Battery Load Testing

[DonImbimbo]

When you do a battery load test, do you connect the negative lead of the tester to the stud on the inner fender or directly to the battery negative post?

So I guess the question is: Do you bypass the battery monitor stuff?

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[kshaw]

I just tested mine directly connecting to the positive and negative terminals. If you are charging the battery, definitely connect to the battery monitor terminal other than the negative terminal. I hadn't used mine in past 3-4 days so state of charge and battery voltage is a little low but actual CCA exceeded the CCA stated on the battery.

 

[Mark S.]

I just tested mine directly connecting to the positive and negative terminals. If you are charging the battery, definitely connect to the battery monitor terminal other than the negative terminal. I hadn't used mine in past 3-4 days so state of charge and battery voltage is a little low but actual CCA exceeded the CCA stated on the battery.

Can this device conduct a load test?

 

[kshaw]

It is an alternative to load testing and sometimes works better than a load tester. There is a YouTube video comparing the two. Presenter showed that his load tester had determined that a battery was good and yet these testers advised to replace the battery. He had to replace the battery. I have used mine on multiple cars, aircraft batteries, and batteries on a solar system. I also have a load tester but no longer use it. This one measures battery resistance and calculates remaining battery life with the stated CCA versus calculated CCA.

 

[Uncle Buck]

It is an alternative to load testing and sometimes works better than a load tester. There is a YouTube video comparing the two. Presenter showed that his load tester had determined that a battery was good and yet these testers advised to replace the battery. He had to replace the battery. I have used mine on multiple cars, aircraft batteries, and batteries on a solar system. I also have a load tester but no longer use it. This one measures battery resistance and calculates remaining battery life with the stated CCA versus calculated CCA.

Very interesting. I will need to get one of these. I have yet to experience any battery issues with our BS, but I have been chasing problems with my Expedition for the last couple of years. Possible parasitic drain, but I can't find it, despite lots of testing. At least with this device I can keep track of what's going on with the battery itself. And the BS is currently parked in our garage back in St. Louis while we are on vacation, so it will be interesting when we get home to see if it has put the car in sleep mode after not being driven for 10 days.

 

[Caliope]

Very interesting. I will need to get one of these. I have yet to experience any battery issues with our BS, but I have been chasing problems with my Expedition for the last couple of years. Possible parasitic drain, but I can't find it, despite lots of testing. At least with this device I can keep track of what's going on with the battery itself. And the BS is currently parked in our garage back in St. Louis while we are on vacation, so it will be interesting when we get home to see if it has put the car in sleep mode after not being driven for 10 days.

On your Expedition, it could be a bad place in the starter. I had this happen on my '06 Ranger when it was 5yrs old. When I had the system tested at AuotZone, they said it was a bad alternator. However, when I took it to the dealer, the service manager didn't think that was the case and went looking elsewhere. It took about two weeks for them to trace it to the starter.

Just my two cents worth.

 

[sajohnson]

I know nothing about the tester above, but generally speaking, there are a lot of relatively cheap electronic battery testers (typically made in China). From everything I've read, they are mostly inconsistent and not durable. The mfrs & vendors often do not publish any specs. There are decent ones, but they cost hundreds of dollars.

Any device with a digital display (as opposed to the analog meter on a traditional load tester) may appear more accurate, particularly if it goes out a few decimal places. One of the first things we were taught in electronica class in high school was the difference between precision and accuracy.

Most BSF members may be aware of this, but, while a display like this is very precise, it may not be accurate:

The analog meter on a load tester is not very precise -- usually you can only interpolate to ~0.1V -- but they are reasonably accurate -- plenty accurate for a load test.

I like the idea of an electronic battery tester. If a good one could be had for (say) $50, I'd buy it. But from what I've seen/read, a decent $50 tester does not exist.

Midtronics gets mentioned a lot as a decent brand:
https://www.midtronics.com/testers/

A quick glance at Google shows prices from $170 to $3,350(!). IIRC, the model that was most frequently mentioned was about $500.

 

[DonImbimbo]

I finally replaced the battery in our 2021 Badlands. Whether it was under warranty or not, I don't know. We got it new in April 2021. One morning the Wife backed it out of the garage and the screens went dark and it started to complain about something.

I checked the cranking voltage and it was about 8.3 volts, too low for my tastes.

I did not want it to sit at the Dealer for a day or have me sit in their waiting room for 4 hours.

Autoparts store is only 3 miles away and they had one in stock [H6-AGM?]. Usually they will put them in for free. However, this time they said "We aren't allowed to install this on a 2021 Badlands". So I figured it was because they can't do the battery reset. So I volunteered to install it myself in their parking lot. They let me use their "battery cart" that had all the tools on it.

And then I found out why they are not allowed. You can't get the battery out by just releasing the two cables and undoing the hold down. The battery has to slide out to the front and collides with the airbox.

So I re-connected the old battery and went home to my garage shop.

• Remove the air inlet
• remove the top of the air box including the clamp to the throttle body
• air filter out
• lift up on the bottom of the air box. I think I also had to remove or disconnect a sensor
• Then battery cables
• Slide the battery forward and lift out.

I have owned a bunch of cars over the almost 60 years I have been driving. And I would have to say this was the most difficult battery to replace. Maybe "difficult" is the wrong word here.

We have NOT done any updates to BCM or ECU. I think the real issue for us is that 90% of our driving is within 5 miles from home. And of course, this time of year the steering wheel and seat heaters are on.

Not to mention that fact that the Bronco can be parked for 3 days and still randomly fires up headlight fans, or evap tests or other clicks and clacks. I think it has a secret agenda to kill the battery.

Anyway, new battery is in and all is well for now.

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