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Thread: My Honda battery seems to let go every 2 years. Any suggestions as to why???🤔

  1. #1

    Default My Honda battery seems to let go every 2 years. Any suggestions as to why???🤔

    Every couple of years or so my OEM NSX battery just decides to pack up and not crank over and as Kaz witnessed yesterday at Silverstone, it was so flat in fact it barely brought up the dash lights and that was immediately after 3 parade laps and a very long drive getting there.

    When parked in my garage I always make sure that the CTek digital pulse charger is plugged into it so ready and maintained for its next outing.

    Once again Yeomans will kindly change it under the battery warranty but it's still very mystifying.

    Today I put a volt meter across the terminals once removed and it read a low 10.31v
    The condition warning light glowed a bright green colour indicating a healthy battery.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Yet when I used my drop tester it fell instantly into the poor black section, suggesting knackered although still glowing green.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Any suggestions as as to why this should happen so consistently???
    Pride.

    1992 My beloved Red/Black manual NA1.😎
    1992 Chevy Lumina apv Rockford Fosgate sound system demo van.🙉
    2003 Hartge Mini Cooper S (2 x UK & 1 x European sound quality finals winner) 🏆 

    "The NSX's greatest victory was to WIN the 1995 Le Mans 24hr GT2 Class"
    ..............and guess what, it was a RED one but of course.  

  2. #2

    Default

    10.3V isn't a healthy battery, regardless of a glowing light.

    What alarm have you got fitted?

    And what 'accoutrements' have you got that are / may be draining the battery? That turntable below the rear glass, for example - battery or wired-in??? LEDs / Neons / big Subwoofer behind the passenger seat?!?

    ...and has anyone checked your alternator?


    If it's always doing it, and it's always OEM batteries, then one (or more) of:-
    - your alternator isn't doing the required job, or is doing so but only partly / intermittently;
    - there's something else providing a drain on the battery (alarm / other modification - think there may be a few to choose from), which a 'new' battery can deal with but which after a couple of years becomes too much.
    - you've an intermittent short-to-earth, perhaps?
    - your CTEK is faulty and not really charging / conditioning?
    - ...or someone with better electrical knowledge can come up with another idea?


    I would GUESS that if you've got an a-market alarm + LEDs + neons + turntable + ??? all turned on, then the overall draw when driving might be similar to / more than the alternator can provide, which means you could be draining the battery (slightly) while driving - a long journey could undo all the good that the trickle charge has done. A new battery has sufficient peak juice to cope with this, a slightly older battery may not...although I'd expect a CTEK to do better than that...how old is the CTEK?
    "No man with a good car needs to be justified"

    Blue '08 FD2 CTR - big, ITR-sized shoes to fill...
    Yellow '96 NSX 3.0 - oh was it worth the wait!
    Black '99 ITR - well, I had to have another one, the first was so much fun. Miss this one even more than #1...
    Blue '03 S2000 - SOLD, flawed but fun
    Blue '04 Focus TDCi Sport - SOLD, very good fun for a diesel!
    Black '00 ITR - SOLD, still missed
    Red '98 Civic VTi - SOLD, probably still bombproof

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
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    Switzerland
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    Default

    One cell seems to be bad. There are 6 of them. If one quits the job you'll get around 10 V.

    Are you sure that the CTEC is connected correctly? I also use a CTEC and these are very good.

    What is the charging voltage of the alternator? It should be around 14.5 V.

    If all check out fine the only reason I can imagine is that someone said that even battery makers are saving costs and lead which leads to a shorter battery life. >5 years would be good.

  4. #4

    Default

    Thanks guys, I've sold and used CTEK digital pulse chargers ever since they first came into the country over 15 years ago, the one I use now is the latest version MX5.

    I went to Japfest a week ago, no problems, Greenwhich Park to Brighton classic car run the following day, no problems, back in the garage connected to the charger and a week later no battery power.
    Here's a pic of the charger I took this morning before removing the battery from the car.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    And yet putting the key into the ignition the dash lights were very dim and it still refused to turn over.
    I checked all the connections on the battery and starter motor and they are both tight and clean.

    I've double checked for current draw when all turned off and locked and it's milliamps.
    The model turntables are AA battery operated so don't apply.

    Alternator charges at 14.5volts when above 1500rpm

    The battery has a 3 year warranty and I've had at least 4 replaced under warranty over the last 6 or7 years.
    They used to cost £55 but in March this year the price jumped up 50% to nearly £90.

    The upgraded sound system i put in isn't too excessive in my opinion.

    I'll be picking up the replacement battery on Saturday under warranty, I'm almost certain it will be fine again for a good few months, at least until another cell drops out and it all starts over again.
    Pride.

    1992 My beloved Red/Black manual NA1.😎
    1992 Chevy Lumina apv Rockford Fosgate sound system demo van.🙉
    2003 Hartge Mini Cooper S (2 x UK & 1 x European sound quality finals winner) 🏆 

    "The NSX's greatest victory was to WIN the 1995 Le Mans 24hr GT2 Class"
    ..............and guess what, it was a RED one but of course.  

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Switzerland
    Posts
    1,006

    Default

    Did you always use the same battery supplier?

  6. #6

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by goldnsx View Post
    Did you always use the same battery supplier?
    For years I always fitted a red top Optima, but since closing my car stereo shop down ten years ago now I decided to replace it with the correct Honda NSX battery as it was almost a third the cost at the time.
    Pride.

    1992 My beloved Red/Black manual NA1.😎
    1992 Chevy Lumina apv Rockford Fosgate sound system demo van.🙉
    2003 Hartge Mini Cooper S (2 x UK & 1 x European sound quality finals winner) 🏆 

    "The NSX's greatest victory was to WIN the 1995 Le Mans 24hr GT2 Class"
    ..............and guess what, it was a RED one but of course.  

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Switzerland
    Posts
    1,006

    Default

    Varta or Banner make batteries.

  8. #8

    Default

    That's a fair point goldnsx, I might just as well try another make and see what happens over time, nothing to lose I suppose as they will also be under warranty.

    Does anyone have a favourite make and type preference for reliability??

    I do between 2-3000 miles a year.

    What type??
    Lead acid, spiral wound, gel cell, recumbent gas..........all I would really like is reliability at the end of the day.
    Pride.

    1992 My beloved Red/Black manual NA1.😎
    1992 Chevy Lumina apv Rockford Fosgate sound system demo van.🙉
    2003 Hartge Mini Cooper S (2 x UK & 1 x European sound quality finals winner) 🏆 

    "The NSX's greatest victory was to WIN the 1995 Le Mans 24hr GT2 Class"
    ..............and guess what, it was a RED one but of course.  

  9. #9

    Default

    Have you still got an old CTEK - if that is showing the battery fully 'conditioned', yet it's still weak straight after unplugging, that would point to a fault with the charger...but you say it's been happening for the last ~4 batteries which presumably is more than one CTEK in that time...which points back to the alternator, maybe?

    (I don't know enough about the innards of an alternator to comment further, but that's arguably the one common component here)
    "No man with a good car needs to be justified"

    Blue '08 FD2 CTR - big, ITR-sized shoes to fill...
    Yellow '96 NSX 3.0 - oh was it worth the wait!
    Black '99 ITR - well, I had to have another one, the first was so much fun. Miss this one even more than #1...
    Blue '03 S2000 - SOLD, flawed but fun
    Blue '04 Focus TDCi Sport - SOLD, very good fun for a diesel!
    Black '00 ITR - SOLD, still missed
    Red '98 Civic VTi - SOLD, probably still bombproof

  10. #10

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by havoc View Post
    Have you still got an old CTEK - if that is showing the battery fully 'conditioned', yet it's still weak straight after unplugging, that would point to a fault with the charger...but you say it's been happening for the last ~4 batteries which presumably is more than one CTEK in that time...which points back to the alternator, maybe?

    (I don't know enough about the innards of an alternator to comment further, but that's arguably the one common component here)
    Cheers for your input Martin, over the years I find CTEK charges do not like being dropped or knocked about particularly when at full working temperature and as I'm pretty clumsy I have had to replace a few in my time.

    I have also had to replace the alternator twice. The first time it just stopped charging, so I replaced it with an identical casing style Denso alternator which went up in a huge ploomb of white smoke during a very high revving, spirited drive, that was about 6 years ago, so I decided to buy a second hand origanol on EBay and no such problems since.

    I believe the voltage regulator is built in the alternator is it not???
    Pride.

    1992 My beloved Red/Black manual NA1.😎
    1992 Chevy Lumina apv Rockford Fosgate sound system demo van.🙉
    2003 Hartge Mini Cooper S (2 x UK & 1 x European sound quality finals winner) 🏆 

    "The NSX's greatest victory was to WIN the 1995 Le Mans 24hr GT2 Class"
    ..............and guess what, it was a RED one but of course.  

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