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Re: Why do you think that a 9000 kills a battery in 3 years Posted by sam96CS [Email] (#852) [Profile/Gallery] (more from sam96CS) on Fri, 7 Mar 2014 21:14:08 In Reply to: Why do you think that a 9000 kills a battery in 3 years, Bill Homer [Profile/Gallery] , Fri, 7 Mar 2014 18:49:25 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
It has been my experience also. Meanwhile my wife's 13 year old Mustang is on its second battery. (O Ford, why dost thou not make a Mustang GT with a roomy hatch?)
We can rule out ambient temperatures because if that was a problem for a 9000 then it would also be a problem for every other make in the same climate.
Three basic possibilities:
1. Saab 9000 batteries are subjected to higher than average stress while the car is being driven.
2. Saab 9000 batteries are subjected to higher than average stress while the car is parked.
3. Saab 9000 batteries are subjected to higher than average stress both while the car is being driven and while the car is parked.
I don't think that the 9000 drains the battery significantly more rapidly than other cars while parked to power the anti-theft and lock systems and to maintain memories in the ECU, ACC, radio presets, etc. I don't recall reading comments about that being a problem.
It is well known that heat and vibration are the top two killers of lead acid batteries. I believe that while driven my 9000 battery is exposed to a lot more heat and vibration than the battery in my wife's Mustang. That's just a gut feeling and I could be wrong. The battery compartment is very close to sources of both heat and vibration. I doubt that much air flows there, and I know there's nothing in the battery compartment to dampen vibration. Heat continues to be a problem for a while after the car is parked. It would be useful to be able to monitor the temperature of the battery's surface and more useful to be able to monitor its internal temperature.
If heat and vibration are indeed the problem then the solution would be either to relocate the battery or to add dampening and cooling. Or do what we all do - replace the battery every 3 years.
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