Flat Battery After 2 Or 3 Weeks

[WhiteR33]

Hey,

Last week, I have a slight problem with my battery I think. My R33 wouldn't start after 2 or 3 weeks and I had to jump it to get the car going. It's okay now, since I drive it every day. However I would like to know if it's about time to change the battery, which is purchased in March 2003.

Do I need a battery soonish? What CCA and RC rating should I be looking at? What brands do people recommend?!

Thanks in advance!!

/Andy

[RANDY]

The higher the cranking amps, the better... although don't forget that your clock and A/C settings are always using a *little* power, and if you have an alarm, it'd suck a bit too. The ECU keeps its self-learning stuff, and i'm sure your headunit does too.. These add up, and it could drain a battery over the course of almost a month.

If you're going to change the battery anyway, it won't do any harm and shouldn't cost you more than $200 for a really good battery.

Higher CCA and higher number of plates will be the cost-factor. =-]

[WhiteR33]

Thanks RANDY,

I am looking at spending around $150 for this next battery, but it wouldn't be until it's having problems if I don't drive, say, over the weekend.

So, what sort of battery do you have? what are the CCA and RC rating on it?

Cheers,

Andy

[WazR32GTSt]

a good battery should not go flat in that amount of time on a stock car..

your options:

1 - as you said it could be a flat battery. theyare usually rated at about 4 years lifetime.. so how old is yours?

2 - you may have something draining power. Do you have an amplifier? neons? some other lights? if they aren't wired in properly then they could be draining power when the car is off..

good luck,

Warren

[RANDY]

Andy, mine's just a little 330cca. My factory strut-brace meant that I couldn't run a larger battery.

By "larger" I mean;

More powerful batteries are usually bigger in physical size too. The R33 Skyline battery holder will allow two different sizes of batteries, but I had to use the smallest type to avoid removing my strut-brace.

Warren has a point, if the car is totally stock (read: no alarm an aftermarket ECU/head unit) then it should probably hold the charge for several months infact. You might be able to use a multimeter to ascertain how much current draw is on the battery while the car is off. (apart from the boot light which will be on while you test the battery!)

[disturb3d]

get your alternator checked out mate!!

[WhiteR33]

your options:

1 - as you said it could be a flat battery. theyare usually rated at about 4 years lifetime.. so how old is yours?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My battery is almost 3 years old, and don't find any problems if I drive it everyday.

---

Andy, mine's just a little 330cca. My factory strut-brace meant that I couldn't run a larger battery.

By "larger" I mean;

More powerful batteries are usually bigger in physical size too. The R33 Skyline battery holder will allow two different sizes of batteries, but I had to use the smallest type to avoid removing my strut-brace.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My local auto-electrician recommend what they stock:- fully sealed battery with 430CCA. Does more CCA mean anything after the car is running??

get your alternator checked out mate!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I will definitely get that checked too...

thanks for the advice guys~

[Busky2k]

Get your auto electrician to check the 'parasitic' load. Some component of the car might be draining too much power when its off. It should be be under 50mA. I know my car goes flat after 2 weeks cos my parasitic load is roughly 100mA which is definitely too much.

God knows what component it is though. I suspect its my shitty alarm.