On the top of the stock battery (03 MC), there is a sight glass that will let you determine the condition of the battery. If it is green, the battery is good, it it is black, the battery is questionable, if it is yellow, call AAA.

My battery died in grand fashion. I went to leave a resturaunt, the windows went down with the remote, but when I went to start the car, everything went black. No clicking, no nothing. The battery was toast (4 years old and almost 80,000 miles). We could not get the car to jump start. The battery was gone. I even had the battery load tested and the machine said the battery was a dead.

When I yanked the battery out of the car, I looked at the sight glass, and is was green as if it were mocking me

The question is, is the sight glass on the battery a real indicator of its condition?

 

I *thought* that the sight glass just showed the level of elctrolyte... but I maybe wrong...

 

In theory that little indicator should give you a good indication about the current state of the battery. In practice it doesn't seem to be anywhere near useful.

 

Actually, that sight glass only tells if that 1 cell is good. It may be green and another cell(s) might be bad.

 

My dead battery currently sitting in the garage has a nice green indicator as well. The indicator only shows the condition of the cell it sits over. Ordinarily, this is fine, since all the cells generally follow one another as conditions change. The battery I have has a dead cell other than the one with the indicator (there are six cells total). Yours is behaving the same.

 

The cell could be good, but the post could have lost connection.

 

Except they gave me a $10.00 credit for my old one at the Advance Auto store so I left in with them.

Exactly, Volt meter reading indicated 12.5 volts but load test showed other cell or cells had failed there was no indication the battery was failing I was able to bump start it and get home.

 

Just a comment, I've had two batteries die so far in the 5 years I've had my MCS. Both times what you describe is exactly how mine acted and both were toast. The next time this happens I will not try other things first, but will go directly to get a new one.

 

What is the average lifetime on the stock battery? Or is it kind of a hit and miss as to when you should change it out?

 

It's pretty hit and miss. Mine lasted 4 years in Florida heat.

 

Mine just went yesterday and still shows green. I'm not sure exactly what happens internally, but it imploded. When you turn the key the dash lights go on and off and the guage needles go up and down. Kind of like it's flip flopping on the +/-. We've just been through (still ongoing) 3 weeks of 100+ degree temps. maxing at 109 the other day. But the battery is 4 yrs old,so...

 

+1

I've experienced that before with another car.

 

5 years and 50,000 miles, the OEM battery is still cranking. Having said that, I'll probably need a new one tomorrow.

 

One indicator I've experienced was a buzzing tach (or was it the speedo) needle right after startup. I've heard other people have had this symptom as well. Mine did it for about a month before the battery died in grand fashion.