Similarly, terminal contacts can break or crack internally. The reason an open cell looks okay in no-load testing your Optima is heat:Ī warm battery can expand inside and things that should touch don't touch anymore. If the voltage doesn't hold at 9.5-10.5 volts for 30 seconds, it means your battery is toast. Once started, the alternator will start push the voltage up - we aren't interested in alternator voltage since that tells you about charging, not the condition of your Optima. When the starter motor is turning over the engine, that is the heavy load we're using to see how the battery performs. The voltage on your Optima should read 9.5-10.5 volts for at least 30 seconds. Watch the multimeter as the starter motor is turning, not when you're started up! (Tip: If we're solo, we put the multimeter on the windshield and use long alligator clips to reach the battery.) Then have a helper try to start your 4x4. Touch the red probe to the positive terminal on the Optima and touch the black probe to the negative Optima terminal. Like before, your multimeter will be set to 20VDC, or whatever gets you in that 12 volt DC range. We load test it by hooking it up to a vehicle and checking the voltage while running the starter. You can load test it by going to an auto parts store (they all have battery testers nowadays) or do it yourself with a multimeter. If your Optima's voltage is okay, it still might not perform well under load. If it's reading a low voltage, it's probably sulfated and probably needs replacement. 0 volts usually means that you've got a short somewhere in the battery - it'll need to be replaced. This is highly discharged but usually still recoverable. This usually means that your battery is sulfated, which happens when it sits for a long time (not charging) or is deeply discharged when it shouldn't be. If your Optima is in this range and you think it should be charged, it's not taking or not holding a charge. This is your first reading - here's how to interpret it:ġ2.7 - 13.2 volts - NORMAL with 100% chargeĪnything in this range means that you have normal charge and you're in the right range for an Optima. Put the red probe on the positive Optima terminal and the black probe on the negative Optima terminal. To begin, switch your multimeter to 20VDC or whatever will get your multimeter reading somewhere in the range of 12 volts DC. (The point here is that you didn't just pull the Optima out of your shed where it's been sitting for the last 6 months, or that you're not testing it after using it to power the disco ball at your neighbor's midnight rave party. What we mean by this is that it should be in whatever state you think is charged, whether that means that it's been on a charger for a bit or that you just drove around for a while. Use a wrench to make clamps and other connections reasonably tight (but not so tight that you damage a battery post!).īad connections and particularly bad grounds are one of the easiest problems to fix but often one of the last things that we check! Always check your connections first! Test the Voltage Firstīefore you start, make sure your Optima is "charged". Sometimes they are bare wire.Ĭlean corrosion with sandpaper so that you connect to clean, bare metal. Checking any grounding straps - these will often go from the engine block to the body and/or from the engine block to the frame.Checking your negative battery cable for tightness and corrosion.Checking your starter and main power feeds for tightness.Jiggling your negative battery clamp (lightly!) and looking for white powder.Jiggling your positive battery clamp (lightly!) and looking for white powder.This is probably one of the most common problem people have with batteries, but it's often not checked. For some reason, many of us overcomplicate our solutions and diagnosis of problems (We do it here at Roundforge too!).īefore assuming your Optima has gone bad, check your battery connections for corrosion and tightness.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |