Why Do Batteries Suck So Much And When Is It Going To Stop?

You're right, Larry. Why, just look at this breakthrough in batter technology!

What kinda beer have you got on hand? :)

dave

Just barely.

I have, however, owned two Geo Metros. Very reliable little car, very high mileage. My first long trip in one (4 spd. manual, 3 cyl.) netted 52 mpg, Detroit to Minneapolis ... mostly at speeds clearly not posted. City mileage was about 37 mpg.

It's a good car. Easy to maintain. Needs to come back.

... snip

Isn't that two AA's side by side? :-)

On 7 Sep 2005 16:02:02 -0700, "Dhakala" scribbled:

Cool. No more need for the pee bucket or the walks to the compost bin. Just recharge the batteries. Luigi Replace "nonet" with "yukonomics" for real email address

On 7 Sep 2005 16:02:02 -0700, the blithe spirit "Dhakala" clearly indicated:

Alas, poor Uric. I knew him, Horatio.

I'll keep one of those saliva phones in my glove box for emergencies.

------------------------------------------------------------- give me The Luxuries Of Life *

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Worse than Caddy's HT4100 aluminum block abomination? You know, the "let's leak coolant into the oil" engine?

And, how exactly do they fare in crash tests? If I'm dead, good mileage didn't help me much.

The 4100 was another POS that leaked coolant into the oil because of the ridiculously long intake manifold bolts that were underneath the valve covers. Almost no one bothered to retorque them and hence the leaks. I'd find many of the bolts so loose upon disassembly that I could remove them with my fingers.

Dave

Hm, I was told it was an o-ring leaking between the steel sleeves and the aluminum block. Or, do those bolts allow that leak? Mind, I'm not saying there aren't more than one problem with the engine. My folks got bit by that one - GM's "fix" was to pour radiator stop-leak into the tank & hope for the best. Oddly enough, next winter, my dad had to buy a new heater core... and then the camshaft became, well, not all that cammy.

oil would leak past the manifold gasket, at the water passages, after the bolts had lost their torque.

They actually do decent in crash _tests_ like other small cars since they have such low weight they practically bounce off of the test wall. IN real world crashes they don't do so well.

Have to make sure SWMBO doesn't see this or she will get all teary-eyed! We sold ours a few years ago with 235k miles on it. And we did so only after finally giving up on trying to find a rational reason to sell it, and just admitting we wanted a change. It was probably the best vehicle we have owned, and was running great and looking pretty darned good too when we sold it.

nope. it's one AA cut in half. lengthwise.

break open a 9v battery. a true battery, i.e., made up of multiuple cells. The cells happen to be AAAA size.

-j

Googling "aaaa cell" found

According to the Battery Store Site, AAAA capacity is 625 mAh, the same as for a 9V. So it takes six 1.5V cells to make 9V, but the total capacity is not 6 times AAAA capacity.

Steve

Well, it's been years, but I read something (either a circuit or a repair for a device with an AAAA battery) that told me to tear open a 9V to get some AAAA batteries. I didn't need the AAAAs but, being the curious type, tore one open anyway. It was, in fact, 6 itty bitty cells, just like a AA only smaller. They were in actual packaging, but with brown paper, no artwork.

I haven't broken one open in years, so things certainly may have changed since then.

-j