Replacing Battery Without 12 Volt Backup Supply
 

Would there be any problems replacing the battery in a late model Camry without using a 12 volt backup supply?

There is nothing manually set up in the car other than the clock and a few radio stations.

Thanks for any information.

Engine may not idle normally for a time.

Trans may not shift the same for a time.

Make sure the ign key is not on. CD's removed. Alarm off.

Sometimes the navigation system screen can display an error code or require inserting the start up disk.

Thanks very much for the help!

It looks as though there are a number of different considerations. My car does not have navigation so that would not be an issue. I should probably think about having the battery replaced professionally to avoid any problems.

There is no guaranty a professional will use a batter tender when changing the battery.

The navigation is the worst of the issues.

The other issues such as engine and trans will work themselves out as the computer relearns what is normal for your driving.

If the alarm goes off, reset per the manual.

There are low cost memory protectors, see link below:

Thanks once again for the help. That's good to know that low cost 12 volt backup devices are available.

I have some good news on the specific gravity readings and may no longer need to replace the battery. After many days on my Black & Decker BC2WBD Charger/Maintainer, the specific gravity has slowly risen to the fully charged range of 1.270-1.275. I hope that means that the recent deep discharge did not damage the battery.

The alternator voltage does not seem to stay above 14 volts for long so I will need to keep an eye on things. Battery charge current is apparently quite low after the voltage drops to 13.8 volts or less.

Car batteries don't like to be fully discharged but can fully recover. Don't allow this to happen to often as they are not designed for this type of operation. The older the battery, the more issues in doing this.

Your alt voltages and battery specific gravity are OK.

Typically if someone has a dead battery due to a KNOWN cause such as headlights left on. The battery is jumped and then the car normally driven long enough to charge the battery.

When a battery dies of "old age". They may show this by losing charge overnight or after a few hours of sitting. It is possible to jump the battery and drive home or to an outlet to replace it. The alternator powering the cars systems.

Thanks once again for all the help. My battery problem appears to have been the cumulative effect of driving the car only once per week, taking fairly short trips, and the parasitic current drain on the battery. The car then went two weeks without being driven and would not start.

Here is my concern. If I start the car cold, the alternator voltage will rise above 14 volts for a short time which is expected. I believe that is done to replace the charge lost in starting.

If I drive five miles and restart the engine while still warm, the alternator voltage remains under 14 volts. I don't believe a battery accepts much charge current at alternator voltages below about 13.8 volts. This makes me wonder if the alternator and voltage regulator are working as expected.

I've read that cars today try to minimize alternator load to increase fuel economy. As a result, batteries may not be charged as much as in the past. Many cars today have smart charging systems with some ECU control of the alternator although I don't believe that applies to my 2016 Camry.

How long are these short drives?

Check charge with specific gravity. Adjust for temp. +0.004 for each 10F above 80F. -0.004 for each 10F below 80F.

Check each cell. Should be within 0.025 of each other.

The battery appears to be in excellent shape with specific gravity readings of 1.280 to 1.285 across all cells. Those readings were taken after my Black & Decker Battery Maintainer recharged the battery. My typical weekly short trip is about 4 miles with the car parked for 1.5 hours followed by a return trip of 3 miles.

Personally, I think the 2016 Camry Alternator may not be keeping up with my infrequent short trips. Cars today seem to be reducing alternator load to improve fuel economy. You might find this link on the Honda Dual Mode Charging System quite interesting. The voltage in the low output mode is in the 12 volt range.

http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/cgi/view...text=auto_pres

I assume an open diode would result in radio noise or other symptoms. My trunk light does indeed shut off. One unknown is the parasitic current drain which hopefully is under 25 ma.

Yes, interesting system from Honda.

A concern is "grandma" only driving the car to church once a week. Then having a host of grandma's complaining to the dealer their battery is dying. The literature states the low output occurs if the load is below 15A.

Did not think Camry had the dual mode system.

What kind of driving is the 3 to 4 miles? What electrical system items are on?

Any Check Battery Charging alerts?

Read the link below about checking fuse resistance.

VIDEO: Thimbal And Planar Oxygen Sensors

An open diode causes low amp output.

Given the car is still under warranty. Consider taking it in and ask the dealer to test the system.

A dead battery (now jumped) in good condition along good alt.
Should be able to restart the engine after 5 minutes of engine operation.

Given you specific gravity and charging voltages are OK, not sure there is anything wrong.