Battery Water Level
 

My FR-S was manufactured on 12/12 and I don't think the battery water has been checked (if it was) since then.

For the old fucks like me here checking and adding water to a car battery is nothing new but this maybe helpful to some forum members.

If you still have the original battery it has Lower and Upper level markings on the front of it. You should fill the cells with distilled water to just below or to the bottom of the cell tubes. The bottom of the cell tubes is about at the Upper level marking. Wear rubber gloves and safety glasses.
http://www.interstatebatteries.com/m...tain-a-battery

Screw off caps.
Attachment 131828

Water levels were low, just above the lead plates.
Attachment 131829

Upper and Lower level indicators
Attachment 131830

Added water to just below the cell tube bottoms
Attachment 131831

Use a small paper cup or syringe to add water to the cells
Attachment 131832

I'm guessing this is one of the reasons people like to upgrade to the expensive AGM batteries from people like Optima and there Red top stuff

Oh yes, and ....... after you get finished messing with the battery, DON'T wipe your hands on your pants ........:eyebulge:



humfrz

Or scratch your nose or other body parts with your gloves on!!

So I was just checking my oil level and wanted to check the battery level on my13 that was purchased fall of 2013.. I literally couldn't find a water level! So I'm guessing this means it's completely full? Thanks for your help

Anyone know if you can check/top off the level on Napa brand batteries?

http://s7d9.scene7.com/is/image/Genu...ompany/1749645

Yes you can. Follow this wikihow. http://www.wikihow.com/Check-Car-Battery-Water-Levels

NOTE:
It is important not to fill it above the upper level marker. Like all indicated limits there is an upper marker for a reason. If you overfill you run the risk of it overflowing when put the caps back on or when the battery heats up and the acid expands. It will mess things up!

I just topped of my battery, I can't believe I've put it off for so long! Had weak starts, felt like this was going to be the breaking point so ran to autozone to get a battery filler tool. Leaving autozone the car barely turned over! Drove home, added a miniscule amount of water to each hole because I didn't do any scientific measuring because i was parked on an incline. Car started up immediately after that!

Check and make sure the battery is not hot when you do this. Also check to make sure the battery is not bloated. Unscrew slowly, if you see/hear that there is some gas releasing as you unscrew, let that pressure bleed off slowly.

What do you get by doing this? I normally can get 7 yrs out of my batteries. Will doing this extend its life to 10?

If you don't have to add any water, you get peace of mind.

If you do have to add water, you restore the proper concentration of sulfuric acid in your electrolyte.

"Low maintenance" is not "no maintenance." Not checking it is a crap shoot. You've been lucky.

I keep an eye on the original battery acid level and after 4 years topped it up with distilled water.
The battery is still going strong.
Don't use tap water, it will destroy the battery!

I thought the caps on most lead acid batteries had a breather hole ......:iono:


humfrz

I see batteries with a lot of pressure often. Sometimes they build pressure bloat and start to stink of H2S. Those are the ones prone to going boom. The explosion isn't all that strong, but it'll spray acid and can hurt your eyes and burn you.

I don't know why, and most batteries have vent on the side, but it happens.

I thought it was a sealed for life battery. Haven't had to top up a battery for years

A lo of "sealed" batteries just have a sticker on top of caps that screw in to plug up the cells and can be removed.

Might sound stupid, but adding water in the battery will not cause issue when freezing temperature?

The liquid that is already in the battery is mostly water.

So, a little "top off" of demineralized or distilled water won't hurt anything...... because what went away was water ..... not the acid.


humfrz

Batteries can freeze when it's really really cold out. But it can thaw out and it won't be damaged.

A fully charged battery will freeze at something like minus 80 in which case a frozen battery is the least of your worries.

A dead or very low battery can freeze at just below 32 and if it freezes solid will be toast.

Nope. I've seen perfectly good batteries freeze on a really cold night where it got down to the negative teens. Thawed out, was fine.

All lead acid batteries generate hydrogen gas which is very explosive. That's why they all have vents.

Except for the time issue. Just as you can add water to cooling systems you can add water to batteries. However, to gain freeze protection the water must have a chance to mix with the "antifreeze". In the case of coolant the water needs to mix with the existing glycol mixture. This happens rapidly. With batteries it needs to mix with the sulfuric acid mixture. That takes quite awhile. Do not top up your battery in freezing weather, it can bust the case.

In reality, low maintenance batteries are worn out by the time they need water. Just replace it.

It is and you are correct. By the time a sealed for life battery needs water added it is totally worn out.

Well, now, @Gforce ...... I think you are splitting molecules here. Yes, the specific gravity of sulfuric acid is higher that that of water and in a weakly charged battery, acid stratification can take place.

However, in a healthy battery (fully charged), since the added water is soluble in the existing acid/water electrolyte solution, and the amount of water added is usually relatively small, and a battery in a car usually gets jostled around, thus mixing the added water to the electrolyte ..... the chances of the added water freezing and busting open the case are very small.

Besides, I've been adding water to batteries in the wintertime (living in OH, MO, CT and Europe) for the past 65 years and never have had a battery freeze and bust open.

:cheers:


humfrz

65 yrs? :eyebulge:

Yep, I remember adding water to the battery on the NEW tractor (that had a battery) when I was 9 years old ....... which beat the hell out of hand cranking the old tractor (which didn't have a battery).

Oh yes, make sure the magneto wires were dry, get a 5 gal pail and place it near the crank, set the crank, jump off the pail onto the crank (being careful NOT to wrap your thumb around the crank handle) and hope the hell you get your body out of the way on the way down, in case that sucker kicked back.

With any luck, she would start on the second attempt ...... :happyanim:

OK, it's time fer ma Metamucil, then off to bed ZZZZZZZZZZ


humfrz

Obviously wasn't a "perfectly good" battery and didn't freeze up all that solid or all the plates would be toast.
Either that or we are talking two very definitions of what "freeze" means. If by "freeze" you mean there was a little layer of ice on top then sure. When I froze a coupe over the years they were FROZE and there was no coming back for them.

Flexing again I see. Between calling ppl liars and referencing the owner's manual 82 times, I can see why you find yourself frequently involved in 'debates'.


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He made a statement. I countered his statement with fact. He told a story and I gave another. It is called interaction.

Some people are liars and I call them as I seem them.

I have quoted the owners manual a couple of thousand times since it is a good resource for those that read it.

If I disagree with a statement I will present my side and if that leads to debate so be it.

If you think you are going to insult me in some way guesss again. I have seen far better than you come and go.

If you are yet another user name for Ubersuber than that will come out eventually.

If not then your user name is just a few horse genes away from reality.

:slap: ........oh, Mule, be nice now .......... :D


humfrz

Well now, @guybo, I reckon that depends upon what you mean by "really, really cold".

It's my understanding that an automobile type, lead acid battery, with the proper sulfuric acid - water ratio, and fully charged, will freeze only if the temperature drops below about -65 degrees F.

Now, at those temperatures, you ain't going anywhere in your gasoline or diesel powered vehicle anyway....... because the fuel will be gelled.

:popcorn:


humfrz

Haha k I'll behave. I'm new-ish here and I feel like Tcoat is EVERYWHERE on this forum, and his tone is rarely inviting - the lone stain on an otherwise pleasant canvas.

Anyways, looking forward to more (more positive) interactions on here.

Mule


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I don't know what an Ubersuber even is - just a regular auto-enthusiast with an FRS who's initial interaction on this forum was soiled by an internet tough guy.

I'll let you do the rest of the investigative work...


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Well I do know who he is and so do many of the longer term people and if you knew as well you would understand why I won't listen to his rambling crap.

Dude. I said the Mazda engine was not suited for this car and asked you why you preferred it when you shit all over the boxer. That is hardly being a tough guy. You freaked out.

Go read more than .00003% of my posts before you judge me.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=119058

I don't need to analyze a body of work when I have first hand experience with you. I hypothesized about a 'dream car' of mine - you are the one who took 'issue' with my vision and decided to tell me why it was wrong.

Next time, perhaps lead with something to the effect of 'Cool, my vision would look like this...'

And I didn't 'shit all over' the flat four, you were determined to get me to justify why on earth I would pick mazdas inline 4 over it, so I shared my rationale, which clearly wasn't good enough for you.

Thx for the revisionist history though, online tough guy. This will be my last interaction with you. I pray to god you don't represent 0.0003% of the other members here. :)


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Cool!

Hey, you guys done picking on each other .....?? :sigh:

Back-in-the-day, at about this point, the two folks would go out back and do some "gravel scrapping". We would all gather around and cheer them on.

Of course, back then, guns, chains and knives weren't allowed for a clean gravel scrap.

Now days, each side arms themselves with AR15s or AK47s and shoot up the whole neighborhood...... :(


humfrz