battery tester
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,379
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From: midwest
battery tester
can anyone recommend a good battery tesster that is portable? i am looking for the ones that do load tests and/or whatever. price is not much of a concern as long as it does the job well or has some special features
Posting Legend
Joined: Sep 2001
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The battery load testers available at Harbor Freight and some similar stores do a good job. They are about $18. I like to use the 50A load models because I can load up my alternator also and see if it is charging good. The 100A models put too big a load on.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...temnumber=6317
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...temnumber=6317
Elder User
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Originally Posted by Torque1st
The battery load testers available at Harbor Freight and some similar stores do a good job. They are about $18. I like to use the 50A load models because I can load up my alternator also and see if it is charging good. The 100A models put too big a load on.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...temnumber=6317
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...temnumber=6317
Posting Legend
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 30,255
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The prices at the local HF store here are the same as in the catalog. They honor all catalog sale prices also.
A buddy of mine picked up two of the testers like I have for $1.50 each at a garage sale and gave me one. They are made by Milton but look just like the one at HF. I have used the heck out of mine over the years on my vehicles, friends, and neighbors. He has used his the same way. They are very handy to have around.
A buddy of mine picked up two of the testers like I have for $1.50 each at a garage sale and gave me one. They are made by Milton but look just like the one at HF. I have used the heck out of mine over the years on my vehicles, friends, and neighbors. He has used his the same way. They are very handy to have around.
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 7,157
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From: Central Kali
I made a load tester by putting a bunch of sealed beams in a barrel with a fan at the open bottom for cooling. Each lamp connects with a switch so I can vary the load. 
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Joined: Jun 2003
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just keep in mind,when you load test a battery you put a load on the battery 1/2 the cca's for 15 seconds and you should have approx 9.8 volts(depending on temp). so a battery with 800 cca's you have to pull a 400 amp load for 15 seconds.get a good carbon pile tester that can pull at least 500 amps.those electronic ones don't pull a mechanical load on the battery,I have had them say a battery was good but was bad.
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,379
Likes: 9
From: midwest
exactly like the one the autopart stores have. where can i get a carbon pile tester and are they more expensive? apparently, those electronics ones arent as full proof as i thought
Elder User
Joined: Oct 2004
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Ah... gotcha... how about this?
edit... link doesn't seem to work...
...go to www.northerntool.com and do a search on # 167386
edit... link doesn't seem to work...
...go to www.northerntool.com and do a search on # 167386
Last edited by Ian F; Nov 2, 2004 at 05:16 PM.
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2004
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Milton tester
I have had one of the Milton testers for about 15 years. It puts a fair load on the system, not 1/2 the CCA by any means but enough to get some idea of the battery condition. Just pay attention to the different rating scales on the voltmeter. I also read the meter conservatively. That is, if the reading is just barely in the "OK" area, I figure it down a bit. Using this criterion I have never had a battery test good that left me stranded. It is necessary to make sure the battery is fully charged before the test. A bad alternator will give a bad battery reading if it can't charge the battery completely.
Post Fiend
Joined: Oct 2004
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From: SpringHill,Fl
we use midtronic battery testers at work
they do a comprehensive battery,starting and charging system test
it has settings for in vehicle or out of vehicle batteries,top, side or jumper post connections. It checks the alternator at idle and at cruising rpms, with accessories on and off.I have found many times a standard tester would not identify alternator problems until the alternator quit working.
Since I started using the midtronics tester, I have only had one car comeback with a problem, and that was because I hurried through the repair and didn't properly clean the connections at the battery, Doh!
they do a comprehensive battery,starting and charging system test
it has settings for in vehicle or out of vehicle batteries,top, side or jumper post connections. It checks the alternator at idle and at cruising rpms, with accessories on and off.I have found many times a standard tester would not identify alternator problems until the alternator quit working.
Since I started using the midtronics tester, I have only had one car comeback with a problem, and that was because I hurried through the repair and didn't properly clean the connections at the battery, Doh!
Elder User
Joined: Apr 2001
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From: Glen Burnie Maryland
Hey "Somebody": Here's just what you're looking for at Harbor Freight.
500 AMP CARBON PILE LOAD TESTER
Tests 12 volt batteries, alternators, regulators and starters by putting a load on the system to stimulate working conditions.
Adjustable load from 0 to 500 amps
Color coded temperature compensation pass/fail chart
Color coded separate volt and amp meters
Heavy duty 4 gauge solid copper wire
Overall dimensions: 10-1/2'' W x 5'' D x 10-1/4'' H; Weight: 8.7 lbs.
ITEM 91129-0VGA
$59.99
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=91129
Print out the page and get the sale price at the store.
Larry
500 AMP CARBON PILE LOAD TESTER
Tests 12 volt batteries, alternators, regulators and starters by putting a load on the system to stimulate working conditions.
Adjustable load from 0 to 500 amps
Color coded temperature compensation pass/fail chart
Color coded separate volt and amp meters
Heavy duty 4 gauge solid copper wire
Overall dimensions: 10-1/2'' W x 5'' D x 10-1/4'' H; Weight: 8.7 lbs.
ITEM 91129-0VGA
$59.99
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=91129
Print out the page and get the sale price at the store.
Larry
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,379
Likes: 9
From: midwest
thanks for all the suggestions, but i am most interested in the one suggested by azbluewolf. i am pretty knowledgeable and for now i have been using my voltmeter with good success, but i think i would feel better and save alot of time by getting one of those testers at autozone. especially when i am not 100% sure about the battery: i have drive to autozone, sometimes remove the battery, and wait for a long time. the ones suggested by larry and ian would be good enough for me, but i might open my own shop in the future and think it would be quicker and more reliable for a tech to hook it up and let the computer do its majic and have it say either good or bad.