Guys are these Battery and charging numbers okay?
#21
08-16-2021, 10:48 AM
Seasoned HDF Member
I would say the battery looks OK.. The OEM battery is spec'ed at 400 CCA. When I replaced the last battery in my 07 EGC It measure 300 cca and was starting the bike just fine. It got replaced because it was 5 years old. The dynas and softails use a battery that is spec'ed at one 320 CCA new, same motor.
#22
08-19-2021, 01:08 PM
Tourer
Today was the first time I went to Wal-Mart for an oil change. Afterwards they gave me a “Battery Test Results” report saying “Battery fails to meet industry accepted standards and should be replaced” The results are:
Voltage: 12.79V
Measured: 402 CCA
Rated: 550 CCA
Temperature: 92 degrees F
I have no idea what these numbers mean. Do I need to replace it now, can I wait, and if I can wait, about how long?
Voltage: 12.79V
Measured: 402 CCA
Rated: 550 CCA
Temperature: 92 degrees F
I have no idea what these numbers mean. Do I need to replace it now, can I wait, and if I can wait, about how long?
Short answer: don't go to Walmart to get your battery tested, let alone an oil change.
Long answer: at 12.79 it was fully charged, in fact it apparently had a bit of a surface charge as a fully charged 12 battery at rest should measure 12.6 volts. Having a small surface charge would be perfectly normal by the way if for instance the vehicle had very recently been running with the alternator charging and little to no load. They likely used a small handheld "battery tester", although I hesitate to call it that as they're garbage in my opinion, and as such their "measured 402 cold cranking amps" is at best a calculation and at worst bullshit. If you've experienced no symptoms of hard starting, slow cranking, etc. then personally I wouldn't worry about it but if you want peace of mind then you need to get the battery load tested at a reputable shop where they will use a real carbon pile load tester which puts an actual load on the battery. If you see them coming to test your battery carrying only a small handheld device with a couple of tiny test leads then it's not a real carbon pile load tester, those are generally, but not always, mounted on a wheeled cart and will have large heavy battery cables with large alligator clamps at the ends. They will put a load no the battery of half the CCA rating, 225 amps in your case, for 15 seconds while watching the battery voltage. Voltage should drop at a steady rate as the load is applied and should not fall below about 9.6 volts at the 15 second mark. There can be a little leeway in those numbers and sometimes a bit of a judgment call is required based on experience but that's pretty much the industry standard procedure. In a nutshell, if you want professional results go to a professional shop......... Walmart ain't that.
#23
08-19-2021, 01:15 PM
#24
08-19-2021, 04:59 PM
Seasoned HDF Member
Short answer: don't go to Walmart to get your battery tested, let alone an oil change.
Long answer: at 12.79 it was fully charged, in fact it apparently had a bit of a surface charge as a fully charged 12 battery at rest should measure 12.6 volts. Having a small surface charge would be perfectly normal by the way if for instance the vehicle had very recently been running with the alternator charging and little to no load. They likely used a small handheld "battery tester", although I hesitate to call it that as they're garbage in my opinion, and as such their "measured 402 cold cranking amps" is at best a calculation and at worst bullshit. If you've experienced no symptoms of hard starting, slow cranking, etc. then personally I wouldn't worry about it but if you want peace of mind then you need to get the battery load tested at a reputable shop where they will use a real carbon pile load tester which puts an actual load on the battery. If you see them coming to test your battery carrying only a small handheld device with a couple of tiny test leads then it's not a real carbon pile load tester, those are generally, but not always, mounted on a wheeled cart and will have large heavy battery cables with large alligator clamps at the ends. They will put a load no the battery of half the CCA rating, 225 amps in your case, for 15 seconds while watching the battery voltage. Voltage should drop at a steady rate as the load is applied and should not fall below about 9.6 volts at the 15 second mark. There can be a little leeway in those numbers and sometimes a bit of a judgment call is required based on experience but that's pretty much the industry standard procedure. In a nutshell, if you want professional results go to a professional shop......... Walmart ain't that.
Long answer: at 12.79 it was fully charged, in fact it apparently had a bit of a surface charge as a fully charged 12 battery at rest should measure 12.6 volts. Having a small surface charge would be perfectly normal by the way if for instance the vehicle had very recently been running with the alternator charging and little to no load. They likely used a small handheld "battery tester", although I hesitate to call it that as they're garbage in my opinion, and as such their "measured 402 cold cranking amps" is at best a calculation and at worst bullshit. If you've experienced no symptoms of hard starting, slow cranking, etc. then personally I wouldn't worry about it but if you want peace of mind then you need to get the battery load tested at a reputable shop where they will use a real carbon pile load tester which puts an actual load on the battery. If you see them coming to test your battery carrying only a small handheld device with a couple of tiny test leads then it's not a real carbon pile load tester, those are generally, but not always, mounted on a wheeled cart and will have large heavy battery cables with large alligator clamps at the ends. They will put a load no the battery of half the CCA rating, 225 amps in your case, for 15 seconds while watching the battery voltage. Voltage should drop at a steady rate as the load is applied and should not fall below about 9.6 volts at the 15 second mark. There can be a little leeway in those numbers and sometimes a bit of a judgment call is required based on experience but that's pretty much the industry standard procedure. In a nutshell, if you want professional results go to a professional shop......... Walmart ain't that.
https://www.jbtools.com/midtronics-m...lt-in-printer/
AFAICT, it reads about the same as a HF carbon pile tester, maybe a little more conservative. I check the voltage and amps calibration on the HF and it was pretty close.
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