Quote:
Originally Posted by Daves55Sedan
You seem to assume the bottom plate is inches away from the bottom of the battery case. What if it is only 1/4 inch or less?
It was a hard right off the main drag and I was probably going 25-30mph. I did need to make a soft left coasting into a parking spot, but 30 seconds later, the sediment apparently settled enough to allow the engine to start right up again.
It did pass a load test and the battery would also start the car without fail. However, the engine died on a turn more than once, probably due to sediment bunching up opposite the direction of the turn, shorting out the battery. It is not possible to simulate the inertia experienced on a turn during a load test.
I checked all the battery connections including the battery to ignition switch connection the first time it happened. All battery cables, wiring and connections were clean, tight and in pristine condition.
I have not had any problem since replacing the battery and I have made the exact same turn at the grocery store parking lot several times since then many times. I have absolutely no doubt that the old battery was shorting out on turns.
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Okay, I need to learn to never say never, I guess. But in 40+ years as a mechanic plus growing up on a farm, I never saw this. It been awhile since I've seen the inside of a battery, but it seems like there used to be at least 1/2" or so space for sediment. Maybe some plates were loose. I've always assumed (yes,assumed) that battery sediment was semi-solid, like sludge in an oil pan and couldn't slosh around. Anyway, if a new battery fixed, the old one was kaput.