I just want to test my battery to see how many CCA it has how do i do it with a multimeter can it be done?

Err no......do a google on CCA.

Voltage is checked with a multimeter, to check how many amps a battery can supply you need carry out a load test on it , most batteries have the cca on the sticker or amps per hour.

Just take it in to an auto parts store and get them to check it. Most of them will be able to test it for you for free...and tell you your battery is stuffed to try and sell you a new one lol

yer it has the sticker says 440cca but i wanna test to see how much its putting out as i heard it can drop when the battery is stuffed. just wanted to test it with a multimeter or somthin guys.

does it really matter? does your car still start? even when cranking you wont draw anywhere near 440A so who cares?

Thats not the point i want to know how to measure it so i can test it on numerous cars ok.

Like i said earlier....google the definition of CCA. It's an industry standard test carried out at 0degF (-18degC) and it is the amount of current a battery can provide for 30sec without dropping below a certain voltage (usually 10.5v). A battery does not "put out" a certain amount of amps. Current is drawn from the battery as needed by whatever load is connected to it. Current drawn is limited by the capacity of the battery. In short, you cannot measure CCA. Firstly, the average multimeter will only measure up to 10A due to the size of the leads. Anything above that usually requires a clamp meter. Clamp meters that measure DC are more expensive than an AC meter. Secondly, you need to load the battery to test it. Because Amps = voltage/resistance, you need a load where resistance is as little as possible. i.e. close to a short circuit. Ever tried shorting a battery??

And like I said earlier, there is a device that measures CCA and most places that sell automotive batteries should have one. My local Autobarn did

Yes it may be a load tester, but it sure as hell wont test CCA. FFS i just explained that CCA is measured at -18degC......did Autobarn sell you a big ass freezer to perform the test in?

Ok fair enough just a thought mate. So what your saying is that if it was stuffed the battery will not be able to have the current drawn from itself therefore not being able to start a car. fair enough i understand that. Its funny the stuff people say when they dont know the answer QUOTE -does it really matter? does your car still start? even when cranking you wont draw anywhere near 440A so who cares?- thankz for that if i never asked i wouldnt know. But also what the hell do autobarn test on the battery to tell you its stuffed like this guy is telling me rev my engine then turn the lights on rev it again and stuff then tells me my battery is stuffed????

yeh monstaS4 is spot on, except Volts = amps x resistance if you want to test your battery there are a few ways, hydrometer is probably the best if the battery isnt maintenance free. Otherwise multimeter or as already stated load testing the battery is a good way to determine its condition

Quote: Originally Posted by HYBRID VL Ok fair enough just a thought mate. So what your saying is that if it was stuffed the battery will not be able to have the current drawn from itself therefore not being able to start a car. fair enough i understand that. Its funny the stuff people say when they dont know the answer QUOTE -does it really matter? does your car still start? even when cranking you wont draw anywhere near 440A so who cares?- thankz for that if i never asked i wouldnt know. But also what the hell do autobarn test on the battery to tell you its stuffed like this guy is telling me rev my engine then turn the lights on rev it again and stuff then tells me my battery is stuffed???? actually i do know how they test batteries for CCA (unsure of what they use for loading the battery but i know the rest), and its one big f*ck around, thats why i said who cares? and besides, batteries arent good or stuffed, they work, and over time they work less effieciently, until it is determined they dont work well enough, but there is not set number or figure for this, its just what you think of it in that situation. that said obviously manafacturers will have numbers for QA purposes, but its still not what your talking about

most semi ok battery testers will give you an estimate of battery cca rating, think they use capacitance or some crap to test them now. they are very good in my books, use one every day at work, beats the old days of the carbon pile rheostat and loading the battery up. (still good to identify the bad cells but) and its good because you can show the customer if its bad, and they tend to believe you because the lcd says replace battery. little do they realise you could enter a increased battery size initially, then even a good battery will be reported as bad, haha! that inox battery additive is very good as well at preventing sulphation and extending battery life, i added a bottle to my daily driver car battery, mainly as a test, not expecting big things because it was a few years old at the time, now a couple of years later still going strong, going to see how long it really lasts.

Quote: Originally Posted by SLY PSI yeh monstaS4 is spot on, except Volts = amps x resistance And if you transpose Volts = amps x resistance to find amps, you get amps = volts / resistance.....

Quote: Originally Posted by MonstaS4 And if you transpose Volts = amps x resistance to find amps, you get amps = volts / resistance..... yeh wasnt sure wat you meant by the dash but got ya now