Hmmm, did not see a related FAQ topic*, nor perusing a reasonable % of the search results on "Battery " (20 pages, newest 2009?) one on general battery replacement, so...

OK, about a mundane service item as likely to find, and at 5.5 years and 38K miles, the car now cranks (cold weather) as much as 1.5 to 2 seconds before firing, and this is about the age where the spousemobile lost its battery, so I figured, Why Not?

Did see a recommendation for Wal-Mart for batteries and as much as I dislike going there...

Now, logically: unattach, unbolt, bolt new one in, reattach, done. But this is the 21st Century and even air fresheners come with two pages of warnings-before-use. Is there anything to look forward to, such as remove the LF and RR turn signal bulbs and open and close the trunk lid three times before reattaching the cables? I don't want to hydrolock the engine or burn out the top motor.

*if there is one, please simply direct me to it, thanks.

 

Be sure the battery cables are tight.

If you can move the terminals on the battery with your hands, then they are not tight.

 

^^That and make sure you have your radio code (if you have the OEM radio) before taking the battery out. The OEM radio will not work again without the code when the battery is removed. Other than that, no big issues in replacing the battery. I just replaced mine last month, original one from late 2004 that made it to about 88k miles.

 

Well, if that's all that to it, perfect. In 38 years of driving, I've replaced the battery in IIRC about every car I've owned, it's not hard... but the S2000 is a wee bit more complicated under the hood than, say, the Tiger (battery ain't in there anyway). Pretty sure I saved the radio code document.

Need to get one relatively soon; In the wife's Acura about three years back, I noticed a bit of slowdown in cranking, went a few days later to Pep Boys and bought a new one to take home -- and the car wouldn't start in the PB parking lot! Had to pay them to install so we could get home. Sheesh! Talk about poor timing.

Thanks for the quick and on-topic responses.

 

An issue with cheaper batteries is that some leaks can occurs from the vent holes under high gee conditions. I found WM and similar batteries work fine except that battery acid/corrosion must be cleaned up every so often. The sealed cell batteries eliminate this problem and the OEM or similar models almost eliminate leaks.

 

Surprised that you need to replace it. I bought my S2000 new in September '03. Still have the original battery.

 

A battery is a battery. Get what's cheapest with the best warranty. Autozone red and yellow tops have always served me well.

 

I recommend picking up a set of the red and green felt battery "washers" when you get the battery--- they prevent corrosion on the terminals and cable ends. They run about $2

 

Thanks for the reminder on the felt washers, used them before, work great, why dopn't they automatically come with the batteries?

Interesting and I'd pay a little more for a decent unit, just will NOT go to a Honda dealer. Maybe worthwhile to do a search on battery choices on this forum.

 

Hmmm... How much is a cheap unit? and why not buy from the dealer? I just picked up one at the dealer with a 3 year warranty for $90, which was cheaper than both autozone and the other local parts store.