr. will run you any where from 29.95 to 39.95, and they can be purchased almost anywhere batteries are sold.

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Cold Weather

Tim from Maryland

I had lived in Florida all my life, recently I was forced to move to Maryland for my job. My question relates to cold weather being I have never had to deal with cold weather, and the affects it can have on automobile batteries. I no more and got up here and my car was dragging pretty heavy when i would go to start it. I assumed it was the battery because it worked fine before I left the warm temperatures. I went down to the local auto parts store and purchased a new battery and installed it into my car. Needless to say everything is fine now, and my car starts right up. My question for you guys is: Why do batteries seem to fail more often in cold weather?

Cold Soaked Car

Bestbatterytips.com

Tim,

Did you know that a car engine requires 3 times more power to start in cold weather versus warm weather. The motor oil in a car is a lot thicker in cold weather as opposed to warm weather. Think about it this way, take a bottle of syrup out of the refrigerator and try to pour it. Take the same bottle and warm it up in the microwave then pour it. There is a lot more friction involved in cold weather starts. The engine in your car has to circulate that thick oil when starting your automobile.

A battery in short produces electrons. The chemical reactions inside of a battery take place more slowly when the battery is cold soaked, so the battery produces fewer electrons. Producing fewer electrons results in producing less cranking amps. The starter motor for your engine on your car therefore has less energy to work with when it tries to start the engine, and this causes the engine to also crank slowly. A very common practice for people living in cold weather environments , is using synthetic motor oils. Synthetic motor oils do not thicken up  like traditional motor oils due in cold weather. The result in using synthetic oils is less friction during cold engine starts.

A battery that is nearing the end of its useful life may go unnoticed at first in warm weather. Take that same battery and put it in very cold temperatures and you have a battery that needs replaced.