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Is my battery dead?

mojobaby

Enthusiast
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1,281
Last week, my car didn't start. It could barely turn the starter motor.
Then the next 2 days in a row, it started perfectly, first time.
On Friday I had the same problem, so after a push start (my dear wife), I went to the garage and asked them to test the battery for me.

The battery testing apparatus printed out a slip of paper that said "Battery Health--67%"
So I bought another battery for 66Euro, but haven't installed it because since then my car now starts up perfectly every time.

I did my own test with a multimeter and here are my results:
Battery at rest 12.5V
Starting the engine- drops to 10V
Engine running 14.6V
Engine running 14.6V and thats with lights on, indicator on, radio on, windscreen wipers working

According to me, that's a good battery. Any thoughts?
 
Your 14.6v is your alternator, showing you that that is functioning, and should be fully charging your battery. If your battery is intermittently starting your R4, it suggests that it is getting old. Batteries that are failing usually have the greatest difficulty starting on cold mornings. The engine oil is most viscous when it is cold and makes it harder for the battery to turn the engine over rapidly enough to start it. Time will tell, but if you are going to rely on the car make sure you have a set of jump leads handy in case you do have difficulty. The other possible cause is your starter motor bushes are getting worn, and so the starter is not responding adequately.
 
Thanks Tim, the thought that it could be the brushes, did cross my mind. I was hoping it wouldn't be!!
In the meantime, I've bought a new battery which I'll carry with me, just in case. And a spanner
The battery is 4 years old so hopefully it's just that
 
Battery is officially deceased and the new one has been put in and is working perfectly, so it wasn't the brushes, thank goodness!

I've noticed on a few Youtube videos that when trying to start with a bad battery, the reading goes down to 4-5 volt. Mine only went done to 10V thats why I thought it was still OK
 
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