Battery Recommendations for 2nd Generation TL

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Old 08-03-2013 | 09:21 PM
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Battery Recommendations for 2nd Generation TL

I am on my 5th battery for my 2002 Type S. The first three Acura batteries lasted a combined 160K miles. I swapped into a Sears Diehard Gold battery due to my 3rd Acura battery giving up the ghost at 167K miles while I was parked in a mall parking lot that had a Sears Auto center. The Diehard Gold battery failed after only 18K miles. It was under warranty, so they gave me a new one. That one has now failed after only 10K miles.

I plan to bring it back and get a refund or at least a partial refund and buy something else. Any recommendations? Should I go back to the OEM Acura batteries? They seem to last longer, at least for me.
Old 08-03-2013 | 09:36 PM
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Has the electrical charging / starting system ever been load tested ?

Could possibly be a scavenger short or bad ground. Check all the cables and wiring connections. Perhaps the alternator is starting to wear. Do ya have a big stereo amp or any other high draw accessories ?
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Old 08-03-2013 | 10:36 PM
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The easiest thing to check is your battery terminals and follow both the the wires from the terminals to there source. Check if they are frayed or loose. If so replace.

Otherwise;
~big system=big battery (Optimo yellow or red)
~Auto zone has a reliable battery. Interstate is reliable and die hards even though it didn't work for you also are rated pretty good.
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Old 08-03-2013 | 11:30 PM
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I just tried charging the battery with my Schumacher battery charger and after it got to 10 percent, I received the error code F02 which means the charger cannot desulfate the battery.

I'm also wondering if I have a parasitic draw on the battery. I have never replaced the alternator or the starter and the car has over 200K miles on it. I don't have any aftermarket equipment with the exception of a radar detector plugged into the lighter.

Any advice on what tests I should have performed? What's the going rate for a new alternator? Ugh! I just installed new shocks/struts and had the side and front motormounts replaced for the second time.
Old 08-04-2013 | 10:26 AM
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I'm surprised that Sears didn't do some testing...rather than just throw in a new battery. Take the car to either an independent local shop or usually for free...go to most any auto parts store. They can check the overall condition of your battery, along with the charging and starting system. This is done under load with the accessories on. They offer this service, because they know that ya may need to replace some parts and hope ya buy from them !!!

Alternator's can be rebuilt by an automotive electrical specialty shop....or ya can purchase a reconditioned one for less than $200. They're not difficult to install. Make sure that ya check all the main grounding points, along with the connections to the starter and alternator.
Old 08-04-2013 | 11:54 AM
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Originally Posted by 3.2TLc
I'm surprised that Sears didn't do some testing...rather than just throw in a new battery. Take the car to either an independent local shop or usually for free...go to most any auto parts store. They can check the overall condition of your battery, along with the charging and starting system. This is done under load with the accessories on. They offer this service, because they know that ya may need to replace some parts and hope ya buy from them !!!

Alternator's can be rebuilt by an automotive electrical specialty shop....or ya can purchase a reconditioned one for less than $200. They're not difficult to install. Make sure that ya check all the main grounding points, along with the connections to the starter and alternator.
When I brought back the first Die Hard Gold battery to Sears they tested it and confirmed it was completely dead. This time, I plan to drive the car in and have the system tested.

After my battery charger could not get past 10 percent, I hooked up my trickle charger battery tender which indicates that the battery is 80% of full capacity.

I hate automotive electronic gremlins.
Old 08-05-2013 | 09:14 AM
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Batteries are usually judged more by age than mileage. A good battery should last at least 4 years, so you have gone through enough batteries to run your Acura for 20 years or more. Listen to these guys-something is killing your batteries.
Old 08-05-2013 | 10:09 AM
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Originally Posted by AlanW
Batteries are usually judged more by age than mileage. A good battery should last at least 4 years, so you have gone through enough batteries to run your Acura for 20 years or more. Listen to these guys-something is killing your batteries.
I agree. I'm going to bring the car back to the service center that installed my shock/struts and replaced the motor mounts. They disconnected the battery when they performed their work two weeks ago as I had to reset the radio stations when I picked up the car.

Is there a specific test I should ask for or is it a generic electrical test that checks the battery, alternator, starter, etc.?
Old 08-05-2013 | 11:24 AM
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One of two things may be the problem with short battery life.

~Check all wiring leads and connections, the ground wires are also critical. Ya may have a continual drain with something staying activated when the car is off ? Maybe a courtesy lamp or anything, even a sticky relay.

~The alternator may be not capable of fully charging the battery under load. Your battery should be at about 12.5 normally and with the alternator running....the battery would read about 13.5>14.5, when the load of accessories is added it may normally drop a bit. With the car running, pull the neg (-) terminal from the battery.....if the car should die and stop running, chances are good that your alternator is faulty.
Old 08-05-2013 | 12:21 PM
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Originally Posted by 3.2TLc
One of two things may be the problem with short battery life.

~Check all wiring leads and connections, the ground wires are also critical. Ya may have a continual drain with something staying activated when the car is off ? Maybe a courtesy lamp or anything, even a sticky relay.

~The alternator may be not capable of fully charging the battery under load. Your battery should be at about 12.5 normally and with the alternator running....the battery would read about 13.5>14.5, when the load of accessories is added it may normally drop a bit. With the car running, pull the neg (-) terminal from the battery.....if the car should die and stop running, chances are good that your alternator is faulty.
Thanks. That's a good tip. I will try that today before I take the next step. Since the shop disconnnected the battery for service, I've had the problem so I'm thinking some connection is loose but I will try this first and hopefully rule out the alternator!
Old 08-05-2013 | 02:23 PM
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Good news (I think). I started the engine and let it run and then removed the negative cable from the battery. The engine kept running, the AC was blowing, the radio was on and the engine cooling fans were working so hopefully that means the alternator is fine.

I still plan to bring the car in tomorrow to the shop that performed the original work and have them test the electrical system and the battery.
Old 08-07-2013 | 05:13 PM
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Update. I brought the car in and had the energy load test completed. The first test showed everything was connected correctly with no parasitic leak but the alternator was running lower than the Acura recommended voltage. However, the tech noticed that my battery cables were very corroded so we decided to swap them out before deciding if we needed to take any action on the alternator. Once completed, the alternator voltage was back within the recommended range and everything seems to be operating fine. My trickle charger even re-charged the battery to 100%.

Below are some pics of what 200K+ miles do to OEM positive and negative battery cables...







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Old 08-07-2013 | 05:47 PM
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Nothing lasts forever. Normally alot of electrical problems will develop at their weakest exposed part such as a connector or terminal.

Ten years of being subjected to hard service under the hood will take it's toll. Always check the simple stuff first !
Old 08-07-2013 | 10:34 PM
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I love it when a plan comes together.

Battery issue solved!
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