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From: Catrike Ryder <Soloman@old.bikers.org>
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
Subject: Re: car service question
Date: Tue, 03 Jun 2025 11:35:23 -0400
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On Tue, 3 Jun 2025 10:12:47 -0500, AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:

>On 6/3/2025 9:00 AM, Zen Cycle wrote:
>> On 6/2/2025 8:11 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
>>> On Mon, 2 Jun 2025 13:22:45 -0500, Mark J cleary
>>> <mcleary08@comcast.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Ok it is not a bike but this is a good group. My 2019 
>>>> Ford Escape needs
>>>> new battery it is the original. No trouble but going to 
>>>> replace due to
>>>> age voltage on meter says 12.4 a but under but ok.
>>>>
>>>> I also need an oil change. I generally use the quick lube 
>>>> place down the
>>>> street but one stop seems to be the easiest.
>>>>
>>>> I made an appointment at the Walmart I go to for 
>>>> groceries. I am a bit
>>>> dubious of Walmart for auto stuff but frankly they could 
>>>> be just as good
>>>> was anything else. There batteries are way cheaper than 
>>>> AutoZOne and
>>>> Orielly.
>>>>
>>>> So did I make as mistake should I have gone to a regular 
>>>> car service
>>>> center. My Escape runs fine only 30K miles on it.
>>>
>>> It's probably to late but this might be useful for others 
>>> shopping for
>>> car batteries.  With lead-acid car and UPS batteries, what 
>>> you're
>>> paying for is the lead and lead oxide.  The more lead in a 
>>> given size
>>> battery, the longer it will last.  Therefore, the idea is 
>>> to buy the
>>> heaviest (actually the most dense) battery possible.  
>>> Since lead
>>> (11.34 g/cm^3) is about 6 times as dense as sulfuric acid 
>>> (1.83
>>> g/cm^3) any attempt to replace lead with electrolyte is 
>>> going to be
>>> obvious in the math.  Also, if you look at distributor 
>>> (and possibly
>>> warehouse) pricing, you'll find that the more expensive 
>>> batteries
>>> weigh more.
>>>
>>> However, you can't trust the battery weights from eBay, 
>>> Amazon, and
>>> various big box stores.  They all lie about the weight of 
>>> their
>>> batteries.  Bring your own electronic or spring scale, 
>>> straps, and a
>>> stiff bar or pipe to suspend the scale.  If you don't want 
>>> suspend the
>>> battery, find an electronic platform scale and weigh the 
>>> battery on
>>> the ground.
>>> <https://www.google.com/search?q=platform%20scale&udm=2>
>>>
>>> There seem to be a variety of battery types available.  
>>> Rather than
>>> list all the possible, I'll leave that exercise to the 
>>> reader.  Also,
>>> since the weight varies somewhat between Lead-Acid, LiIon 
>>> and AGM
>>> batteries, I can't provide an estimated battery weight.
>>>
>>> Kelly Blue Book comments on your car and battery:
>>> <https://www.kbb.com/ford/escape/2019/battery-replacement/>
>>>
>>> When you measured the battery voltage, was the engine 
>>> running and the
>>> battery charging?  If so, turn off the engine, let the 
>>> battery cool
>>> down, and then measure the voltage at the battery 
>>> terminals with the
>>> engine *NOT* running and the headlights, A/C, dashboard, 
>>> etc turned
>>> *OFF*.
>>> <https://www.google.com/search? 
>>> q=battery%20voltage%20with%20engine%20off>
>>> "A good car battery should read 12.4-12.9 volts when the 
>>> car is off.
>>> Anything lower doesn't necessarily mean the battery is 
>>> bad. Your car's
>>> electrical system may have drained it, or there may be an 
>>> issue with
>>> your alternator".
>>>
>> 
>> I've always put the largest battery that would fit in the 
>> space provided. In my Element I took measurements of the 
>> space and replaced it with the largest one I could find - 
>> don't remember the size offhand, but I do know it's 
>> substantially larger than the stock battery with nearly 
>> double the CCA. The challenge was making sure the post 
>> configuration would allow the cables to reach.
>> 
>
>+1
>I learned that as a teenager the first time I needed a 
>battery. Clerk asked for which car. Before I could reply 
>'Rambler straight six' my expert pal told him 'Cadillac 
>Eldorado'.  Same price and bigger, heavier really is better.
>
>(which makes little difference until it's -25F, and then it 
>does.)

Makes a difference when it's 90+ degrees half the year, too.

--
C'est bon
Soloman