Dead battery
By GREG ZYLA

Q: Greg, I have a battery that is only one year old, and it's already dead. I live in Florida, so it never gets really cold, and always made sure it was fully charged. I did receive another battery because it had a full 12month warranty, but why did it go dead so quickly? - Patricia L.

A: Patricia, I've discussed these dead "new" batteries many times with independent garage mechanics and my friends at Meineke, and we all agree that there two specific reasons your battery is going dead sooner than expected.

The first is excessive heat. It seems excessive heat, not excessive cold, is a main culprit. Heat causes battery fluid to evaporate, thus damaging the internal structure of the battery. Given your high temperatures in Florida, I'd say heat has contributed to your battery failure.

The second culprit is overcharging, which can occur two ways. The first is a bad component in the charging system, usually the voltage regulator. This faulty regulator will allow too high a charging rate, which is a certain death for a good battery. Secondly, if you are charging your battery manually when you park it at night, you could be overcharging and not know it.

Readers in colder climates can experience battery "sickness" in summer heat that surfaces in the dead of winter when a battery's output is diminished because of sluggish electrochemical action that gives the battery its power. Also, colder temperatures increase engine oil thickness, making the battery work harder to turn over the engine. (Synthetic oil helps greatly in this situation).

In ending, I recommend always purchasing a good quality battery that carries that all-important guarantee. It's saved you lots of money already.

Write to Greg Zyla in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL32853-6475, or send an e-mail to letters.kfws@hearstsc.com.

(c) 2006 King Features Synd., Inc.