Did I replace my battery too soon?

I hate waste and I like to squeak out every bit of value out of things.

My 2002 Jeep was running fine and was Boat launching time.

I tried jumping the boat and refused (Boat sat all winter in the cold
with battery).

So I thought I'd put the boat battery in the truck for a few days to
help revive it.

I put it in the truck and then jumped the truck with it's own battery.

Turns out the boat battery was just a tad too tall so I could not run
it in the truck for a couple days.

I put each battery back and the boat is fine now. I cleaned and tighted
all connections.

But the Jeep started acting up. It stalled and didn't want to idle and
the odometer light blinked. But then it settled down and was ok for few
weeks.

We did 350 miles on it over the weekend, then Monday morning I get in
the car and it won't start. Dash blinking and gauges jumping. I'm
99.999% sure nothing was left on.

I disconnected, reconnected the battery and headlights were ok. Turn
the key and the lights go out. Reconnect lights blink off and on. I
then connected meter while lights blink and it jumped between 12v and
8v.

This is an orginal battery. I know original VW/Audi batteries are junk
and only last 2-3 years. And I know orginal GM Batteries (Delco) would
last forever (6-9 years). Not so sure on mopar jeeps.

I jumped the battery (which was real hard starting) and drove to the
dealer. But it stalled 3 times and it immediately started FINE !!

Anyway I replaced the battery and it all seems ok, but I'm wondering if
I just covered up a problem or the battery was due. I never charge
tested the battery and probably should have.

The dealer said every time you disconnect the battery the computer has
to re learn idle. Well when I put the new battery in, I never had the
idle re-learn issue.

What the heck was going on? Was it a bad cell going in and out?

 

Hi...

Not a mechanic, just an old retired electrical guy who loves cars.

The symptom you describe is exactly what you'd expect were you to
have put the (jeep) battery in without cleaning and properly
tightened the connections. Clean 'em up and you'll be fine.

Take care.

Ken

 

Well it is too hard to guess without looking at the battery itself.

If you had the dealer replace the battery, and they have a brain in
their heads, then they probably plugged a jig into the cigarette
lighter to keep power to the computer while the swap of the batter was
in progress. If they did this, then none of the "learned" information
was lost.

If your battery was original, and there was sediment approaching the
bottom of the plates, then moving it very well could have shifted the
sediment enough to start an intermittent short on the bottom of the
battery plates. This most certainly cause the behaviour you describe.

I had a battery that developed an intermittent cell in my 94 Acclaim.
Everything went nuts. The dash was blinking, gauges were going
haywire! You would have thought I had driven into the Burmuda
Triangle! (or that my dash as "possessed").

One new battery later, and all problems vanished.

I think this is a case of "if it aint broke, don't fix it". As you
have discovered, by trying to save a few bucks fixing something with a
problem by swapping parts to another thing that had no problems, all
you wound up with was TWO broken things!! The bad Kooties crawed into
your jeep!

Seriously though...

You probably did yourself a favour! If that battery was so borderline
that just moving it cause the problem to appear, then at least you
found it while at home and not out in the bush! Imagine if you were
driving down a country road - miles from anywhere - and hit a pothole
that bounced the battery around sufficiently that it started acting
up???

By unwuttingly bringing on the problem while still at home, you have
actually averted a potential disaster on the road!

The same thing happened to me earlier this year. I had some work done
on my Caravan. The shop had left the park lights on by mistake for
about 30 minutes before I picked up the van. When I went to start it,
it would not even crank! I leaned out the window and yelled "Oh boys!
I think we have another problem!"

They were more than a little surprized! They jumpped it, drove it back
into the service bay, and did a quick system test. Alternator Charging
AOK! (thank GOD). Battery Capacity - FAIL. Fortuitous that it happened
literally 5 feet from the service bay!

Count your blessings!

PS: As to Original GM batteries lasting forever - that was a LONG TIME
AGO. These new fancy sealed batterys with the "Green EYE" are SHIT.
The eye will stay green until you turn they key! Then suddenly turn
RED! LOL. At that point I don't need a damn eye to tell me there is a
problem! What I found is that the new breed of GM batteries is a
controlled discharge, so the volume level of the cell is not supposed
to vary as wildly as the old batteries. UNFORTUNATELY, what GM does is
not fill the cells FULL. They usually put just enough acid in the
battery to barely cover the plates. Once they snap the covers on, you
can't see that this is what they did, nor can you remove the cover
wihtout breaking it! So the battery will last pretty much just until
the car is off warranty! As soon as the top of those plates are
exposed and dry out - that is the begining of the end for the battery.

Reputable battery manufacturers - like Interstate Battery - still
provide a removeable lid so you can CHECK the level in each cell and
top up as required. Admittedly, if everything is working properly you
should not have to top up but maybe once in the life of the battery.
And when you top up, make damn sure you use DISTILLED water. But when
I get a new battery, I ALWAYS check it when I get home. Nine times out
of ten, the fluid level is only 1/2 way to the full mark! If you want
maximum performance and life, you battery MUST have the proper fluid
level!

 

I swapped the battery at the dealer myself. And I did not supply power
during the swap. But no funky idle. It seems like the bad battery was
causing havoc.

I know I know, using the Jeep for the boat might not have been the best
Idea, my wife groaned when I told her what I was gonna do. But the boat
battery does seem happy at least. Like you said at least it died in the
driveway.

 

I know the behavior of a lose/dirty connection they were sanded and
tight.

 

mswlogo wrote:

I agree with Newman - it has an intermittent shorted cell that you
brought on by physically disturbing it. Just as well that this happened
and it got replaced.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

 

Hmm, Using your truck as a battery charger. That be the most expensive
charger you invested in. Loading down your alternator and taking a risk on
your electronics in your truck. A good way to smoke the harness and circuit
in the truck. Invest a simple $45.00 battery tender out in the market and
you wont have this issue.
Scott

 

Really? Then you'll know the explanation for the lights going out, as you
stated here:

It's pretty tough to come with an alternative explanation, isn't it?

Batteries only cost about $40, and it's done, so you might as well forget
about it.

 

Those are a waste of money. Buy a standard battery charger, it will have a
chip in it that once the boat battery is charged, it will keep it float
charged
and will not boil out the batterly like the old-timey battery chargers did.
Then
you can use it as a regular battery charger as well as a battery tender.

Ted