Battery Help (effects of pulse & glide on starting battery)

[davidlewallen]

I need some help with my car battery. I have a feeling I have abused it and will need to be buying a new one.

On my Torque app I am able to read the voltage of the car. With the car on it is usually at 14.4v but recently it has been dropping to 12.6v and staying there for a bit. I do Pulse and glide quite a bit but have been leery after seening my voltage drop to 11.2v with the engine off at one time. Ive been trying to recharge the battery.

About 2 months ago my battery had died (light left on) and I jump started the engine. I didnt take any mind of the battery charge and continued to pulse and glide with out letting the battery recharge. There has been times where when i shut the engine off my electrical system will die until i bump start it and everything comes back on.

Is any of this normal? also does anyone else have issues with the battery when pulse and gliding?

[Daox]

It sounds like you've probably lost some battery capacity. What do you mean your electrical system dies?

If your voltage isn't getting up to 13.5+V while the engine is on you may have alternator problems though.

[California98Civic]

Your Civic will have a "smart alternator" that will boost voltage to 14+ volts or down as low as 12.5 volts or thereabouts, depending on the engine load, speed, and other conditions. I recently dealt with battery failure. Mine was a deep-cycle battery that was not well-adapted to this application, and I had damaged it with too-deep a discharge. Are you using a normal starting battery or a deep cycle one? Starting batteries are not as friendly to P&G, especially in the dark with all the lighting on.

[user removed]

Killing the battery by leaving the lights on, even once, will shorten it's life expectancy.

regards
Mech

[jtbo]

Anything less than 90% charge for starter battery will take a lot out from it's life.

They generally can take 1000 cycles if allowed to discharge below 90%, but can take something like 10 times of cycles if never discharged below 90%.

Deep cycle batteries are better, plates of solid lead, weights lot more than starter battery and will take lot more punishment, surely cost is quite lot more.

I don't know if Optima or other brand AGM battery would be good, no lead so very light and I have heard that will take lot more abuse than starter batteries, however worth to investigate.

This is at least what I have found out while researching batteries for my house.