Battery Blues (Toyota Highlander)

 This 2011 Toyota Highlander turned on a lot of warning lights and eventually stalled with a no-start. The car was towed in with no key but unlocked. I went out there this morning (4 degrees windchill) and noticed there were no interior lights when I opened the door. I turned on the headlights. Nothing. A booster pack connected to the battery gave me some lights. I could at least put a charge on the battery so I removed the battery to bring it inside where its warmer for charging. I tested the battery and found a dead cell. Guess I'll be replacing instead of charging. At this point I have a new battery coming and the customer is supposed to bring the key by when he has the chance. I'm thinking that the bad battery isn't the entire problem because I think a good charging system would have kept it running and the battery would have been a starting issue. I'll get the battery installed, get a key and test from that point.

The new battery has arrived. Remember, check the state of charge and test the battery before installing. 

 Got the new battery ready for install. 

When I was connecting the battery cables I was seeing a LOT of spark. Some minor sparking is normal because some things will be powering on as the cable starts to contact the post but no this was not normal. There was a short in the electrical system. Since I already expected to see an alternator problem I disconnected the battery feed post at the alternator. 

With the alternator disconnected I was able to connect the battery and even start the car. There is an internal alternator short. Next up, replace the alternator. Watch for updates!

Kenny@ggauto.repair

Car Battery Information

When you buy a new car battery you probably expect that is fully charged, but it probably isn't. Most new batteries that come into my shop for install test about 90% charge. Yes, I always test new batteries before installing. It's rare but you can sometimes get a new battery that is already BAD. It is better to know that before you install it. Now a 90% charge should be fully capable of starting your car. So yes, you can put that new battery on and go. The thing to know is that your charging system wasn't designed to fully charge batteries. It was designed to maintain system voltage. You will shorten the life of both the battery and the alternator by not fully charging the new battery. Or let's look at it another way, you can increase the life of your battery and alternator by fully charging the new battery.  

I keep a few of the most common batteries on hand and I keep them tested and charged. The best way to charge a battery is slowly. The trouble with slowly is that if I'm testing an electrical system on a car and that car battery is discharged I don't want to have to slow charge it for hours before I can test the system. I can pull a good fully charged battery off the shelf if need be and get started sooner on system testing, while the original battery gets charged in the background. Every couple weeks the shelf batteries get an inductance test, a low amp full charge, a load test followed by another inductance test. If I do find the original car battery bad, I'm sometimes lucky enough to have a good replacement among these stock units. So while I do occasionally sell batteries, I'm not a parts store. I do full car repair and I have tested the full electrical system for current draw, charging and integrity of circuits. That isn't the same thing as selling a battery over the counter or even just installing one with no system testing. 

A few chargers to meet my needs:

 

This battery just arrived so I was doing the state of charge check and test. Happily surprised to see a full charge! 

 I also have a wireless version tester. Nice with it is you can hook the box up to the battery and be inside the car for more involved testing that requires starting or accelerating. Or you could just carry the control screen all over the shop and get some exercise while testing the battery. 

This one was my go to tester for many years. It got too expensive to keep it working. It won't shut off and will run the internal batteries down. I had that "repaired" twice. Finally just started taking the batteries out until I needed it as it still worked fine. Next was the selector wheel stopped working so I couldn't scroll menu items. Sigh... I retired it. 

Finally there are the load testers. 

But beyond me taking pictures of my testers, I really just wanted to point out that a new battery doesn't mean a fully charged battery and that a fully charged battery is what you need either to make the system stay trouble free longer or even to test and find out why it isn't trouble free right now. 

Kenny@ggauto.repair

 

2003-2007 Accord MT: Should You Use the Honda Fluid?

 I was looking through an old trade magazine and came across this, "One secret to Honda's smooth shifting manual transmission it its special transmission oil. Regular 10w-40 motor oil can be used to top-off; however, it lacks the friction modifiers and shifting may become stiff." I looked up the recommended fluid for a 2003 Honda DX 2.4 and the part is # 08798-9016 which was superceded in 2015 by 08798-9031. The newer fluid is backwards compatible. But is the statement true? I sent out a few queries and found there is some disagreement. Some techs have a favorite oil to use instead of the Honda fluid. Some use an alternative for no other reason than it has been working fine for them, no problems. I can understand that. I have to have the Honda MT fluid delivered next day. If you are in a hurry and haven't had any problem doing so, it would be understandable to use something else. But how do they really know there isn't a problem with that? I understand it doesn't say using another oil will destroy your transmission but it does translate to me that using the correct fluid that was designed for the car would be the best thing to do. I also found that techs specializing in Honda transmissions agree as well. 

Conclusion: True. Always use Honda MTF. Using motor oil can cause stiffer shifting because it does not contain the proper additives. 

The MT fluid change is scheduled for 120,000 miles at normal service. It should only take two quarts. Just under $85 for the job.  

Kenny@ggauto.repair

Disconnecting the High Voltage Battery on a Hybrid (video)

Excellent BMW M62TU Timing Chain Issue Explanation by Timm's BMW!

 

BMW N51/N52 Replacing Starter (Things You Should Know)

I'm going to use a particular BMW model here for reference purposes but the information should apply to any 2006-2013 model using the N51/N52 engines. I'll use the 2006 325xi. When you see a starter problem it sometimes isn't the starter. The starter bolts are torque to yield so are supposed to be replaced and not reused. They are also uncoated aluminum. If the starter has been replaced some aftermarket bolts are the wrong metal or coated. The coating can cause the starter to be poorly grounded. If you replace a starter on these, replace the bolts with aluminum uncoated bolts. 

The correct bolts are BMW Rein part 12410392577 and you should allow for the time to have the bolts shipped if you live in an area that has no readily available source nearby. The starter on this engine is under the intake manifold. Roughly a 3 hour job in the shop. 

To install the starter, tighten both bolts initially to 20Nm (roughly 15ft-lb), follow up with an additional 180 degree (1/2 turn) angle on the top (#1) bolt and an additional 90 degree (1/4 turn) angle on the bottom (#2) bolt. 

The parts will include a remanufactured starter, uncoated aluminum starter bolts and an intake manifold gasket set (seals). For reference, this job goes for just under $700 in shop. 

Kenny@ggauto.repair

The Myth of Old Cars Being Simpler (SEAT BELT INTERLOCK)

 

OBD II Modes: ($05) O2 Monitor Tests

 OBDII is a set of standards and practices used to fine tune emission programs across vehicle makes and models. OBDII Mode 1 is for requesting and displaying current emission related scan data. Mode 2 is for requesting Freeze Frame data. Mode 3 is for requesting emission related trouble codes. Mode 4 is for clearing emission related data in modules that store OBDII information.

Mode 5 is for O2 Monitor testing results. Mode 5 is usually only found in early OBDII systems. Later systems, that use CAN protocols store the same information in Mode 6 and don't use Mode 5. 

Kenny@ggauto.repair