HELP: Rough Cold start?!

[GoodGuyDudu]

I just replaced my 5½-year-old factory Panasonic battery 2 weeks ago with OEM Mazda “High Performance” battery which is made by Interstate. It looks exactly the same as the Interstate battery sold at Costco which is much cheaper. The only difference is OEM battery uses black plastic case but Interstate uses white. So go get Interstate Group 35 battery at Costco (~$79) if you need a new battery.

Not sure who made Kirkland Signature battery for Costco in Canada though.

Thank you, I will look for that one!

 

[GoodGuyDudu]

Your battery is weak, it cranked slow. I would check the alternator output just in case, and put the battery on a charger and test it afterwards. Maybe check for a parasitic drain too, which could rob your battery of power.

Yeah that was one of my thoughts, any way I could all test that on my own, without going to a shop?

 

[GoodGuyDudu]

Oh you're in Canada. Yeah I'd always opt for batteries with higher CCA's at a place with good warranty support and relatively close to home.

Get the Kirkland Signature
Group Size: 35
Item #207250

Manufacturer Information

Of what I can see, the Kirkland batteries at 120$ with 640 CCA is on of the best ratio of CCA/price/warranty out there!

 

[Digbicks1234]

Yeah that was one of my thoughts, any way I could all test that on my own, without going to a shop?

Get a multimeter for the best versatility such as testing car fuses, battery voltage etc. or a plug in that goes into your car outlet. For example:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EVWDU0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_fqwKFb2D74SK6

It should read close to 12.6 volts when the car is off. Then turn on the engine again and check the battery. If the voltmeter reads between 14-15 volts then the battery is normal. But if the battery reads over 15 volts or less than 13 volts, then there might be a problem with the voltage regulator, the wiring or the alternator. If the battery just wont keep a charge even when you have turned off all accessories, then it's time to take a look at the other systems that work with the battery to run your car.

Car battery or alternator

 

[GoodGuyDudu]

Get a multimeter for the best versatility such as testing car fusees, battery voltage etc. or a plug in that goes into your car outlet. For example:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EVWDU0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_fqwKFb2D74SK6




Car battery or alternator

Thanks!!

 

[Digbicks1234]

Thanks!!

Np! Also, forgot to mention two other simple ways to test if your car battery is weak. Keep in mind you don't need to turn the car on, just have the car switched to accessory mode.

1. Try your wipers, if they're extremely slow or much slower than usual then it should be very obvious the battery is low on juice.
2. Turn on your headlights or the interior lights and see if they're much dimmer than normal.

In addition, I would recommend investing in a battery charger/conditioner or portable car jumper. I've had a NOCO jumper and charger for the past year now and it's saved my @$$ plenty of times due to buying a crappy AGM battery from Advanced Auto Parts.

 

[GoodGuyDudu]

Np! Also, forgot to mention two other simple ways to test if your car battery is weak. Keep in mind you don't need to turn the car on, just have the car switched to accessory mode.

1. Try your wipers, if they're extremely slow or much slower than usual then it should be very obvious the battery is low on juice.
2. Turn on your headlights or the interior lights and see if they're much dimmer than normal.

In addition, I would recommend investing in a battery charger/conditioner or portable car jumper. I've had a NOCO jumper and charger for the past year now and it's saved my @$$ plenty of times due to buying a crappy AGM battery from Advanced Auto Parts.

These are good points, will actually try when leaving for work in 10 mins. Thanks again!

 

[yrwei52]

Yeah that was one of my thoughts, any way I could all test that on my own, without going to a shop?

In US we can simply stop by at an auto parts store and they can test the battery condition such as current CCA for free. Or you can get a battery tester and check the CCA reading by yourself.

Another data point. I read 525 CCA on my 2019 Sig using a Schumacher BT-250 Digital Battery Tester. It's the original battery with about 8500 miles on the CX5.

As a test, I've got another car with a 3.5 yr old battery rated at 900 CCA. It now reads 795 (after overnight charge with a maintainer), so it is getting on towards end-of-life but still does the job just fine. I'll probably replace it in the next year, sooner if I start seeing issues.

 

[erhayes]

Sounds normal to me. Ed

 

[MyFirstMazda]

I have and like this load tester Load Tester. It has a 100 amp resister and uses that to determine the approximate CCA and the voltage to determine the health of the battery. And I think everyone should have a battery charger.