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Originally Posted by mikebai1990 Thanks for this thread, OP  I'll probably be replacing my batteries soon, and I had been looking for suitable/reliable brands
I have one question. We currently have an ACDelco battery in our Acura. Do you guys know if the battery "eye" is accurate? Supposedly if the battery's in good shape it's green, and if not it's black. Currently it looks to be black to me. Is this a definite that the battery should be replaced? Or should I take it to a nearby Autozone and have them check it? |
The eye is a hydrometer for that specific cell, and it should be accurate since it's just a few different colored balls that float depending on the specific gravity of the electrolyte.
If it is black, then chances are you should go ahead and replace the battery, but there are exceptions. Since the specific gravity of the battery's electrolyte correlates to the charge level, you either have a uncharged battery, a dead battery, or a dead cell (the one with the eye).
If by some odd chance your AC Delco battery has an eye and removable vent caps, you can pop the caps and hydrometer each cell. Otherwise, it's off to AutoZone or I'd recommend you go to a battery store since the help will be more knowledgeable. Have them do a load test to match your battery's CCA, then if they have the tools, do a computer check on the battery and also test your alternator.
(If you own a multimeter you can actually do some of this at home-- with your car turned off, put the multimeter's leads on each battery terminal and it should read at least 12.66V; anything lower is near-complete discharge. Turn on your car and then check the battery again with the multimeter. This time it should read anywhere between 13V to 16V; if it still shows whatever voltage when the car wasn't on, then you either have a dead alternator or an electrical problem.)