[Billyg]

Do I need to drive all the way to Leesburg to the Honda dealer or is there a place in TV to get it charged? It keeps dieing.
Old fashion gas stations w/ mechanics have disappeared!

[chuckinca]

The drive to Leesburg should pretty much charge it up.

The battery needs to be checked to see if it still able to hold a charge; if not, you need a new one. If the battery is fairly new, take it back to the store where it was bought (maybe a chain with a local store) or to a dealer for the same battery manufacturer and it may have a warranty that covers some of the replacement cost.

.

[Bill-n-Brillo]

If you can get it to Advance Auto Parts, I believe they'll check your charging system out for free (to verify it's not a problem in the car's charging system that's preventing the battery from getting charged) and, if it truly does need a battery, they'll sell you one and install it for no extra charge.

If you look at the battery where the two cables connect and find those connections to be corroded (generally will have white powdery stuff on them), that alone can be the cause of charging/starting problems. Regardless, Advance Auto Parts (and probably other places as well) can check it all out for you.

Your Honda car does not require a Honda battery. But if the car's still under warranty, you'll definitely need to contact the dealer to see how best to handle it.

Bill

[Dynasty]

Be careful about letting someone unhook that battery. If it is not done correctly it may mess up your radio and you may have to pay the dealer to have the radio re-set.

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Originally Posted by Dynasty

Be careful about letting someone unhook that battery. If it is not done correctly it may mess up your radio and you may have to pay the dealer to have the radio re-set.

Good point. At a minimum, disconnecting the battery will more than likely cause the radio station pre-sets to go away - not too big a deal. But check your owner's manual, billy, to see if the radio requires the entry of a security code to re-activate it after the battery has been disconnected then reconnected. Given that it's a Honda, that's more than likely the case. There should be a credit card size plastic card with the code on it in the glove box somewhere or with the owner's manual - or perhaps with the pile of paperwork, etc. you got if you bought the car new. The owner's manual will tell you how to easily enter this code if it's necessary. If you can't find the card and you bought the car new, contact the selling dealership - they might supply you the code for no charge.

Bill

[batman911]

There is a power supply device that you can plug into the cigarette lighter port to supply power to the radio and other systems while you change the battery. A lot of the battery shops use it.

[Billyg]

Thank you all! Very helpful

[CarGuys]

All previous information is correct but first start with the battery state of charge.

This can be checked with a volt meter, battery load tester or better yet a modern capacitance tester. A battery that is not capable of holding a charge will not allow the cars charging system to properly work.

If the battery is recharged and then passes its stress test next the vehicles charging system must be tested.

A fully charged battery has 2.1 volts per cell or 12.6 volts total. 12 volts is a dead battery! This is referred to as open circuit voltage.

The charging system must push approximately 14.1 volts however it cannot charge a battery that has failed a battery test. So if you have to look for a charger you also must look a technician to test not guess the trouble.

In a very few cases there may be a parasitic draw on the battery. This is some electrical Gremlin that is causing the battery to drain after the key is removed. Typically you do not want more than 50 milli amps of draw.

For this test you need a trained technician. Previous advisement was correct that you may loose radio functions have security problems loose computer strategies or worse.

To sum up a modern car battery helps supply needed electrical reserve to start and sustain the vehicle at idle. With the electrical demands on today’s vehicles a charging system can only maintain the battery not restore it.

Failure to replace a weak battery can lead to expensive alternator replacement.

[wcollier2007]

CarGuys is right; however, if you have a sedan, pull down the rear seat some afternoon, and when it gets dark, look to see if the trunk light is on. I had one such mystery, and it was the trunk light switch that was bad.
You will need the radio code, else the radio won't work, and all presets will be gone.
With some cars, when re-connecting the battery, the alarm system will sound. Have your keys handy!!
-will

[RichieB]

Originally Posted by Billyg

Thank you all! Very helpful

What is the age of the car and battery ? If you're talking about something around 4 to 5 years, I would not hesitate repacing the battery.

which reminds me about my own......... hmmmmm

[RichieB]

Originally Posted by Bill-n-Brillo

If you can get it to Advance Auto Parts, I believe they'll check your charging system out for free (to verify it's not a problem in the car's charging system that's preventing the battery from getting charged) and, if it truly does need a battery, they'll sell you one and install it for no extra charge.

Bill

I have a local AAP, and that is a good deal, IMO. Their batteries are competitively priced.

[zcaveman]

Why make this so complicated?

I went to Hilton Automotive on US 441 just north of RT 42 on the south bound side of the hwy. First, I had AAA come out and get the car running and drove it down and left it running when I went into the office. They took it in and checked out the system and replaced the battery.

I am pretty sure that the Tire Choice place up near the Wal-mart in Buffalo Ridge could take care of it also.

With all of the potential problems of doing it myself these days (see above posts), it is the easiest and best thing to do.

Things were so simple in the old days.

Z

[RichieB]

Originally Posted by zcaveman

Things were so simple in the old days.

Z

you've got that right, z !

gone are the days of the backyard mechanic

[old moe]

wallmarts will check it for you and will install new one if needed.