Good Battery, but how do you know this with your small clips and wires, little battery tester?
Electronic battery testers also known as conductance testers pass a mild alternating current (AC) through the battery to measure battery plate resistance, or impedance. Plate resistance is then mathematically converted into Cold Cranking Amps (CCA). Conductance testers can also measure battery temperature to calculate the hot and cold cranking amps. Other battery chemistries like AGM battery designs can be factored into the battery-life equation.
The electronic battery tester can translate this information into a simple pass or fail, and they provide some indication of life remaining that the customer can understand. This information can often be documented for the customer using a thermal printer to help them make a more informed decision.
Modern vehicles don’t like to limp around on a battery that is about to fail. Even while setting in a car park or garage, EVAP system tests are being performed, oil is circulated around turbochargers and air ride systems are trimming the ride height as the air inside the bags cools. All of these tasks are being performed using the battery.
The control unit will not run the battery down to the point where the vehicle will not start when the owner returns so the control unit measures how the battery is performing with temperature sensors and charging information from the previous drive cycles.
To enable the vehicle to start the next it is required to, it will put off key-off tasks such as those just mentioned until the battery is sufficiently charged. This could mean that an EVAP emissions monitor is not set, or oil is circulated around the turbocharger for five minutes instead of 10 minutes as well as host of other maintenance tasks.
Saving the battery in this way is like avoiding going to the doctor. Eventually, the weak battery could cause damage costing a lot more than the price or inconvenience of a roadside assist callout. When customers do the math, they’ll hopefully realise the benefits and value of battery replacement when it’s due and should be thankful you have caught the problem.
Check out this short clip from Century to see the Midtronics MDX658P in action.
