Sumol15

I'm very sure the battery in my car is going soon. The light comes on every now and then when I start it and I need to rev the engine a few times to get it to go away. I plan on taking it to get checked in the next couple days but if it cannot be recharged, I want your opinion on which one I should buy in case I need to. What is considered a "good battery company" and what should I look for in a batter. I believe CCA is important what else?

Thanks!

PS: Does having a low battery screw up my alternator or anything?

rick10

yes having a low battery can damage your alternator. I wouldnt even wait a few days to change it as you are going to pay 3 times as much for a new alternator

Recently i had the same problem , and my alternator went 2-3 days after I changed my battery . I actually had to pay a little more as my alternator died and I tried to play the hero to make it to the shop with my new battery to find myself with a dead car at hurontario in rush hour . I had to wait 45 minutes for a flatbed as my car is lowered and the regular tow truck can not take it.

I ve learned my lesson , now i have CAA ( 100 bucks a year) . However I had to buy a new battery and a new alternator.

Test your battery , make sure connections are clean and tight , if you have some extra cash get a caa membership as you are probably driving a 10+ years old car

good luck ! ... One way to know if your alternator is dying is to check the idle in your car. Ive noticed that after i changed my alternator and battery my car idles perfect, however before my battery and alternator went , i was idling below 500 and sometimes my car would feel like it was going to shut down specially when i ha the ac , radio on

rick10

as per your battery question, i ve done a lot of research and found out that energizer ( at wallmart) would do the job. Look it up , all good reviews . And it is also made by johnson ... Thats the one i bought , no problems so far

now if you want to go big then just get interstate ( i believe) , but they are pretty expensive. I guess it depends on how much you are running .

MPR

Friend of mine bought an optima battery and it's still going strong after 6 years of use and abuse...

Your other issue could be the alternator. With the engine running put a volt meter on the battery and it should be showing between 13-14volts +/-. If it's less, you may need an new alternator. With the enigne off the battery should read 11 volts +/-.

rick10

just to add a little bit here. Right after i changed my battery i did the volt meter test to find out i was at 14 something volts . I actually did this the next day in the morning and still read the same. Furthermore i did the test with everything on and it was still 14+. However my alternator still went 2-3 days after.

The only alert that i ve had ( that i can remember) was the next day with my new battery that car would idle below 500 ( its been like that for months) but this time it felt like the car was shutting down for about 10 seconds ( had to rev a little bit) an throught the day i would still have a low idle . 2 days after alternator died .

Since changing the alternator and battery my idle issues went away

digi198816

I agree totally with energizer and walmart, just changed the battery on my dad's Mitsubishi, got one from walmart for $120, took the old battery back to walmart and got $10 back Its not a lot but still something, there are cheaper batteries but might as well get something that lasts a bit longer for $20 more.

Sumol15

I replaced the alternator last year, and the battery was fine. Lately it seems to be going, I have a voltmeter built into my capacitor, and off it would read 10.5. I checked today and its not even on. I guess I better replace it quick then...

chris_v2

Yeah replace it Mike. At work I use ac delco and interstate. I've never had a problem with either.

nsxvtec

Oddysey PC925LMJ batteries are costly but one of the best replacements I have found to date.

iTaLiAn_vIrUs

OPTIMA YELLOW TOP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

thats all i have to say

and yes it does.