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  1. Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    898
    #1
    There was a time when the car battery of my Innova would just die without some prior symptoms (or I might have not have noticed them) and since my ride has automatic transmission so talagang mahirap. Now does a voltmeter (using the cigarette lighter plug) help us determine the health of the car battery?

  2. Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Posts
    242
    #2
    Per my experience,Yes,malaking tulong talaga ang may voltmeter on knowing the health of our cars battery and/or alternator. Ever since i had one, never ko na na-experience ang di makapag start due to low battery...or yung tipong di mo alam bakit biglang humina ang radyo,ilaw at aircon.

    Magandang indicator at warning on battery/alternator health talaga ang voltmeter and hindi naman siya ganun ka expensive.I think,all motorist should have one of these.

    Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using Tapatalk

  3. Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Posts
    5,577
    #3
    Short answer, no.

    Long answer: Battery health is a function of a lot of different parameters, a few of which are as follows:

    Internal resistance
    Ability to take a charge
    Capacity
    Voltage
    etc.

    Voltage is probably the last parameter to 'give' when it comes to battery health. A bad battery could have good open-terminal voltage but as soon as you put a load (ie. start the vehicle), a battery with a relatively high internal resistance will cause the voltage to drop and by extension, reduce the current to below what is required to start the engine.

    Voltmeters can probably give you an idea of the state of charge (SoC) if you know for a fact that the battery is healthy. Otherwise, voltage alone won't give you a clear indication of its state of health (SoH)

    Battery analyzers can give you a better insight as to the battery's actual SoC and SoH than just relying on an on-dash voltmeter.

    I have one (on-dash voltmeter), but it's really more for aesthetics than anything. Though, I also have a battery analyzer.

  4. Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Posts
    6,614
    #4
    Sir OJ, won't the volt meter dip also during starting? If it does, then maybe we can have an idea of the health of the battery

    Sent from my Mi A1 using Tapatalk

  5. Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Posts
    5,577
    #5
    Quote Originally Posted by papi smith View Post
    Sir OJ, won't the volt meter dip also during starting? If it does, then maybe we can have an idea of the health of the battery

    Sent from my Mi A1 using Tapatalk
    Two problems with that...

    First major flaw with that approach is that on most cars, the Accessory line (ACC) where your head unit and other accessories are connected, gets disconnected from the battery when you turn the ignition key to "Start". The idea is, this cuts off power to non-essential electronics and routes the full battery power to the starter and ignition system. The cigarette lighter socket is wired to the ACC line. In other words, when you turn the key to start the engine and while it is cranking, the display on these voltmeters go blank.

    For the 2nd problem... in the off chance that your car does not disconnect the ACC when starting, these voltmeters are too slow to get a proper average reading. Before it can give you a stable result, the engine would've started by then.
    Last edited by oj88; March 11th, 2019 at 12:27 PM.

  6. Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Posts
    2,531
    #6
    OJ is right, useless yan. your casa uses an expensive gadget like Midtronic to check battery health. then they give you a printout. you could achieve pretty much the same thing w/ a much cheaper gadget. i use this Autool which connects via bluetooth. pretty much the same results. so yes that P100,000 midtronic is a scam




  7. Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Posts
    6,614
    #7
    I had a battery analyzer but it was malfunctioning so I had to return it, never gambled to have a replacement. It's nice to have one at home coz it beats going to a nearby battery store to have a free check up Does a voltmeter (using the cigarette lighter plug) help us determine the health of the car battery?

    Sent from my Mi A1 using Tapatalk

  8. Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Posts
    2,994
    #8
    ^P100,000 din ba halaga ng battery analyzer mo?

    i dont waste my money on voltage analyzer, my brain can analyze it for free, i just need a voltmeter

    Sent from my ASUS Chromebook C202SA using Tapatalk
    Last edited by kisshmet; March 11th, 2019 at 06:03 PM.

  9. Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Posts
    2,751
    #9
    Kung ang problema lang naman is the battery dying at the worst possible time, why not just invest in a jumpstarter powerbank or a pair of jumper cables? Or, as some like to do it, replace the battery (working or not) after a certain number of months/years.

    It's a hell of a lot cheaper than any battery analyzer. Unless merong plano na pagkakitaan ang analyzer. No need to get all scientific about it, imo.

    Sent from my ASUS_T00J using Tapatalk

  10. Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Posts
    5,577
    #10
    Quote Originally Posted by WallyWest View Post
    ...
    It's a hell of a lot cheaper than any battery analyzer. Unless merong plano na pagkakitaan ang analyzer. No need to get all scientific about it, imo.
    Changing the battery long before they're actually due for replacement is much more wasteful.

    You don't need a 'Pro' battery analyzer. There are battery analyzers on Lazada for under 2k. They're good enough at determining your battery's general condition.

    Run the analyzer every PMS. Once the SoH gets below 50%, it's time to save up for a replacement as the battery could die within the next 6-12 months. When it's down to 30% or lower, replace it ASAP.

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Does a voltmeter (using the cigarette lighter plug) help us determine the health of the car battery?