How to test a car battery

[@nickfasola5887]

Very good demonstration; direct and accurate , Thanks

[@christophernunn943]

Price of that load charger is now £16.53 on Amazon so I will be ordering one. Thanks for the best no nonsense video which I liked.

[@PhatDimes]

Great video....clear. concise and to the point! Im buying one of these after work! Thank you!!

[@dwalch1]

I’m stunned that you were able to get a voltage reading on the multimeter without the black lead being in the COM port. Actually had to try it on my own multimeter and to my surprise it actually worked! Not that I’m going to do it again. I might blow he socks of my coworkers tomorrow though with that trick. Anyway, good video. Thank you.

[@markschwartz5684]

it will just read a neg no.

[@dOoMnX]

Hahaha I was just gonna type this 🤣

[@brightonmusic]

Thank you, great video! What was the resulting Cold Cranking Amps or it is just the amps in the battery?

[@RussellBooth1977]

I did it on my car today the multimeter only method that GM has,the car has the 5.7 litre Chevy LS1 V8 engine fitted,the battery is almost 3 years old (used for 2) ,it's a 420 CCA battery & the battery voltage was 12.42 volts, I tested it this way :- 1 - Disable the fuel & ignition system (pull the ECU relay out) 2 - Connect the multimeter leads up to the battery terminals with it set to the volts DC scale 3 - Crank the starter for no longer than 15 seconds, observe the voltage, it shouldn't be lower than 9 -10 volts. In my case, it read 10.3 volts under load,so my battery is still o.k.

[@curtchase3730]

Your video was very good on performing the procedure, but I have a couple of comments. I have one of those resistive load testers. They do not simulate the current draw of a typical starter motor! Mine draws about 50 amps on a good 12 volt battery. It will be 1/2 of that on a 6 volt battery! A starter can draw from 300-650 amps cranking a cold engine. You should see only a volt or so drop during the load test on a good battery. If tester shows 10.8 or less on a 600cca or higher battery, suspect a weak battery, or it needs a good charge. The reason they tell you not to hold the test button for over 10 seconds is that the cheap resister element can burn out. Ya, I use mine, because I don't have one of those fancy rigs that tests conductance (internal resistance).

[@kitecattestecke2303]

Curt Chase yeah it is just a "voltage drop tester under some havier load" gives you some idear, maybe it can be made better by adding light bulbs for additional load....does the switch inside switch all the current? Then it's a piece of poop

[@mtm2906]

Curt Chase- In the old day (70's) of my Auto-Tech school, they taught the proper method to do a load test is using different resistant values to test different size engines.The battery have to fully charged first. Another method we used is pulling the spark plug out from the coil and crank the engine for 30 secs. Any voltage reading more the 9.8V is considered good. This simple method is to see if the battery able to start an vehicle in all weather conditions. no tester require just a voltmeter.

[@tocrob]

that thing gets really hot if load tested for more than 10 seconds. The resisting elements turn red LOL.

[@sarahconner9433]

Small warm cars in Los Angeles can spin starter with 50 amperes

[@jackthehatphoto]

Perfect! Thanks. Can you perform the battery test with the battery still connected to the vehicle?

[@flyfisherman4184]

ALWAYS CONNECT POS(+) LEAD FIRST, BEFORE ATTACHING NEG(-) LEAD. THEN REVERSE THAT ORDER WHEN REMOVING ! ! ! Did you see the sparks fly when you removed the pos charging lead before you removed the neg lead on the 2nd battery? That's enough to IGNITE battery fumes and CAUSE AN EXPLOSION! I know this from personal experience, only took once for me to become a believer...

[@BruceLyeg]

It'll spark if you connect the negative last too. doesn't matter which one gets connected first. The last one you connect will spark.

[@Shanedog76]

well I was shown to always connect the neg. first before the possessive so no risk of anything wrong happening? but good to hear you had a problem from sparks? something I never worry about? I had no directions in the box I got after buying one on eBay?

[@PandaMan02]

the reason you disconnect negative first, or put it on last, is so you don't accidentally short the battery with the wrench you're using when you're on the positive.

[@garydflatt4904]

That's correct, positive first, negative last. Especially when starting a car using a different car, otherwise you can blow out the voltage control. Also find another ground, not directly on the battery of car being started.

[@carolrenta87]

Awe thank you kindly from the Caribbean

[@MrLonesome73rd]

Nice video, but you missed first important step. Always read the battery Cold Cranking Amps or CCA at your battery to know which scale you will gonna use when cheking how good your battery is. Example if the battery is CCA 200 then you will use 200 scale on your Battery load tester. Battery load tester CCA scale is 200 to 1000.

[@ibelieveitcauseiseentit9630]

Nah as long as it doesn't drop halfway past the weak point your good.

[@AustinPetDetective]

Why do you have to hold the load button for 7 secs, seems just 2 or 3 would be enough to see the condition of the battery ?

[@sarahconner9433]

10 seconds

[@I.Live4oldcars.prospecting]

Should the battery be replaced if it shows in the week section?

[@konstantin-big]

No, he explained The lowest voltage is 9.5V If the battery tester shows in the red=bad Then you must replace the battery

[@jaymakormik6779]

Thank you for the help ,Sir..🙂👍

[@casanova2267]

Good vedio we’re did y bay that Batry tester machine

[@noearias2006]

Thank you for your video from Los Angeles ca USA

[@jimnicosia5934]

backyardmech, can a battery lose voltage not connected to anything in cold weather?

[@kitecattestecke2303]

jim Nicosia yes of cause especially if water/moister freezes inside the acid into crystals it kills and can pop open a car battery... battery does show lower voltage because of capacity decrease by low ambient temperature, but if the voltage is really low the battery is dead even in hot summer

[@yogibeer9319]

Could you desulfinate or do a restore on the bad battery?

[@1dlb]

thanks .... nice and straight forward explanation

[@Sunline7]

can you use the load tester with the cable or leads on the car still connected !

[@practicallab]

no

[@papajolly20]

@@practicallab why not?

[@dannycb1000]

Can you check the battery it is while connected to your car?

[@bmw-e30]

If you charge a battery and it fails to start your car then it fails the load test. Just wondering why this machine is necessary at all.

[@tocrob]

you can test the battery to see if it will fail to start the vehicle in freezing temperatures. For example, the 2nd battery load tested at ~200 CCA ( room temp) will have problems. The load amp readings are CCA for this device.

[@Reekor]

I would say that your 2nd battery also failed the test. It's hard to see but it looks like the battery is rated for 760 cranking amps, while tested your load tester shows that it's putting out around 200 cranking amps which is about 25% of its rated output. Might get away using that battery on a small engine in the summer, but on a really cold Canadian day it might leave you S.O.L.

[@galinstan5603]

It is quite normal for a twelve volt battery to drop two or three volts during the heavy load of cranking. In the old days when cars had ordinary incandescent headlights this could be illustrated by cranking the engine with the headlights on. They would dim significantly. Incandescent lamps are very voltage sensitive. Also, back then, there was a ballast resistor bypass, or an alternate cranking resistor in the low voltage side of the ignition coil circuit, thus maintaining a good spark.

[@ilmjcxj8064]

Excellent illustration. Keep up the good work.

[@boutthere3374]

Thanks for this.Was exactly the information I was looking for.ATB.

[@practicallab]

Show battery condition

[@frankmontez6853]

If under load it falls below 11 volts slightly into yellow weak range should I replace ? My starter having a hard time starting when I crank it.

[@jermainebryan5410]

Here in 2024. This video is gold

[@edithabiera143]

Thanks, very helpful, from the Philippines...

[@СынСвета-ч4э]

Sorry dear author of the video. You are wrong to use a multimeter. The black wire should be attached to the socket "COM" and red to the right outlet, where it is written "V, (the Ohm icon), mA". Thank you for your attention.

[@martybeckman5178]

Very important to unplug the charger before disconnecting the cables from Battery : if you do not unplugged charger does cause a mild spark and the battery Has mild acid fumes from charging coming off of the battery and that will cause it to blow !!!! Yes Right in your face .. I KNOW FROM EXPERIENCE !! I always now shut power off and or unplug the charger before disconnecting the cables.

[@lacsa727]

Thank-You Right-2-The-Point :O) I just picked one Up(Duralast) at the Auto Zone and the associate Had No Idea!! how to show me how to use it. Came home straight to YT and found You....THANK GAUUUDD!! You got a New Subbie LOL TFS :o)

[@raselkhan3246]

Minimum number of amperes can be measured?

[@konstantin-big]

You can see how many numbers of amperes On that battery tester

[@jaqlyn3451]

ive been searching for answers for over a week. been repaired several times, a couple of times for two whole days. then back to square 1. im good with sparks from either post. if it sparks a fire then at least i wont be broke down in this weather with no heat. and i will finally be done with it. in case of no sparks, ill take a lighter, just in case.

[@mpcp27]

Whats make and model of the tester?

[@nickv4073]

Look up your nearest Harbor Freight store. They cost $20.

[@kitecattestecke2303]

Chinese acme generic is the brand, please search KZbin for "darude sandstorm"

[@joshuakempen9735]

Thanks a bunch really helpful

[@breadfansstudio7776]

Can I use that tester on the go, in my boat, powering a trolling motor as my ONLY motor?......What I mean is this: When my battery is full and i set out across the water, will this meter tell me when i'm 3/4 charged? 1/2? etc......I have no alternator, just a min kota and a battery....Thx

[@carchi1]

No

[@georgebennett785]

straight forward chart. 12vdc a discharged battery

[@john123wayne]

thank you . may 21 2023 los angeles (i always like to know who is watching from where. =)

[@Toms_Short_Movies]

I used one of these on a new battery and it just tipped into the weak area. I agree that the markings are a bit high.

[@practicallab]

Depend upon quality of load testor.

[@paulllly]

A great vid and very helpful thanks

[@andrewcampbell3729]

very helpful nice guy knows

[@jazgill1436]

thank you Very clear and concise

[@tuat.mvpformallybigd.2635]

Most of mine pull down to 10 and they work great

[@playmovingpictures]

Can you use the crank test unit while battery is connected to the car or will it mess up alternator ?? And fuse box?

[@backyardmech]

Do not do this test with the car battery connected . The vehicle battery cables should be disconnected ; then do the load test Bend

[@nickv4073]

Wrong. No harm will come to your car if you don't disconnect the battery. All Autoparts stores test for free and they never disconnect the battery. Its not necessary. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aYLMfKygjLyciNE

[@javieralejandro8703]

Great video. I love test equipment with needle and scale systems as opposed to digital multimeters, you are limited to what can be done with the DMM. Thanks for posting!

[@Lacronh]

Thanks. I am looking for a fairly inexpensive one to test household batteries. I like that red one you showed at 00:59, but cannot find it online. I did find an LCD digital readout one that says it has a low battery voltage indicator. Do you have any idea what sort of indicator that would be to indicate low battery for those of us who would not know based on the read out? And can you recommend an analog one like your ref Radio Shack one at 1:00 in your video?

[@billwalton8833]

Next time it would be nice for you to show what a bad battery looks like. When they just need to charge and one that has bad cells and can’t be charged.

[@genecarlos6588]

Good but a little drawn out I could have bought a battery bye this time

[@thomasdipaolo2349]

Very helpful. Thanks

[@mikedelta1679]

. Wear Safety Glasses when you Do that Test. The Battery Sometimes Explodes during the Test. .

[@user-us1hx2cx3j]

very helpfull video - thank you

[@kutunuikunikuni1301]

Man....just use your multi meter..plus you can check your alternator output. Just try to get a m-meter with a min/max setting. ...cheaper easier. Then ideally you turn on your lights for 2 min to discharge surface voltage, then load test etc. ...

[@johnjohnoj6408]

Ty friend needed to see this

[@Poordirtfarmer]

Thanks alot

[@damonnegrete7194]

after you charge battery if it's in the yellow replace the battery it's only 50 per sent charged

[@practicallab]

First full charge the battery then checked

[@Sunline7]

just read the answer cheers

[@meladcharkhabi1571]

thanks that was great

[@rainysunday6186]

That is stupid why are you using a multimeter when a load tester shows you the voltage of the battery?

[@salinagrrrl69]

You need to get rid of that Castro Bastro Diketator of O Can-A-dauh. GOD SAVE CANADA!

[@jimstevens3159]

thanks !!

[@emanuelimushi9769]

Unawezaje. Kurepea tests battery.

[@chuckychuck]

Who make this load tester you keep blocking out the brand name.

[@jamescarlburg5403]

Looks like the Shumacher tester. Amazon $35 US.

[@electrogeorge6269]

Prueba también con esta manera kzbin.info/www/bejne/ooKVhHmCgrWZm9k

[@Poordirtfarmer]

Slow start after driving ? Lol grrrr

[@jerrycerda4658]

👍🌪️👉

[@plmkdt528]

Yeah he's not sure himself to run the demonstration , need more practice

[@charliestevenson6643]

speed it up buddy, cut out half the time

[@34Kuro]

A car battery that is fully charged and without any load on it, should be from 13,7V up to 14,5V. When a battery is at 12,8V like these 2, are only charged at about 75%.

[@2600NorthOutdoors]

That's backwards bud. Anything over 12.65V would be considered a full charge. Your readings wont achieve that 13.7V reading until you car/boat is running indicating your car/boats charging system is working. Just saying.

[@BeefSupreme229]

get to the point, use less words...

[@31acruz]

Too much talk. Get to the point!

[@harryl8234]

The guy is trying to explain how to test a battery, especially for those that has no or limited electrical knowledge. Oh, btw you're a fucken asshole.

[@bjhachannel6747]

You talking too much bro