Technical Stupid Napa Battery

I agree 100% with this statement.

 

The Motorcraft batteries in my old 97 Powerstroke that I bought new went ten years, before my buddy that I sold the truck to replaced them, they were still working fine but he was a bit of a nervous Nellie

 

Back when GNB was making Motorcraft batteries they were really good, GNB was bought by Exide in 03 and soon after Motorcraft switched manufacturers to Johnson Controls(now Clarios) They haven't been the same since.

 

I have one of those Walmart batteries. Kept going dead every few days if I didn't drive. I had recharged it, but decided that was the last time I would do so, and tried to return it to Walmart with my receipt. They said they would have to perform their own test on it. I said "Why would I return it for an exchange if I wasn't having problems with it"? They tested it, said it was good and refused to replace it.
I also had an Interstate battery that I bought at CostCo and gave me problems after just 1 year. Returned it, and they just handed me a new one.
I use the "silver" Sharpie markers in my shop and find them to be very handy. Buy em by the box ......I mark the purchase date on the top of all my batteries now.

 

Well .. No, not really that's the point. High temperatures kill batteries way faster. Cold temperatures will most definitely expose a defective battery, but that isn't quite the same thing.

Deeply discharged or weak batteries will freeze and be ruined that is a concern.

 

I just turned in a Costco battery on the warranity,, it was one month old. It was sorta my fault, sorta. I had it in my almost drivable 54 Ford Country Squire, and I left the key on. The only circuit I have is the start circuit. But the next morning it wouldn't turn over so I grabbed the charger and the charger wouldn't charge. I metered the battery and it was 0 volts, 0. So it seems the new chargers wont charge from zero, they need a voltage to start, which is why the clips don't spark anymore. So back it went and got a new one with a mental note to turn off the key, or just add the full wiring,,,,,,,,,

 

go online and look for millenium (sp) light bulb it has been on for over 100 years

 

sorry centenial lightbulb

 

Yep, my fancy modern charger with the repair circuit, which has saved quite a few batteries, will not charge them when they are very low, but if I put an old reliable 6 or 10 amp box charger on it for a while and get a few volts showing, the geewhiz charger will then work and top it off. If I don't use my Genie manlift for a while and the batteries get down (48V, eight 6's) the onboard charger will not kick off. If I hook an old reliable to a paired couple and let it go for an hour, it's enough to get the onboard to take over

 

I did sorta try that, I put it on 'start' charge, the battery got a few volts, then put my box charger on charge, took all night but I got 12 volts, but when I hit the key, I got one crank then 8 volts with no amperage

 

I pick up discarded batteries from free piles etc. and about half the time they accept a charge and function in our daily driver cars for several years.
I rarely need to buy a new battery.

 

I was in battery fat city for awhile to. The auto parts store my pal worked at was supplied with new batteries by another company. People often bought new batteries then returned them when they quit because the charging system was really the problem. The auto parts store took them back no questions. So the core pallet always had newly returned batteries, and he let me swap with my moldy oldies.

Was a sad day when he moved..

 

I had an almost dead battery once....6 volt positive ground model A...we had gotten a real sudden cold snap. Anyways....I just grabbed the hand crank and fired her up. My date was very impressed.

 

Just because they guy has it next to the car with the hood open, doesn’t mean he discarded it. Just kidding. Damned tweakers around here will steal a metal garbage can lid.

 

I found what I left "on" that caused the battery to go dead.. You know the phone charger that you stick in a cigarette lighter receptacle? If it has an led light that acknowledges that the receptacle is hot and you forget its plugged in cause you can't see the light from the drivers seat.. So 5 months + light on = deadness.. My Bad..

 

Most older cars don't have the 'accessory' option on the ignition that would have prevented that happening. It is a good idea to have a battery disconnect 'kill switch' hidden somewhere. Comes in real handy when not using the vehicle frequently. Quick and easy. Handy also for anti-theft purposes, and in the case of emergencies and accidents.