Starter testing

Battery testing

Battery testing is one of the most important tests. Before the condition of battery is determined, starter and alternator tests can’t be performed correctly.

I used the following general testing procedure is listed below to test a Lucas 127MF battery with CCA rating of 410A:

1.         Visual inspection

2.         Check electrolytes level

3.         Check the state of charge of this battery by OCV or hydrometer testing

4.         Load test to determine whether this battery could hold at least 9.6V when large load is applied for about 15s.

Testing Result

Step 1	Visual inspection
Result	No corrosions, Oxidation, Physical damage of any form, Deformation is found. Terminals and plugs are clean and tight. Only thing need to mention is that this battery needs to be mounted.
Explanation	There is no sign of leaking, poor connection etc that will lead to poor battery performance. We need to fix any of these problems before further testing. If it can be fixed then battery is still serviceable otherwise needs to be replaced.
Pass/Fail	Passed

Step 2	Check Electrolytes level in each battery cell
Result	They are all at good level. Plates are all fully immerged s.
Explanation	If plates are not fully immerged, battery could not hold enough electricity. If electrolyte is level is low we need to refill the electrolyte before we do any further testing.
Pass/Fail	Passed

I removed the surface charge of this battery by disabled the ignition system and cranked engine about 15s. (Surface charge will give us a higher false reading than battery is actually holding). Then switch off the engine and carry out the following tests

Step 3	Open circuit voltage test (OCV)
Result	12.6 V (100% charged)
Explanation	This test show that this battery is fully charged, its state of charge is 100%. It is in good condition. Now we know this battery could hold 12.6V, we could now move on the load test. If state of charge of the battery is below 50% or 12.4V. Below 12.4V may indicate the battery is faulty or simply not fully charged. Need to be recharged and perform further testing.
Pass/Fail	Passed

Step 4	Hydrometer testing (advantage over OCV is we could determine the condition of each cell)
Result	Reading 1300 1300 1300 1300 1300 1300 Colour clear clear clear clear clear clear
Explanation	In realty, we can choose to use OCV or hydrometer testing. OCV seem to be more popular. Both of these test gives indication to battery’s state of charge. 1300 indicates that is battery is fully charge. The color of electrolyte may indicate a problem if it is not clear. There is no difference between cells. The maximum difference is allowed between cells is from 25 to 50. There is nothing wrong with this battery so far.
Pass/Fail	Passed

Step 5	Load test (205A load applied for 15s)
Result	This battery held stable 12.4V
Explanation	This battery is well above 9.6V mark. There is no problem with this battery. If it is below 9.4V is an indication of faulty battery.
Pass/Fail	Passed

In conclusion this battery is in a good condition and passed all tests.

l  Physically nothing wrong with it,

l  Electrolyte level is good in each cell

l  Able to hold a full charged voltage.

l  Capable to hold at least 12.4V under heavy load.