Originally Posted by
kevindd992002
So last week my Mirage did not want to start and when I checked the battery (Motolite Enduro, a local brand in the Philippines) it only had 10.6V volts. I removed it from the engine bay, charged it with my Ctek MXS 5.0 battery charger, and was fully charged successfully. I left it for 3 days in the charger and was at step 7 (maintaining good battery voltage) until I removed it, washed the terminals with baking soda solution, and gave it a nice cold bath to remove any dirt in it. This is a maintenance-free battery, btw. I left it to air dry for a few hours and when I tested the voltage again, it seems to have stayed at 12.6V so I though everything was good.
I then decided to install it in the car but it still did not start. I forgot to bring my voltmeter with me so I did not know what the voltage was when I installed it in the car.
Then I had no choice but to buy a new battery today. I went with Amaron and when the delivery guy installed the batt, the car started just fine. I still wanted to test the voltage of the old battery but I didn't get the chance to because it was traded-in during the purchase of the new battery.
Questions:
1) With all these observations, does this mean the old battery was really dead? I mean it is already a month shy of 3 years old. We live in a tropical country (Philippines) and people say 3 years is already a long time for a battery life.
Your description sounds like a dead battery to me. Keep in mind that warmer temperatures tends to shorten the usable life of lead-acid batteries.
Originally Posted by
kevindd992002
2) Is it worth refilling a maintenance-free battery in hopes of reviving it? I kept thinking "what if" I did this instead of buying a new battery. I'm reading that this is not worth it because you're simply prolonging the inevitable for a few more weeks or so, but still!
You can try it but if the lead plates had enough precipitation, adding water won't revive a dead cell. This is often noticed with high charge current and a warm battery while charging. Did you happen to notice if your battery was warm - almost hot - while charging?
Originally Posted by
kevindd992002
3) I guess a voltage test doesn't give you the whole story, does it? Does one need to do a load test to determine if a battery is really in a good state?
Yes. It is helpful to test a battery while it is loaded such as with lights, accessories and/or starter operating. A voltmeter with Min/Max capture is especially helpful.
If a new battery has solved your problem, why question it? Is there something else going on? Have you added or changed anything electrical on your Mirage, such as audio, lighting, or video recording? Any of these devices can subject a battery to discharge cycles that will certainly shorten it's life, along with warmer temperature.
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View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)