Am I the only one with a dead battery?

[SuperGeek]

If after a weekend my ScanGauge shows 11 volts when I switch key to position 1, is that reason enough to perform a load test? I don't have equipment for that myself; I could take it to Autozone and freak out the goobers there, I suppose.

[SunDiego]

My smart has been in the garage for a couple weeks now and the battery is dead... Nothing was running in the car.

[Karl Roth]

Originally Posted by SuperGeek

If after a weekend my ScanGauge shows 11 volts when I switch key to position 1, is that reason enough to perform a load test? I don't have equipment for that myself; I could take it to Autozone and freak out the goobers there, I suppose.

Yes
karl

[sunnyokanagan]

Check the electrolyte level in your battery - you may be running on fewer than 6 cells. Several Canadian smarties found their electrolyte was low, even right after PDI!

Mine was quite low when I checked it this summer, after 3 years on the road. Not desperately low, and there was no charge problems. Just checked it as part of routine annual maintenance.

[mvaldes]

Originally Posted by Karl Roth

Yes
karl

Please help out this non-motorhead. What is a load test, how is it done and what do you learn from the results?
Thanks,
Michael

[Duckhunter]

Load test is putting a resistance load (large heating element)on the battery for a short time. By doing this it is possible to get the state of the batteries ability to properly function and recover from the high load. It will tell if there are internal problems with the battery.

[mvaldes]

Originally Posted by Duckhunter

Load test is putting a resistance load (large heating element)on the battery for a short time. By doing this it is possible to get the state of the batteries ability to properly function and recover from the high load. It will tell if there are internal problems with the battery.

Thank you very much for such a clear and succinct explanation!

[lebikerboy]

I got tired of checking the electrolyte so I bought an Optima redtop. Was also able to toss the silly little breather hose.

[nsaamiller]

Same here- ended up putting in an optima yellow top, since I leave the GPS/Weather on all the time. The replacement was a cinch, although I did need to put in a longer battery negative to ground cable. It's a good idea anyway, since the tin ground that comes standard is probably not sufficient to prevent some voltage loss at high current draw.

[Karl Roth]

http://www.optimabatteries.com/_medi...yDataSheet.pdf
These are great but they still produce hydrogen when you charge them (that silly vent tube) and they live in the passenger area of our car. Just wondering, run a spill proof in an other car and it is vented to the exterior
karl