tskeltonPGA

ok so here's the scenario

body shop flooded my car...assuming they drained the battery during that...

they body shop took my car to the dealer to be deflooded...mazda said it needed a new batter...so in goes the new battery...my battery that was already in the car was only 3 weeks old so i said i wanted it back!

ok so i get the battery back and take it to return it...advance auto says the batter is fine...while mazda said it had a dead cell...it can't ******* rejuvinate on its own right!!jk

ok so i took it to another mazda dealership...they said it had 578 cold cranking amps...which didn't make sense...shouldn't it be like 12.7 or so...whatver...so i called the other mazda dealership and they said it should be around 640 to turn the starter fast enough...i need information so that i can return this battery...but it test fine at advance...what do i do...any advice??? the dealership that replaced it said they don't have any sort of printout...they jsut test and it says replace...thats it

staticlag

http://science.howstuffworks.com/question501.htm

tskeltonPGA

ok thanks for the link...i needed a better understanding...but...still doesn't exactly answer my question....

1) is the 578 vs 640 number correct...is that volts or amps
2) how do i convince advance autoparts that the battery is indeed dead and doesn't have enough amps/volts (juice) to turn the starter fast enough??

staticlag

1)There is no correct number. Right now I'm using a battery with 220 cold cranking amps. Its fine. Generally when it comes to car batteries, they are all 12volt unless they are a speciality battery for a boat or special car. The number in the hundreds is the Amp value.

2)it has to not be able to hold a charge for them to take it back. If you bought a misized battery for the application then you may be able to return it depending on their store policy.

Sounds like it isn't defective though. If it was you could just add a bit of 12M sulfuric acid to the dead cell.

tskeltonPGA

so the issue needs to be taken up with the dealership that decided to replace it???

tskeltonPGA

should i got stick it in my car and leave my lights and radio on all day while i'm at work to drain it??? i mean seriously...there's no reason i should be trashing a perfectly good battery that apparently the dealership didn't need to replace right

staticlag

you should probably take up the situation with the bodyshop.

staticlag

The dealership is trying to give you a optimal battery so your car won't flood again.

Advance Auto Parts is just trying to sell batteries, generally I wouldn't assume they know a lot about an rx8.

However, in this case the bodyshop is the one that decided to not read their repair service manual on how to avoid flooding the rx8.

Huey52

iTrader: (2)

btw: as the name cold cranking amps implies, there is add'l current needed to start an engine from cold stopped condition., which is why marketeers latch onto this 'more is better' item. It's somewhat related to the "locked rotor" concept of electric motors, not to be confused with rotary engine rotors.

We have 12 Volt DC systems, as most automobiles do, hence a 12 volt battery. Amps, or current (I) is inversely proportional to the system's resistance (R; ohms) and again the electromotive potential (E; volts). It's an Ohm's Law thing; E = IR or I = E/R
Although 12 volts is a pretty small electromotive potential, the current (amps) is quite large and therefore imparts sufficient torque to be able to turn the starter motor and its linked flywheel.
btw: the battery's 12 volts is 'stepped up' to a much higher voltage by the coils (aka transformers) to enable the sparkplugs to spark and thereby initiate combustion.

tskeltonPGA

so really there was nothing at all wrong with the battery is the main point right

staticlag

The battery sounds just fine. Its 3 weeks old, its putting out 500+ CCA, if it can hold a charge for a week or so sitting by itself, then I would say its fine.

Nubo

Yeah, 578 CCA sounds decent to me. Definitely does not sound like a shorted cell. I'm surprised it would be marked as failing but I'd have to take a look at the shop manual to see what the guidelines are. Generally how a starter battery is properly tested is that it is connected to a heavy load, say 50 or 100 amps, for a set period of time, then the voltage is measured. This gives an idea of how it holds up under the demands of the starter. IIRC, the CCA is calculated from the voltage reading at the end of the drain test.

Lol, you'd have to search but I seem to recall that the battery Mazda originally shipped with the RX-8 was something like 350 or 400 CCA - brand new. They also had flooding problems out the ying-yang for several reasons, but one result was they spec'ed a higher capacity battery and more powerful starter.

Bottom line, if 578 CCA is within reasonable range of the CCA rating of the battery you bought, the parts store is unlikely to give you a refund, nor should they.

On the other hand, if the battery Mazda gave you has higher CCA, like 700 or 800 or some such, then I'd leave it in. The more, the better. Also, fully draining a normal car battery does reduce its capacity and longevity to some extent. You're probably better off.

Razz1

I would bring it back to the dealer with a signed statement from the Auto parts store that say its good.

Then get your money from the dealer.

Dealers need to learn how to charge a battery first before checking it.

Not testing a uncharged battery and then claiming its bad and selling you a new one.

Good Luck

Huey52

iTrader: (2)

LOL I guess I did get a little long winded. Answer, YES, your battery appears fine, albeit in need of a charge at the time.

tskeltonPGA

any place where i could take a barely used battery to get some cash for it?