How long can original battery safely go for?
 

Hey guys,

So my battery in my 97 EX is about 12 years old, it is the
original battery. I told some people this as they said I better
replace it or I'll get stranded on the highway or something.

Is there a way to test the battery or recharge.
Or should I just get a new one. The car fires up fine now.

Re: How long can original battery safely go for? (Re3irth)
 

i cant believe it lasted that long...i would buy a new one

Re: How long can original battery safely go for? (vtecb18c)
 

Any insight as to why you would by a new one?

Re: How long can original battery safely go for? (Re3irth)
 

because your battery is probably on its last leg..usually after about 8-10 years they slowly stop holding a charge.... why take the chance of getting stranded

Re: How long can original battery safely go for? (vtecb18c)
 

I'd buy a new one just so I know my car will start up when needed. Also, why risk using the old battery that must be giving you trouble. Just buy a new one, your car and you will be happy. https://honda-tech.com/forums/images/smilies/emthup.gif

Re: How long can original battery safely go for? (SpoonFedEj8)
 

I'll probably buy one at the end of the summer.
But this battery hasn't been giving me problems, as in
the car starts up fine every time.
But this battery does have a melted substance covering
the entire battery including the terminals. I just don't know
why I haven't started seeing signs of it dying.

75% of its cca.

Re: (count me out)
 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by count me out &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">75% of its cca.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Huh?

go to local parts store(advanced, auto zone,etc) and get them to check it.... use it if its good and if its bad buy a new one..

Re: (Re3irth)
 

cold cranking amps.

How do you know for sure it's the original battery? Are you the original owner? When did you buy the car and from where (Honda, dealership, private)?

Re: (NOFX)
 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by NOFX &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">How do you know for sure it's the original battery? Are you the original owner? When did you buy the car and from where (Honda, dealership, private)?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yeah, I'm sure a past owner could have just purchased a Honda battery, though regardless of how you split it, good or not good, 12 years is awhile to go without replacing the battery - and there's no way (not physically possible) it holds the charge it did when it was new.

Batteries usually only last about 3-4 years. Sometimes longer if your lucky. All batteries are stamped with a date code. I personally would just wait till it dies, but I'm just cheap. And yes I've been stranded before.

In my line of work I've come to find that often batteries aren't stamped with much at all. Many batteries don't list their cranking and cold cranking amperage. There have been a few where the only thing I could find (at least that was legible) was the brand name.

A Honda battery should have some info on it though IIRC. It's been two years since I got rid of mine.

There's a manufacturer's shipping/date code on almost every automobile battery. Since the life you'll get from the battery is dependent upon when it was made, not necessarily when it was put into service, you'll want to check this code so you can be sure the battery you buy is relatively "fresh" and hasn't been sitting on the shelf for a couple of years. This shipping/date code usually appears on a sticker on the battery or a stamp burned into the battery case itself.

The code is a string of a letter-number, i.e. E-8. Usually, the code starts with a letter that corresponds with the month--'A' for January through 'L' for December (some manufacturer's codes omit 'I'; for them, 'M' indicates December). The second character of the code is a numeral that stands for the year. Thus, a code starting 'A2' indicates that the battery was shipped in January 2002; 'B2' indicates February 2002, and so on. (Delco reverses the letter and the number; a Delco code starting with '2C' indicates the battery was shipped in March 2002.)
Of course your battery may have already been replaced once. Look at your date code to be sure. I do know that Autozone, and Advance Auto will test your battery, starter, and alternator for free anytime.
The group size for a 6th gen Civic EX is 51R and the OE CCA (cold cranking amps) is 410. If you live in a place with a cold winter (ie the northern states and Canada) and you do not have a garage, I would recommend a CCA of 500 or more (if you can get in a 51R).
DO NOT CONFUSE CA (cranking amps, the power at 32+ degrees F) with CCA (cold cranking amps, the power at 0 deg F).



Modified by TheJGB3 at 12:14 AM 7/9/2008

i thought as long as the car starts, it will not die due to a bad battery....isnt that what the alternator is for?

The battery starts the car, and the alternator continuously recharges the battery simultaneously as it is giving the electrical system power. Prior to 1960, cars did not have alternators. They had DC generators - The DC generator is like an electric motor in reverse. Instead of applying electricity to it to make it spin, when you spin it, it makes electricity. In 1960 the availability of low-cost solid-state diodes allowed car manufacturers to substitute alternators for DC generators. Alternators have the great advantage over direct-current generators of not using a commutator, which makes them simpler, lighter, less costly, and more rugged than a DC generator.
A bad battery will ruin an alternator, since the alt is trying too hard to rechg a battery that won't take the charge and the alt "burns up"
a bad alternator will ruin a battery because the battery is being constantly drained from not receiving the alt's 14.4V charging current - I have seen a bad alt ruin a brand new battery in less then 1 day of driving.

A 100% fully charged battery is 12.6 volts (six 2.1 volt cells)


Modified by TheJGB3 at 12:57 AM 7/9/2008

Re: (TheJGB3)
 

Well, I'm the second owner, and the guy I bought it from
told me the only thing that he had to replace on the car was
the exhaust/muffler since it burned holes in it (which subsequently
I had to replace part of the exhaust for the same reason).
The guy was straight up about pretty much everything so he
would have no reason to not tell me if he replaced the battery since
it is routine maintenance and doesnt indicate a problem with the car.

But anyway the entire battery is covered with a pretty thick layer of what
looks like a film of corroded material/acid so I do not see any writing on
the battery at all.

Re: (Re3irth)
 

The first time it leaves you stranded for something important you will want to kick yourself for not dropping the little amount of money on a new battery.

Get it done now https://honda-tech.com/forums/images/smilies/emthup.gif

Re: (ProMotive)
 

Personaly I would replace it.Just to be safe.But my dad had a diehard battery in his work truck that he got in 2000 and just got rid of it last year.I guess it really was a Diehard https://honda-tech.com/forums/images...s/emsmilep.gif

Re: (JDM-EJ698)
 

Holy crap, my OEM Honda battery lasted 5 years, and I thought that was good.

I'd get it tested, because it can burn up the alternator if it's not charging properly. Actually, at that age, I'd change it out of principal.

Re: (Syndacate)
 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Syndacate &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Yeah, I'm sure a past owner could have just purchased a Honda battery, though regardless of how you split it, good or not good, 12 years is awhile to go without replacing the battery - and there's no way (not physically possible) it holds the charge it did when it was new.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Say the OP purchased the car three years ago. The previous owner replaces the battery shortly before selling it. The new guy sees a Honda battery in it and assumes it's been in there the car's entire life even though the battery is only three years old.

See what I'm getting at?

But a lot of autoparts stores will test and/or charge your battery for free too.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Re3irth: But anyway the entire battery is covered with a pretty thick layer of what
looks like a film of corroded material/acid so I do not see any writing on
the battery at all.</TD></TR></TABLE>

To clean the battery use a tooth brush and diet coke or baking soda & some peroxide, or just go to the parts store and get battery terminal spray cleaner. Once the battery is cleaned off, you should be able to locate the date code. Of course your car was made in '97 so a date code of A-7 could mean Jan 1997 or Jan 2007.

Modified by TheJGB3 at 6:36 PM 7/15/2008


Modified by TheJGB3 at 6:37 PM 7/15/2008

Re: How long can original battery safely go for? (vtecb18c)
 

Ive still got my factory honda battery and i use my radio at work for up to 4 hours strait and it starts rite up ! its a 99 lol