dead battery

My son's Sebring sat out for 8 days (NE Ohio) during a winter snow and would
not start. AAA "jump started" it so he could get to work. The battery dead
again and won't accept a jump start again. Could it be just a dead battery
(7 years old) or battery/alternator? Thanks!

 

7 years old? It's past time for a replacement.

Consider yourself lucky it worked the past two winters.

That said, a complete electrical systems check at the time of
replacement would be a good idea. Could be the jump also did some damage.

 

Just a reminder -

When you replace the battery be sure to completely clean the battery
terminals and clamps. Dirty battery connections can cause all sorts of
electrical problems.

 

....thanks! The battery in a Sebring is buried in the wheel well (real
handy!) so I may take this to my mechanic.

 

Batteries last for 4 years, if you got 7 out of this one it must have
been one hell of a battery, I'd buy another of the same brand.

 

ooooops. I did the math wrong. It's a 2003, so the original battery lasted
5 years?

 

OK that makes more sense, they do make 5 year batteries. I've always used
Diehards as my replacement battery, in my experience they deliver exactly
as many months as they promise, it's almost as if they have a timer in
them, a 48 month battery lasts for 48 months and not a day more.

 

The original battery in our '96 Stratus lasted 5 years or more in NY and
Michigan. The replacement (Diehard) was still OK after 5 or 6 years, at
which point we got rid of the car.

The original battery in our '02 300M is still OK after 5 1/2 years in NY
and Michigan.

Perce

 

Still have original battery in a 2000 Dodge Intrepid purchased in December
1999. Car has 160,000 miles, all of them spent in Chicago area.

 

The wheel well location keeps the battery MUCH cooler than other
under-hood locations, which has a lot to do with the long life of
batteries in these cars and the LH cars.

 

My '00 300m still has it's original battery (and antifreeze for that
matter). I took delivery of it on Nov 1/99, so the battery is at least
9 years old at this point. The climate the car lives and drives in is
the great lakes area (Detroit / Buffalo / Toronto / Cleveland) so it
sees hot summers (for 6 to 8 weeks anyways) and cold winters. But it's
always garaged at night and rarely will experience an overnight
temperature below 45 f.

And yes, the battery is located low, just infront of the wheel well -
but I don't think it's isolated or shielded from exposure to under-hood
heat (there isin't much room in there as it is for air circulation).

 

If it's like my 1998 Status, it's not bad at all. The Owner's Manual
says that the battery can be removed without removing the LF wheel,
but I found it to be easier with the wheel removed. The plastic panel
is easy to remove. After that, there is one bolt, along with the "GM"
style battery connectors. When I did mine, I disconnected the positive
cable under the hood as a precaution.

-KM

 

It wouldn't surprise me if that location was 40-50 degrees F cooler than
right up under the hood at the top of the engine bay, above the exhaust
manifolds and directly aft of the cooling fans the way most other cars are.

Your climate is about ideal for batteries. Cold may make the car hard to
start, but it doesn't damage batteries in the long run.... extended
operation in HEAT on the other hand is deadly to batteries.

 

Right answer - the battery is essentially in a separate compartment
(shielded from engine compartement radiant heat by the fender well and
air filter box), as well as having ambient air - forced convection -
flowing thru that area.

 

I'm sure that's the case, a much cooler location for the battery,
particularly when one stops with a hot engine.
My wife's 2001 V6 Sebring battery is now 7.5 years old. Our weather can
be quite hot 30°C in the summer, but for only several weeks. Winter can
be down to -10°C, so it needs good starting power. It's still very
strong.
The other cars we've had the battery was located above beside the engine
and 4 to 6 years has been the life.

 

.....wow. This has all been an education.

 

I think its just luck when you get long life out of a battery. My wife
has a 1997 Honda that sits in an unheated shed and we just replaced the
battery. I have a 2003 Shadow and if I get two years out of it I'm
happy.I even put my battery in the house and it still dropped dead
Wouldn't even take a charge.I put a Wally Mart battery in my trike and
it sits out side from november untill may and it's been spinning that VW
motor over for six yeas.

You just get a bad one sometimes.
Jerry


http://community.webtv.net/awoodbutcher/MyWoodWorkingPage


http://community.webtv.net/awoodbutcher/1974Tryke

 

Generally, heat kills batteries. You can relate that to each example
you gave. Batteries in 2nd gen. LH cars last many, many years. Why?
Because the battery is buried in one of the front fenders, shielded from
engine heat.