Bad cell in a lead acid battery

[64PI]

Just got my '86 F-150 with a 406 in it running. The battery in it was new last year. I've been running the truck for a few weeks with no issues. Get in it yesterday hit the key and it started slower than usual. Thought to myself well that's odd... Took it around the block, got it home shut it off, hit the key and just a click. Voltage at the battery was around 14.7. Put the boost pack on it and fires right up. My 86 year old grandfather shows up I tell him whats going on. He said try a different battery you probably got a bad cell. Different battery and bam fired right up. Other than the possibility of being a defective battery, what else would contribute to killing a battery cell like that?  I ran that battery all last summer with the same alternator when I had a 352 in the truck and never had an issue. The battery has never been on a charger or boosted since I bought it, besides yesterday.

Fred

[machoneman]

Damage during factory assembly or cheapo materials used in the construction.

I had to buy a few years ago a cheap (yeah, Chinese!) battery drain tester for maybe $40 on E-Bay. Got tired of not knowing if the battery in question was truly bad. Had looked into a dealership quality unit but at $250+, I took a pass.

Anyway, of late even my neighbor swears that battery in one rarely driven car is fairly new but loses its charge in 10 days or so. Haven't used the tester on it as the battery must 1st be fully charged before used. Hold down a lever for 5 or 10 seconds (per the instructions; another make of the unit may say 7 seconds) and release it. The unit heats a bi-metallic strip and diagnoses if the battery is good/bad with an analog swept needle. Works well for the money. 

Btw, better ones exist today and use a multi-meter hook-up for a digital reading:  https://www.amazon.com/Lisle-64970-Parasitic-Drain-Tester/dp/B00RGN5UAY

[57 lima bean]

   If it is a non sealed battery,using a remote starter switch and cranking the engine minus coil will load the battery well enough to identify a bad cell.

[Falcon67]

I use all AGM batteries here, haven't had any issues with sitting vehicles, except the expensive Optima in the Falcon which is less reliable than the Duracell AGM from Sams that's in the dragster.  The dragster sits for 2~3 weeks at a time, the Falcon more but I keep a maintainer on that one because it seems to be a weak sister.  A $240 weak sister.  The F-350 also has a Sam's AGM, it sits a lot too - fires right up when I need it.  I buy for warranty and price and keep the receipt.  The Duracells seem to do as well or better than anything.  The one in the dragster is a poster child for battery abuse and it's going on 4 years working just fine. 

[cjshaker]

Crappy and cheap construction, and there's nothing you can do about it. It's luck of the draw in this age. I've been through (literally) hundreds of batteries over the last 10 years, mostly in electric carts, but many in fleet vehicles. Some will last 10 years, others 6 months.

I use a Napa brand battery tester. The type that uses an element similar to an electric stove, to place a load on the battery. It says to hold for 7 seconds, but you don't need to do that. You'll know within 1-2 seconds. If the voltage starts dropping steadily, it's junk. If it drops a volt and holds, it's good. 1 1/2 volts or more, it's weak and may give up on you at the first sign of stress.

[64PI]

Well I'm glad to see I'm not the only one. It will be going back to Advanced Auto to get replaced. I guess I've been getting pretty lucky with batteries up until this point. I've had a couple of those abused batteries that just kept on working and surprised me how long they lasted.

Fred

[BattlestarGalactic]

I had an autozone battery in my 89 f150 when i bought the truck.   8 years without fuss, i finally just replaced it because winter was coming and didnt want to find it dead suddenly one day.  Sometimes your lucky, others not.

[cattleFEeder]

Here is another option for a tester.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/anm-cp7612

[cjshaker]

Here is another option for a tester.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/anm-cp7612

That's the type that I use. It places an actual load on the battery and works great for me.

[machoneman]

Here is another option for a tester.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/anm-cp7612

Yeah, that's the kind I posted about above. Good to see a 2020 price too that's competitive.

[shady]

Autozone and Advanced are made by Deca, as are Walmart's. May as well buy one there at half the price.

[Falcon67]

Here is another option for a tester.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/anm-cp7612

Similar to the one I use, think mine is OTC.  All true here, batteries are pretty much a crap shoot.  Most probably average around the warranty period more or less, some don't.  Power sports batteries are really bad, I've even gone through a couple of Interstate units to get a good one for a quad.  There there's the no-name unit that was in the 1993 F-350.  It was a 2009 stamped unit, no name anywhere, replaced it last year after it decided to not crank the truck.  So 10 years before the mast. 

[BattlestarGalactic]

I dread Powersport batteries!  Ugh, my 4 wheeler would eat one every year no matter what.  I do try to keep it on a tender while sitting in the trailer.  Seemed to improve last years usage.  Time will tell this year when I finally get to use it!

I put an AGM in the Harley last year.  Again, unhooked and on the tender all winter kept it around for this year.

[Falcon67]

I dread Powersport batteries!  Ugh, my 4 wheeler would eat one every year no matter what.  I do try to keep it on a tender while sitting in the trailer.  Seemed to improve last years usage.  Time will tell this year when I finally get to use it!

I put an AGM in the Harley last year.  Again, unhooked and on the tender all winter kept it around for this year.

We have two quads - his (ratted out 110), Hers (nice new 125 w/reverse)  I put a spade connection on the ground wire from the battery on the 110 to keep it alive between races.  But I can't find any specific current draw, at least yet.  I think it just likes to eat batteries. 

[BattlestarGalactic]

I bought my Bayou 220 brand new in '99.   Was just a track toy for years, though did spent a few summers doing very mild "old man" classification of trail riding.  Not abusive.  In the last 10 yrs it just sits in the trailer and doesn't get used much(few times a year at certain events).  Typical weekend I just walk where I want to go at the track.  This is when I find it eats batteries.  Though last night I got in the trailer, removed the tender that was plugged in all winter, turned on the fuel and it lit right off.  Yaaa.