JohnAJohnson
Cleared for Takeoff
I installed a Concorde in my 177B (Lycoming O-360) three years ago and for the last month or so, it has turned the engine over slowly. Today it almost stranded me, but after resting it for an hour, it barely turned the engine over, but it started.
Back home, on the bench...
The battery shows fully charged, at 13.2 VDC across the terminals. Swapped it with my friend... It wouldn't spin his IO-360 either, but his battery (also an RG-35AXC) spun my engine fine. So I put my battery on a charger, and it proceeded to tell me it was completely charged. I tried two other chargers and neither would charge it because they saw it as completely charged. I put on a manual charger and shot it with 6 Amps for four hours (at 16.5 VDC). It still had no capacity and wouldn't turn over my truck or airplane engine. By the way, the voltage drops to 5 VDC (at the terminals) while cranking.
When flying, my Plane Power Alternator and Zeftronics Regulator crank out an honest 13.8 VDC. And when hangared, my BatteryMinder 12248-AA-S2 Battery Charger/Maintainer is always connected.
I bought the best battery I could find, ensured my plane had the best alternator and regulator available, and when not flying, kept it on the best charger/maintainer that I could find, and this $300 battery lasted only 3 years. I am more than disappointed and am looking for suggestions or ideas on how I can do better, or if any of my actions have caused the early failure. BTW, the bolts were not over torqued during installation - no cracks, no leaks.
Back home, on the bench...
The battery shows fully charged, at 13.2 VDC across the terminals. Swapped it with my friend... It wouldn't spin his IO-360 either, but his battery (also an RG-35AXC) spun my engine fine. So I put my battery on a charger, and it proceeded to tell me it was completely charged. I tried two other chargers and neither would charge it because they saw it as completely charged. I put on a manual charger and shot it with 6 Amps for four hours (at 16.5 VDC). It still had no capacity and wouldn't turn over my truck or airplane engine. By the way, the voltage drops to 5 VDC (at the terminals) while cranking.
When flying, my Plane Power Alternator and Zeftronics Regulator crank out an honest 13.8 VDC. And when hangared, my BatteryMinder 12248-AA-S2 Battery Charger/Maintainer is always connected.
I bought the best battery I could find, ensured my plane had the best alternator and regulator available, and when not flying, kept it on the best charger/maintainer that I could find, and this $300 battery lasted only 3 years. I am more than disappointed and am looking for suggestions or ideas on how I can do better, or if any of my actions have caused the early failure. BTW, the bolts were not over torqued during installation - no cracks, no leaks.