Just curious with other owners on the life of our original batteries. I'm about 15,000 miles and it seems to become weak. Cranking in the mornings is alittle slower than normal. Is this expected? This is my only car, so I drive it everyday.

 

Life is usually expressed in age, load/depletion, and thermal cycles, not necessarily time. I've seen Honda batteries last from 1 (defect) to 5 years... with one being 5 years in TX heat. Some of them are great, some of them are so-so.

My feel is that the Honda battery is so small and the alternator so underdriven that it is highly taxed (unless you do a LOT of highway driving) and probably won't last more than 2 years. That's a gut feel, though.

The initial warning sign is slow cranking (or slow-sounding cranking) though this can also be a sign of cold weather or thick oil (like 15- or 20-30). With your age and miles I wouldn't expect it to be dying, though it's always possible.

If you can, check it with a meter; almost every Honda battery I've seen die an early death had lost one of it's cells. If you check it with a voltmeter and see a voltage below 12 (with the engine off), you likely have a dead cell. I'd try getting a new one under warranty through the dealer, though I'm not particularly sure what the policy is (not covered, 1 year, or what).

 

Mine lost a cell after 2 years and 20,000 miles - it was easy to tell as the starter motor operated much more slowly (it still always started the car though). Honda replaced the battery for free - no questions asked.

 

For comparison, the original OEM battery in my Honda Accord lasted from March 1993 to December 2001 (150K miles). I am sure it could have lasted until March 2002, but I made the mistake of taking it in to have it tested and the tester drained it dead . I am still waiting for the clutch to go out on that car -- it is slipping, but not bad enough yet for me to want to replace it.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by WhiteS2k
[B]For comparison, the original OEM battery in my Honda Accord lasted from March 1993 to December 2001 (150K miles).

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by WhiteS2k
[B]For comparison, the original OEM battery in my Honda Accord lasted from March 1993 to December 2001 (150K miles).

 

Not quite as impressive as WhiteS2k, but my 1995 Accord battery is still cranking since Jan 1995, ~80K miles. Almost exactly 7 years. Original clutch too.

 

I Have a 1991 Alfa Romeo 164S with 117,000 miles and the original battery. Still registers 14 VDC + on the dash gauge. This car has the battery mounted in the trunk and I think that makes a BIG differance since it is not exposed to the temperature extremes that would be seen in the Engine compartment.

 

If I'm correct in this, the Accord battery and the Prelude battery are not the same as the Civic and S2000 battery. I think the S2000 has the same battery the Civics have....my Prelude battery is still going strong from 1993 with over 75K miles on the clock, with custom door, trunk, and hood poppers, with a stereo system, and the original alternator. My sister's '97 Accord with 40K miles battery is still very strong with a mild stereo system and original alternator.

The S2000 and Civic battery alike died last winter....they both needed recharging. The Civic is a '98 with more than 50K miles on the odometer, the S2000 is a '00 with about 22K miles.

When it gets time to replace the S2000's or Civic's battery, they will get replaced with Optima brand batteries.

 

Just to follow on what Luder said, it is well worth it to spend some extra money and get a GOOD battery. Optima's are good, as well as SVR. I had an SVR in my truck and it worked great. As I understand it, Optima Yellow Top batteries are deep cycle batteries and should really only be used when a deep cycle battery would be best, IE, having an aftermarket stereo playing for a length of time with the car off. Most good aftermarket batteries run ~$150 or so.

Blake