Got an oil change done and one of the recommendation from the Toyota dealership was to replace the 12v battery as it failed load test. came home and ran the basic test and result below: Shows 12.2 on start-up Shows 11.3 when headlight is turn ON Shows 14.2 when engine kicks-in Is it time for the 12v battery to be replaced? Also, need your help on two things: trying to figure out the battery date(pls see photo) - Says 01 11 18W If it's 2018 - then likely got like 7 yrs from the battery? There is a wire that's just hanging out - does this need to be plugged in? I tried to plug into the white plastic slot but it maybe broken. Appreciate your help!
What is “basic test”? Some self-test in the car’s dash? Do you have a digital multimeter? Try testing voltage with the car off, first thing in morning.
Correct - using the car dash ( press the power once - press and hold INFO and turn the headlights 3x to get into the diagnostic menu) I can check with multimeter and post it in the morning.
Before checking any voltage you need to do a full charge which will take a minimum of 18 to 20 hours if the battery is near fully discharged. Then check the voltage two hours after removing the charger. You want to see 12.8 to 13.2 V. Then put a load on the battery and see what it voltage it drops to and whether it can hold that voltage for 10 to 15 minutes. If the voltage drops and keeps going past 10 V your battery needs replacing.
Yes, the battery is from 2018. There is a temperature sensor on top. The white slot is used to attach the sensor connector.
Voltage checks are better than nothing. Still, if you want a better assessment there's a fairly recent generation of electronic load testers on the market, with typical pro-sumer levels costing $50~100 USD. I'm using a venerable Solar BA5, current iteration being BA9. Autel and Topdon are also popular. Typically, you enter a few stats about your battery, activate the test, it shows the as-tested CCA, and might give a verdict on the battery's condition as well. With my BA5 the verdicts are "good", "good but needs charging", and "fail". The dealership likely tested your old battery with a tester of this ilk, and could do the same for your new battery, to either allay your concerns or check whether or not they've installed a dud.
Caveat - only use this sort of tester right on the battery. Testing at the jump point is more convenient but gives incorrect results. Another option is to take the battery out of the car and bring it to an auto parts store and they can test it. Best if it is fully charged before doing this, otherwise they can usually charge it on site, but that will take a while. The testers I have observed in the parts stores are different than the little ones discussed here. These are of substantial size and weight, although it can still be held in one hand, and can put more of a sustained load on the battery. It isn't like one of the old fashioned battery testers that is big and heavy and wheeled around though. These part store testers appear to have active (fan) cooling of the resistive element, so it can apply a load for many seconds, but not for minutes. Example of a little electronic one: 12V Digital Battery and System Tester Example of a parts store tester: https://www.autometer.com/bva-260-professional-grade-intelligent-hand-held-electrical-system-analyzer-for-6v-12-applications.html (you can see what they are using at some points in the video) Example of a heavy duty load tester: Associated Equipment 500 Amp Carbon Pile Load and System Tester, Model 6042 | Remy Battery
