how many amps should a battery have?

[gankSP]

i get 12.13 volts but only 1.43amps ...do you think the cold weather killed my battery?

 

[txstang84]

how are you testing it? and yes, cold weather can definitely kill a battery, especially if it sits without use for a long time...usually doesn't just happen overnight.

 

[Daggar]

I'd like to know how you determined the amp output as well. Even a batter with a dead cell is capable of roughly 400 CCA.

 

[txstang84]

yeah, kinda what i was thinkin, if you're only getting 1.4amps, that just means that whatever you're testing it with is only "pulling" that amount...but if he had a dead cell, then he'd be short about 2 volts

 

[Mustang5L5]

i get 12.13 volts but only 1.43amps ...do you think the cold weather killed my battery?

With the car shut off, you should be drawing less than 1AMP.

12.13 volts is normal for engine off, but 1.43 amps tells me you have a current draw. If you start the car daily, you will never notice it, but the cold weather in addition to the current draw will kill the batt.

You need to test the battery while pulling fuses to determine where the draw is. Most often, it's the underhood light staying on.


Dagger, to determine DC amps, you need a meter that can read it. Most require you to measure in series with the battery. That means taking off 1 lead and then touching 1 lead of the meter to the battery and the other to the lead you removed. Most meters only have a max capacity of maybe 5-10AMPs however.

 

[HISSIN50]

Mike, Daggs knows that. He, like I, was unsure of what the original poster meant or how he determined that. I did not make the (logical) leap of faith to the current draw that y'all did.

 

[Mustang5L5]

My bad, i'm reading posts way too quickly tonight

 

[HISSIN50]

My bad, i'm reading posts way too quickly tonight

Well actually, I think you figured out what Gank meant, when I actually had no clue.