honda accord battery
 

hey all

I have a 2004 honda accord. The battery on the car died. my mechanic
says it was the battery.

my question here is. How do I tell if a battery in the car died?

The cars instrumentation does not have a battery gauge, but it does have
light indicator for battery. the problem here when the car wouldn't
start up, it showed several light indicators. It showed the engine,
battery, brake indicator, I think 2 other indicators showed up too as
well, don't recall off hand what they were.

Horn worked, it seemed it was getting power, but wouldn't start. I
thought it may be the starter, but as my mechanic said, it was the battery.

--
Dilbert Firestorm

Opus is food for Orcas!!
Yummy! Zizzle that Penquin!
Rare, Medium, Medium-Well, & Well-Done!
Wheres dat penquin!
Zizzle that Zizzle!

Re: honda accord battery
 

On Tue, 08 Dec 2009 23:06:16 -0600, dilbert firestorm
<scanb31@bytemeati-55.com> wrote:

>hey all
>
>I have a 2004 honda accord. The battery on the car died. my mechanic
>says it was the battery.
>
>my question here is. How do I tell if a battery in the car died?
>
>The cars instrumentation does not have a battery gauge, but it does have
>light indicator for battery. the problem here when the car wouldn't
>start up, it showed several light indicators. It showed the engine,
>battery, brake indicator, I think 2 other indicators showed up too as
>well, don't recall off hand what they were.
>
>Horn worked, it seemed it was getting power, but wouldn't start. I
>thought it may be the starter, but as my mechanic said, it was the battery.

voltmeter will tell you in a second.

starter takes 100x the power of the lights and radio, often little
stuff will work with a battery that won't start the car.

how old is the current battery? My OEM battery in the 2007 car died
in under three years - got a new one on warranty. if you have the
original battery there, you got a lot of life out of it.

my friend is driving around his 19xx Ford Tempo with a four year old
battery that loses charge now if he leaves it for three days, but he
seems bound and determined to get himself stranded a few more times
before he replaces it. "maybe it's a loose wire" he says. Right.
but he carries jumper cables, no problem.

J.

Re: honda accord battery
 

I don't think the battery was ever replaced to my knowledge.

It's actually my moms car. My dad handled everything with the car
before he passed on.

what kind of voltmeter??

JRStern wrote:
> On Tue, 08 Dec 2009 23:06:16 -0600, dilbert firestorm
> <scanb31@bytemeati-55.com> wrote:
>
> >hey all
> >
> >I have a 2004 honda accord. The battery on the car died. my mechanic
> >says it was the battery.
> >
> >my question here is. How do I tell if a battery in the car died?
> >
> >The cars instrumentation does not have a battery gauge, but it does have
> >light indicator for battery. the problem here when the car wouldn't
> >start up, it showed several light indicators. It showed the engine,
> >battery, brake indicator, I think 2 other indicators showed up too as
> >well, don't recall off hand what they were.
> >
> >Horn worked, it seemed it was getting power, but wouldn't start. I
> >thought it may be the starter, but as my mechanic said, it was the battery.
>
> voltmeter will tell you in a second.
>
> starter takes 100x the power of the lights and radio, often little
> stuff will work with a battery that won't start the car.
>
> how old is the current battery? My OEM battery in the 2007 car died
> in under three years - got a new one on warranty. if you have the
> original battery there, you got a lot of life out of it.
>
> my friend is driving around his 19xx Ford Tempo with a four year old
> battery that loses charge now if he leaves it for three days, but he
> seems bound and determined to get himself stranded a few more times
> before he replaces it. "maybe it's a loose wire" he says. Right.
> but he carries jumper cables, no problem.
>
> J.
>
>


--
Dilbert Firestorm

Opus is food for Orcas!!
Yummy! Zizzle that Penquin!
Rare, Medium, Medium-Well, & Well-Done!
Wheres dat penquin!
Zizzle that Zizzle!

Re: honda accord battery
 

On Wed, 09 Dec 2009 01:16:20 -0600, dilbert firestorm
<scanb31@bytemeati-55.com> wrote:

>I don't think the battery was ever replaced to my knowledge.
>
>It's actually my moms car. My dad handled everything with the car
>before he passed on.
>
>what kind of voltmeter??
>

If the mechanic said it is your battery replace it. I fail to see the
need for this discussion.

>JRStern wrote:
>> On Tue, 08 Dec 2009 23:06:16 -0600, dilbert firestorm
>> <scanb31@bytemeati-55.com> wrote:
>>
>> >hey all
>> >
>> >I have a 2004 honda accord. The battery on the car died. my mechanic
>> >says it was the battery.
>> >
>> >my question here is. How do I tell if a battery in the car died?
>> >
>> >The cars instrumentation does not have a battery gauge, but it does have
>> >light indicator for battery. the problem here when the car wouldn't
>> >start up, it showed several light indicators. It showed the engine,
>> >battery, brake indicator, I think 2 other indicators showed up too as
>> >well, don't recall off hand what they were.
>> >
>> >Horn worked, it seemed it was getting power, but wouldn't start. I
>> >thought it may be the starter, but as my mechanic said, it was the battery.
>>
>> voltmeter will tell you in a second.
>>
>> starter takes 100x the power of the lights and radio, often little
>> stuff will work with a battery that won't start the car.
>>
>> how old is the current battery? My OEM battery in the 2007 car died
>> in under three years - got a new one on warranty. if you have the
>> original battery there, you got a lot of life out of it.
>>
>> my friend is driving around his 19xx Ford Tempo with a four year old
>> battery that loses charge now if he leaves it for three days, but he
>> seems bound and determined to get himself stranded a few more times
>> before he replaces it. "maybe it's a loose wire" he says. Right.
>> but he carries jumper cables, no problem.
>>
>> J.
>>
>>

Re: honda accord battery
 

On 2009-12-09, dilbert firestorm <scanb31@bytemeati-55.com> wrote:
> I don't think the battery was ever replaced to my knowledge.
>
> It's actually my moms car. My dad handled everything with the car
> before he passed on.
>
> what kind of voltmeter??
>

There's not a lot of kinds of voltmeters. You want one that reads...
Volts. DC.

I think the point is kind of moot, though. He said the battery was
bad, you replaced the battery, the car starts. Sounds like problem
solved to me... ;-)

--
Joe - Linux User #449481/Ubuntu User #19733
joe at hits - buffalo dot com
"Hate is baggage, life is too short to go around pissed off all the
time..." - Danny, American History X

Re: honda accord battery
 

Joe wrote:
> On 2009-12-09, dilbert firestorm <scanb31@bytemeati-55.com> wrote:
> > I don't think the battery was ever replaced to my knowledge.
> >
> > It's actually my moms car. My dad handled everything with the car
> > before he passed on.
> >
> > what kind of voltmeter??
> >
>
> There's not a lot of kinds of voltmeters. You want one that reads...
> Volts. DC.
>
> I think the point is kind of moot, though. He said the battery was
> bad, you replaced the battery, the car starts. Sounds like problem
> solved to me... ;-)
>
>
Yeah, I know its moot. but this the kind of job I could have done
myself. it ain't that hard to replace a battery is it?


--
Dilbert Firestorm

Opus is food for Orcas!!
Yummy! Zizzle that Penquin!
Rare, Medium, Medium-Well, & Well-Done!
Wheres dat penquin!
Zizzle that Zizzle!

Re: honda accord battery
 

On Wed, 09 Dec 2009 08:31:09 -0600, dilbert firestorm
<scanb31@bytemeati-55.com> wrote:

>Joe wrote:
>> On 2009-12-09, dilbert firestorm <scanb31@bytemeati-55.com> wrote:
>> > I don't think the battery was ever replaced to my knowledge.
>> >
>> > It's actually my moms car. My dad handled everything with the car
>> > before he passed on.
>> >
>> > what kind of voltmeter??
>> >
>>
>> There's not a lot of kinds of voltmeters. You want one that reads...
>> Volts. DC.
>>
>> I think the point is kind of moot, though. He said the battery was
>> bad, you replaced the battery, the car starts. Sounds like problem
>> solved to me... ;-)
>>
>>
>Yeah, I know its moot. but this the kind of job I could have done
>myself. it ain't that hard to replace a battery is it?


When you are 16 and get your license you should learn how to do basic
car maintenance like changing a battery.

Re: honda accord battery
 

dilbert firestorm wrote:


> Yeah, I know its moot. but this the kind of job I could have done
> myself. it ain't that hard to replace a battery is it?


It should be one of the easier things you can do.
The only issue I'm aware of is the need to reset the radio security code.

Re: honda accord battery
 

Greg <nospam@null.net> wrote in news:BHRTm.548$%E6.340@newsfe06.iad:

> dilbert firestorm wrote:
>
>
>> Yeah, I know its moot. but this the kind of job I could have done
>> myself. it ain't that hard to replace a battery is it?
>
>
> It should be one of the easier things you can do.
> The only issue I'm aware of is the need to reset the radio security code.



That, plus all the ECM/PCM "relearn" stuff. It will take a few days for the
car to feel "right" again as the ECM/PCM does all its relearning.

A BIG word of warning: do NOT overtighten the terminal nuts. They are
tightened ONLY until the terminal cannot be easily rotated with light hand
pressure. And it helps to support the other side of the terminal as you
turn the nut.

If you overtighten the terminal nuts, you flex the terminal post in the
case, causing the case/post seal to break. That's when you get that green,
fuzzy corrosion.

As for the radio code:
<http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/radiocode.html>

--
Tegger

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

Re: honda accord battery
 

> Yeah, I know its moot. but this the kind of job I could have done myself.
> it ain't that hard to replace a battery is it?

Yeah, even I did it myself, once, before radio codes and all.

Drove into Pep Boys and wanted them to do it, but
looked like a three-hour wait so I did it myself
in the parking lot, took all of three minutes.

Actually, the new battery was physically smaller
than the OEM so needed a couple of shims on the
hold-down, but it was still pretty much kindergarten
stuff. Never had a problem with it.

OTOH the install fee was about ten dollars, I would
happily have let them do it while I sat at Starbucks
and kept my fingers clean,
if they could just have got it done sooner.

J.

Re: honda accord battery
 

"dilbert firestorm" <scanb31@bytemeati-55.com> wrote in message
news:f7-dnd7gKYnMrYLWnZ2dnUVZ_rudnZ2d@xfoneusa.net...
> hey all
>
> I have a 2004 honda accord. The battery on the car died. my
> mechanic says it was the battery.
>
> my question here is. How do I tell if a battery in the car died?

5-6 years, it's a good bet. I just changed out the one in my '04. It
wasn't dead, but it was turning over a little slower. A new battery
worked out just fine for it.

>
> The cars instrumentation does not have a battery gauge, but it does
> have light indicator for battery. the problem here when the car
> wouldn't start up, it showed several light indicators. It showed
> the engine, battery, brake indicator, I think 2 other indicators
> showed up too as well, don't recall off hand what they were.
> Horn worked, it seemed it was getting power, but wouldn't start. I
> thought it may be the starter, but as my mechanic said, it was the
> battery.
>

It's probably time.

> --
> Dilbert Firestorm
>
> Opus is food for Orcas!!
> Yummy! Zizzle that Penquin!
> Rare, Medium, Medium-Well, & Well-Done!
> Wheres dat penquin!
> Zizzle that Zizzle!

Re: honda accord battery
 

"Clete" <lecllaij@halifax.ca> wrote in message
news:i8evh5p39inddbilf75217lske7fgoprar@4ax.com...
> On Wed, 09 Dec 2009 08:31:09 -0600, dilbert firestorm
> <scanb31@bytemeati-55.com> wrote:
>
>>Joe wrote:
>>> On 2009-12-09, dilbert firestorm <scanb31@bytemeati-55.com> wrote:
>>> > I don't think the battery was ever replaced to my knowledge.
>>> >
>>> > It's actually my moms car. My dad handled everything with the
>>> > car
>>> > before he passed on.
>>> >
>>> > what kind of voltmeter??
>>> >
>>>
>>> There's not a lot of kinds of voltmeters. You want one that
>>> reads...
>>> Volts. DC.
>>>
>>> I think the point is kind of moot, though. He said the battery
>>> was
>>> bad, you replaced the battery, the car starts. Sounds like
>>> problem
>>> solved to me... ;-)
>>>
>>>
>>Yeah, I know its moot. but this the kind of job I could have done
>>myself. it ain't that hard to replace a battery is it?
>
>
> When you are 16 and get your license you should learn how to do
> basic
> car maintenance like changing a battery.

Most of my daughters friends didn't even know how to check their oil.
Shameful....

Re: honda accord battery
 

"dilbert firestorm" <scanb31@bytemeati-55.com> wrote in message
news:f7-dnd7gKYnMrYLWnZ2dnUVZ_rudnZ2d@xfoneusa.net...
> hey all
>
> I have a 2004 honda accord. The battery on the car died. my mechanic says
> it was the battery.
>
> my question here is. How do I tell if a battery in the car died?
> The cars instrumentation does not have a battery gauge, but it does have
> light indicator for battery. the problem here when the car wouldn't start
> up, it showed several light indicators. It showed the engine, battery,
> brake indicator, I think 2 other indicators showed up too as well, don't
> recall off hand what they were.
> Horn worked, it seemed it was getting power, but wouldn't start. I
> thought it may be the starter, but as my mechanic said, it was the
> battery.
>
> --
> Dilbert Firestorm
>
> Opus is food for Orcas!!
> Yummy! Zizzle that Penquin!
> Rare, Medium, Medium-Well, & Well-Done!
> Wheres dat penquin!
> Zizzle that Zizzle!

My OEM battery died on my 06 in less than 3 year. It was sudden death -- no
warning and the "little things" worked.

Re: honda accord battery
 

"tww1491" <twaugh5@cox.net> wrote in
news:9PyUm.64453$X01.60363@newsfe07.iad:

>
> "dilbert firestorm" <scanb31@bytemeati-55.com> wrote in message
> news:f7-dnd7gKYnMrYLWnZ2dnUVZ_rudnZ2d@xfoneusa.net...
>> hey all
>>
>> I have a 2004 honda accord. The battery on the car died. my mechanic
>> says it was the battery.
>>
>> my question here is. How do I tell if a battery in the car died?
>> The cars instrumentation does not have a battery gauge, but it does
>> have light indicator for battery. the problem here when the car
>> wouldn't start up, it showed several light indicators. It showed the
>> engine, battery, brake indicator, I think 2 other indicators showed
>> up too as well, don't recall off hand what they were.
>> Horn worked, it seemed it was getting power, but wouldn't start. I
>> thought it may be the starter, but as my mechanic said, it was the
>> battery.
>>
>> --
>> Dilbert Firestorm
>>
>> Opus is food for Orcas!!
>> Yummy! Zizzle that Penquin!
>> Rare, Medium, Medium-Well, & Well-Done!
>> Wheres dat penquin!
>> Zizzle that Zizzle!
>
> My OEM battery died on my 06 in less than 3 year. It was sudden death
> -- no warning and the "little things" worked.
>
>
>

Because the starter draws a huge amount of power from the battery when
cranking the motor.
all the other stuff draws little power compared to the starter.
So,a bad cell may stil be able to supply enough power for the
horn,lights,radio,but fail when trying to crank the motor over.

Often it's because the electrolyte level has dropped too low.
If your battery has accessible cell covers(many "maintenance-free"
batteries do have them),you can check the level every 3 months and top off
with distilled water and your battery will live longer.

and have your charging system checked to see if it's overcharging the
battery,boiling off the electrolyte.

typically,car batteries last only 4-5 years.Perhaps less in hot climates.


--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
localnet
dot com

Re: honda accord battery
 

Where do you people live that you need to change batteries after 4-5
years?

I live in Northern Illinois temps can range from -30F to 102F.

1988-1997 Had Ford Escort never changed battery never a problem.
1997-2006 Had Ford Probe GT never changed battery never a problem.
In each of these vehicles had nice stereo systems (3 amps, 1000watts, 2
15"subs) sucking power at times. No battery issues.
Wifes 1995 Grand Am bought nov 1994 replaced battery dec 2007.
I have now a 2005 Pilot not even close to thinking about changing the
battery.

Ray