DIY Battery Load Test With a Multimeter, Video

In this video I show you how to do a load test on your Lead-Acid Batteries, car battery, RV, Marine battery or whatever. Just using a Multimeter, in this case with the feature Min Max (Fluke 789). In this video both a normal classic lead battery (Biltema) and a AGM battery (GNB Sprinter) is load tested using my trusted Toyota Starlet engine motor starter as load. And also the lights.


Tested batteries:

Biltema BATTERI SMF 12V 44AH

VRLA 12 V 56.4 Ah GNB Sprinter XP12V1800 NAXP12180

Looking for a new car battery for the Starlet (again)...

Had a car breakdown, but it wasnt the Toyota Starlet parts that broke, it was the Tudor Battery.. Had to get a new one, even though the Tudor was only about 2-3 years old.

The Tudor Dual battery was crap. Dont buy it for use in a car. Trying to get it to work with the CTEK MXS 7.0 but no luck. Using a Fluke 789 to measure voltage.

Went to Autoexperten in Bromma (Sthlm) and they only sold Varta. The plus pole is on the wrong side..

Then I was planning to buy the Biltema Silver-kalciumbatteri since they have 4 years of guarantee, I thought this 62A battery for 799 SEK would fit but the plus pole was on the right side. Need it to be left side if I dont wanna extend the cables..

This is Biltema Veddesta, near Barkarby.

Problem with the battery Tudor Marine Dual TR350, the Starlet wouldn't start after a motorstop..

First time I get stranded in the middle of the traffic! Never thought that could happen with a Starlet!..

 I was communting to work and got a motor stop at a traffic light and this was during rush hour traffic... When I turn the ignition key the car was dead and made strange noises. Cars everywhere and I couldnt even get the warning lights flashing.. Thank god that the car doesnt weigh much, I could push it a side the road somewhat. After a while there was a hero that stopped and offered me some help pushing the car to a parking place.

Guess this Tudor marine Dual battery that I replaced less than 2 years ago couldnt take the vibration in a car or something. I wrote about it here. The battery was fine when starting it when I left the home..

This is a video explaning the strange problem.

New battery in place in the Starlet

Solution to the new battery issue.. Use what I have.. Thats the simplest thing to do, right?

I actually didnt think it would fit. The battery was much longer in length and also higher than the previous one. BUT IT DID FIT! Yeaj! :-)

Proof is in the pictures.

This 80 Ah car battery from Tudor looks a bit big in the Starlet but hey, it works.

Didnt think I would be able to close the bonnet but it worked.

I didnt use the plastic tray, and instead put the battery right at the "battery frame".

To big battery for the generator? Perhaps the generator will go very heavy if I empty the battery, but I will try not to do that.

Bying a new car battery for the Starlet

I need a new car battery for the Starlet. Which one to choose?

In my car there were an old Biltema 44 ah mounted. The size:
Lxbxh
207,5x175x195 mm (Heigh 19,5 cm )
You could probably fit a battery a little longer, perhaps 227 mm (measure your self!)

In this post I just gather what I´ve comed across. Its a bit messy but anyway, here goes..


Found a test here: Testfakta review
Banner Power Bull P6205 test winner
Bosch S4 consumes very little water. Very good capacity, but takes a little longer to recharge.
Tudor - Good performance
Biltema - Good starting ability but worse capacity. High waterconsumption and cheapest.

Totatbetyg means Total grade

Since Banner Power Bull got a good grade in this test I checked them out and found that they had a size that would fit the Toyota Starlet. Picture from Technical data sheet. You find it here.

Found a seller in Bromma Stockholm SGA.

However it´s an Calcium battery which makes me suspicious..

"The next stage has dominated on a wide front in recent years and is called Calcium-Calcium. This involves the antimony on both the negative and positive plates being replaced by calcium alloy. The benefits are obvious. The fluid loss of the battery is about 80 % lower than that of antimony batteries and the self-discharge is lower, i.e. they can remain unused for longer periods without losing a lot of their charge. The disadvantage is that they are more demanding when charging if they have been over-discharged." source: http://www.driverstechnology.co.uk/car-batteries.htm

"Lead calcium batteries fail more rapidly than Antimonial lead alloy batteries due to rapid corrosion of the positive plate in hotter under bonnet temperatures. Lead calcium batteries are also prone to grid growth and cracking which in turn leads to premature battery failure. Here the structure and shape of the positive battery plate changes causing cracking and the shedding of active material, again this is accelerated in higher perating temperatures." source: http://www.centurybatteries.com.au/content/documents/battery-talk/issue-1-battery-talk-what-are-silvercalcium-batter.pdf

Two batteries that should fit.

1045 Swedish crones at Mekonomen.

Technical datasheet from http://www.batteriexpressen.se/dokument/Bosch%20S4002.pdf

Picture from: https://se.bosch-automotive.com/sv/parts_and_accessories_6/service_parts_6/batteries_12/s3_s4_s5_4/s3_s4_s5_1

Picture from: https://se.bosch-automotive.com/sv/parts_and_accessories_6/service_parts_6/batteries_12/s3_s4_s5_4/s3_s4_s5_1

Swedol sells global, but quite expensive.

Screen shot from: http://www.swedol.se/startbatterier-global-automotive-12v.html

Global manufactures OKQ8:s batteri.

Varta 44ah and 52ah

Screen shot from: http://www.batteriexpressen.se/brand.html/varta-bilbatteri-startbatteri

Autoexperteren, Omformargatan 2

Screenshot from autoexperten: https://www.autoexperten.se/varumarken/varta/

Lägg till bildtext

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An evan better alternative? also autoexperten:
No the plus was on the wrong side! Went to buy, but when I saw that I reconsidered.

Screen shot from: https://www.autoexperten.se/reservdelar/elsystem-och-strom/startbatterier/batteri-b19-black-dynamic/


Autoexpert recommends the following battery

Vikt [kg]: 16 kg

Längd [mm]: 232 mm

Batterikapacitet [Ah]: 60 Ah

Poltyp: 1

Bottenmontering: B00

Bredd [mm]: 173 mm

Höjd [mm]: 225 mm

Köldstartström EN [A]: 540 A

Spänning [V]: 12 V

But I´m afraid that height is to high.. 

This one should fit perfectly I think. Probably one of the best choices.

Tudor Exide, expensive though.

230 x 180 x 186 mm 1 988 kr /st

Screen shot from: http://www.batteriexpressen.se/product.html/startbatteri-60ah-tudor-exide-usa-eb608

Replaceing and moving car battery on Starlet

Replacing car battery and moving it..

Yes that´s what I did. Since my battery was really bad it is time to replace it. Since I already have a pretty fresh leisure battery I decided to test if that would work!
I can tell you, When I was at the yearly car inspection (mandatory here in Sweden), the car didnt even start after the inspector had fibble with the lights (when the engine was off). A bit humiliating it was..

Ok, so this is what I did:

OLD Biltema 44Ah was worn out.. Not the best stuff. Removed it from the car Bredd [mm]: 175 Höjd [mm]: 190 Längd [mm]: 207

Changing to this one: Tudor dual TR350 Marine & Multifit by Exide 350Wh 80 Ah Coldstart up to 510A Height: 220 mm Lenght: 260 mm Width: 175 mm

Car battery gone! Now it´s emty were the battery use to be. I have connected some bigger cables to the "poles". The red and brown ones.

I´ve wired the cables through the "torpedo wall" into the inside of the car. Will do a better job with stripes and taping the cables better to get rid of electronic and magnetics fields. Also do it more secure.

Here the new battery is conneted, trying it out. Works like a charm

As a fuse, I use a 3-pole 50 ampere automatic fuse and use all tree of the connection so that about 150 ampere can run trouch when starting the car without the fuse going.

Put the battery inside the car temporary to try it out. Will eventually move it to the back carrige room if it seems to work out ok. Now I have almost double the battery power in the Starlet! Yes!

That´s it, hope you have some use of it. :-)