Do you know about checking your battery's water level?

[HamFist]

I'm curious how many of you know about this trick. It's pretty basic, and won't be shocking to those of you that already know (IBt3hshockingdiskuveree!). If you've got a battery starting to die, check it's water level by popping off the little plastic toppers. If you don't see water within an inch of the top of the battery, pour some in. Some batteries don't have them. But most that I've seen, come with them.

How many of you know / don't know about the battery's water level?

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[coyote73176]

I voted "grap my english", as my battery does not contain that precious H2O that needs checking.

[Stanley]

I check the level in my motorcycle battery. The car's battery is sealed.

[GOT_WRX]

The OEM battery on my WRX had little caps on the top that you can twist open. Water level marks should be on front of the battery (low and high mark).

Manual recommands putting "Distilled" water into it, not tap water. About 90c/gal in my area.

I never bothered putting water into it. I replaced it with Optima Redtop after 4 years of ownership.

[left footed whooten]

Yeah, you cant check the water level on all batteries, just the ones with removable caps. +1 for distilled water also. There is not much point in doing any battery maintenance if you put the wrong water in. Distilled has no other ions in it, unlike tap.

[Scoobie Noobie]

I checked mine once.

[Lachlan]

My battery is dry

[joey1313]

Originally Posted by HamFist

I'm curious how many of you know about this trick. It's pretty basic, and won't be shocking to those of you that already know (IBt3hshockingdiskuveree!). If you've got a battery starting to die, check it's water level by popping off the little plastic toppers. If you don't see water within an inch of the top of the battery, pour some in. Some batteries don't have them. But most that I've seen, come with them.

How many of you know / don't know about the battery's water level?

Goes to prove that I am now officially old since this is considered a new "trick".

[specialev]

Optima, no need check, ok?

[rubberbiscuitt]

what's wrong with city tap water? [insert sarcasm here]


if it tastes bad try it with lemon. could be good for your battery too.

[armand1]

Just to make things really clear: the liquid in the battery that people are talking about is not water -- it is caustic & toxic battery acid. Wear rubber gloves, eye protection, the works, and don't let it drip anywhere. If you do spill or drip it, pour on baking soda, which will neutralize the acid (it's neutral when the fizzing is done).

To top off the battery acid a bit, it's usually OK to use distilled water, because the battery usually loses water vapor. However, the "proper" way to do it is to check the density of the battery acid (using a "hydrometer", that funny turkey-baster-looking thing that battery shops have) and to add some concentrated battery acid and some distilled water to adjust the final concentration in the battery to the correct number.

[wrxsubaru]

Originally Posted by armand1

If you do spill or drip it, pour on baking soda, which will neutralize the acid (it's neutral when the fizzing is done).

If enough baking soda was used.

[P03w]

Or get an Optima.

P03w

*My new quad battery came dry with a container of hydrochloric acid which had to be poured in through a hole in the top of the battery, so yeah, I know what a 'wet' battery is, however, pouring H2O in instead of HCl may 'wet' more of the lead plates, but it will do so with a more dilute acid solution.

"Acid...Base...Blow up in your face!" -Steve Sample, my 7th grade Science teacher.

P03w

[nate49509]

Originally Posted by coyote73176

I voted "grap my english", as my battery does not contain that precious H2O that needs checking.

+40million

[HamFist]

I was just curious what proportion of you might know a little obscure trivia vs. not. I never claimed to be a pro .

Anyhoo, educate me on dry batteries. I've never used one. HCl is involved??? Owie! I'm looking at moving my battery to the trunk, and changing over to an Optima dry-cell. (I've heard of the easier cranking, lighter weight, and longer battery life.) Thoughts?

[coyote73176]

Originally Posted by HamFist

I was just curious what proportion of you might know a little obscure trivia vs. not. I never claimed to be a pro .

Anyhoo, educate me on dry batteries. I've never used one. HCl is involved??? Owie! I'm looking at moving my battery to the trunk, and changing over to an Optima dry-cell. (I've heard of the easier cranking, lighter weight, and longer battery life.) Thoughts?

The optima battery is a gel filled sealed battery. No leaking unless you mangle it somehow (and it would have to be bad). They do have higher CCA (cold crank amp) rating the the stocker, but they are not lighter weight. In fact, they weigh more than the stocker.

As far as longer life, I can't tell you, I have only had mine in for a year now.

I would say its an excellent choice if your planning on relocating the battery to the trunk.

[kcismo]

so how long does a typical stock battery last?

[HamFist]

Mine lasted 3 years, I think...

[fireball_jones]

Originally Posted by kcismo

so how long does a typical stock battery last?

Until it dies. Not to be sarcastic, it's just batteries have widely varying tolerances. Unfortunately, they're almost never good for the life of the car, so you'll always have one of those, "Start!!! Start damn you!!!" moments unless you're trading in a lot.

[Kean]

[kcismo]

Originally Posted by fireball_jones

Until it dies. Not to be sarcastic, it's just batteries have widely varying tolerances. Unfortunately, they're almost never good for the life of the car, so you'll always have one of those, "Start!!! Start damn you!!!" moments unless you're trading in a lot.

that's what i'm afraid of... after a long day at the slopes, to come to my car that doesn't want to start..end up stranded having to pay for a tow plus an over-priced bobo battery from some local shop.

my battery is pushing close to 4 years. my luck may be running out soon?>>

[z&cobb]

I've been using this battery for 3 years. Treat it right and there's nothing to check, except perhaps the weight.

Battery for a light stg 3 2002 wrx

[z&cobb]

I also made a full metal jacket for it, but not the one of military fame.

[armand1]

Originally Posted by coyote73176

The optima battery is a gel filled sealed battery. No leaking unless you mangle it somehow (and it would have to be bad). ...

Just to clarify: Optimas are not gel batteries and are not dry batteries. They are "AGM" (absorbed glass mat) batteries. Essentially, instead of the loose liquid battery acid in a normal battery, AGMs have the battery acid soaked into a fiberglass mat that is between the electrodes. They pile up a number of layers of electrode/mat, then roll it up into a cylinder (you can see the cylinder shapes in the plastic case of many AGMs). The battery is sealed (except for a few emergency blowout places so it can't explode in extreme conditions), so it doesn't loose water or vent hydrogen gas like normal batteries. Also, because the battery has no loose liquid inside, it is very resistant to vibration, and can't spill (even if you cut it in half).
Because of Optima's design and the use of high-purity metal in the electrodes, Optimas are resistant to damage by charging too fast (because they have less internal resistance and heat up a lot less) and are very resistant to damage from being fully drained.
There are a number of sizes/shapes available, so you can choose whether you want more CCAs, lighter weight but fewer CCAs, whatever.

[dwmoss_68]

Originally Posted by kcismo

so how long does a typical stock battery last?

mine's still going after 113,000 miles (april 2001)
*knock on wood*

dm