[garfield]

Reason I ask is because I bought a brand new battery last year (or the year before, I can't exactly remember), and its starting to act really strange like it doesnt want to hold a full charge anymore. Is it time to change it already?

 

[SixtyAte]

It would depend on the battery. Even a cheap battery should last more than a year. Have you ran a trickle charge on it for a few days? Do you keep running it down? It may be best to take it back to where you bought it and have them check it and the date code. It could be a failed battery so they will let you know. It must have some warranty...

Kev

 

[garfield]

Its a cheap generic brand name that I remember buying brand new for about $40.

I'm gonna try taking it back to autozone today and have them take a look at it for me...Thanks!

 

[Everett#2390]

Use it or lose it, especially with batteries. As Kevin suggested, trickle charge it and check for too much leakage of current when car is off.

 

[garfield]

Oh No.. This battery has been bolted in under the hood from the first day I bought it. Its been used Every Day

 

[nikkisdad]

A good tip for long periods of non use, use the trickle charger, or just go buy a Optima battery. I really believe in those, a little pricey, but they really work.

 

[onovakind67]

The longest I ever used a regular car battery was about seven years. It was in a SAAB sedan and when you removed the key, all power was off.

 

[dnult]

In hot weather climates, the electrolite can evaporate off very quickly. This even happens with the so called maintenance free batteries. If you can check the electrolite levels, you should do so a few times a year -- especially when it's hot outside. A bad regulator can do the same thing by overcharging the battery.

 

[garfield]

O.K. Guys

I took the battery out and measured the voltage level. It was only at 10 volts. I put it on a quick charger til it was at a full 12-13 volts and bolted it back in. The car starts, but the starter still turns over very slowly for the first few turns, then it quickly "clicks" in.

What should I be looking for thats causing this?

I suspect that the starter is going bad!

 

[Z15CAM]

Possible intermittent Short to Ground in the Starters Field Windings. Might explain why the Battery drops charge.

 

[JimM]

could also be a failing solenoid, or too much initial advance, or a bad battery, or even dirty / loose connections on the main battery positive or ground cable.

 

[BAMiller]

I would first charge the batt overnite with a trickle charger and then have it load tested. I think most of the big name parts stores can do this for you. Make sure you have a good battery before you try to solve other electrical problems. I have seen Batterys last as long as 8 to 9 years or as little as 2 months. I would say the average life would be 5 to 6 years.

 

[garfield]

I checked both hot/gnd battery cables for damage or looseness and everything looked good .From here I'm gonna start with the overnight trickle charge, then have the battery tested at the store and see what happens.I hope its just the battery.