Some simple questions... How big a battery do I need? Is more cranking amps necessarily better? Will it last longer than a more modest one? What causes a battery to go bad??? How do I determine the useful life that is left in the battery that I have? As long as it cranks the motor? All the auto parts stores have those test machines, but the guys operating them don't know beans about what the machine is telling them. And it always seems to read, "You need a new one...." Conventional or maintenance free? Does it really make a difference? Those snazzy looking Optima high-tech numbers? Good only if I want to mount the battery in an upside down position? What is it that they do that a conventional battery can't? In addition to the percentage charge, what else will the specific gravity of the battery tell me? Or is that it? Is there any way to keep a cell from going bad in a battery, just through normal use? Thanks, guys. I realize that I don't really know much about lead acid wet cells. And any suggestions on websites or books that are helpful reading would be much appreciated as well.
Most car batteries go bad from a short circuit in one of the cells. Whether it is from vibration, poor quality construction or just the p***age of time makes up the durability issue. The seperator in the battery cells keeps the plates apart and if the seperator breaks, corrodes, or slips the battery is doomed. Batteries are not made as well as they used to be. If you can read specific gravity it can tell you more with greater accuracy battery condition. Not only charge but if cell is good or not. That stupid load test at Autozone is worthless, especialyy if you are bringing a battery back under warranty. Your old battery was no good - but the new one is good and the problem is with your car - yeah right. Big high compression engine - big battery. Honda Civic - puny battery. Most batteries nowdays are made by only two companies, Exide and Johnson Controls. So most brands are just the same batteries labeled as Champion, Delco, or Wal-Mart. Johnson Controls - big military-industrial contractor and dedicated to outsourcing. Closed all their US factories and moved battery production to Mexico. SO that means Wal-Mart batteries are made by.....Johnson Controls in Mexico.
My battery policies are pretty simple. 1. If I don't keep it charged, I expect it to die young. 2. I buy the cheapest battery that will do the job, and replace it after 5 years whether it needs it or not.
They're all the same??? Made in Mexico??? That guy at the brand name parts store wasn't really doing me a favor??? Buy somethin' cheap and just replace it after 5 years??? Sheesh, I gotta stop reading the HAMB...you guys are destroying my faith in the world. Good stuff here. I didn't know....
I always chuck my batteries after 4-5 years or at the first sign of trouble with them. Cheap, cheap insurance! Years back, batteries were sized by group numbers, like 22, 24 and 27. 27 was the biggest and most powerful used in luxury cars with power everything. I generally get the biggest one I can fit in the tray. Bob
Getting 4-5 years out of any battery is more than getting your money's worth. Extreme weather is very hard on batteries, especially heat. Batteries are still sized by group #. Sealed liquid acid type batteries are something to stay away from as it is not possible to check the state of charge. A hydrometer will tell you the state of charge by telling you the percent of acid/water, a load test will test will tell you if a fully charged battery is good. So, when you take your undercharged battery to AutoZone and they hook it up to their worthless little maching it's results are questionable if the state of charge is unknown. It takes some time to fully charge a battery, several hours at a low charge rate. Hooking a dead battery up to a 10 amp charger for a couple of hours may get it to start a vehicle, but it is far better to use 2 amps for 12-24 hours. Lead acid batteries don't like being fully discharged. A battery with a dead cell is junk. Even though there are few battery mfgs. that make all the various batteries sold by whoever, they make different grades of batteries. So, don't think that $39 "Neverstart" battery you get a Autozone is the same as the $90 Interstate battery you get elsewhere.
yes they are..have been installing them in customer cars for awhile now and have had great service. I am using an AGM battery in mine.
East Penn is made in USA as far as I know. Optima use to be, I have had a US made optima in my mustang since 2000, and so far so great! I've read that since they've moved their quality has gone to pot... I've got no real way to confirm this. I have just purchased an interstate battery for my truck to replace the interstate battery that came in my truck when I purchased it in 2001. I figure that since this battery can last through the ND winters for nearly 10 years in my daily driver, that it's a pretty darn good battery so I bought the same one. When it's cold, it a true test of your charging/starting/battery. I don't buy cheap electrical stuff because of this.
Most of the price differences is due to marketing costs.... Even Walmart batteries are up to $47 for the cheap ones.
sulfation between the plates causes the resistance of each cell to rise. The only way to measure it is with a micro ohm meter or using a cell corder that puts a small amount of current through the battery and measures the resistance in the entire jar, and you need a base line reading when the battery is new so it can be trended over time to see if the resistance is going up. Maintenance free batteries still vent and since you can't replace the fluid in most of them they will dry out over time. Putting a volt meter across the battery while cranking the engine will give you an idea of the capacity of the battery. I am not sure how battery testers work at the auto store but I would imagine that they are putting a load on the battery and measuring the voltage drop to make a decision if it is bad or not. If it is going bad the voltage will drop significantly while under a load like cranking a starter. Sometimes a battery can be what they call equalized which means it is being charged at a higher volts per cell rate and it will sometimes break down some of the sulfation, and get a longer life out of it. Temperature makes a difference, heat kills a battery and cold reduces the capacity. Most batteries are lucky to last 5 years. Optimum battery temp is 77 degrees plus or minus 3. Probably more than you cared to know.
Thing is we have been an Interstate dealer for 12 years. Last year we had countless Interstate batteries that failed in a year or less. Walmart and Sams club sell interstate..BUT our dealer would not warranty them...Quality differant..i dunno.. You would have to return to Wally world. There can be a good markup to them..especially thru small repair shops. Almost all batts are maybe elsewhere......pretty sad when you think about it.
Moter, we are seeing this same warranty issue in other places. Most people don't realize that when you buy a drill, for example, from Lowe's or Home Depot, that drill was made to their specifications. Customers can't understand why the local electrical equipment dealer isn't as cheap as the big box stores. The answer is that he is selling a better product that is more rugged and durable, but it looks the same, only at a higher price. There's no free lunch, you get what you pay for, and that seems more and more the case with batteries, too. But the message that I am getting here is that no more difference than there is between brands and as cheap as you can find them at various outlets, buy a reasonable battery and after 5 years or so, toss it and just go get another one. I hate to give in to that way of thinking, but I don't really see many good alternatives. And as long as it cranks your car, forget about fussing too much over it. Is that summary pretty close to what the brain trust is saying?
I don't have a lot to add, but a far as battery size goes i've always thought you want a minimum of 2 cranking amps per cubic inch.... Chevy 350cid = 700ca battery...
Has anybody had any luck with the Odyessy line of batteries? The size is what has me interested in them.
I put an Optima in 56Nobrakes '29 coupe. The battery is in the trunk and there is about twelve feet of positive battery cable to the starter. Ground is through the frame. The engine is still a high compression 409 Chev. I think the battery is about 700 CCA, the battery cable is 0 size. That all being stated, the engine spins over quite nicely and we've driven it some without even a charging system yet. I am more than impressed with that Optima especially since I got it free from a relative after a local water company tossed it because it was too old. Additionally, it has been sitting around in the garage for about 4 years waiting for us to finish building the car. I charged it a couple times to top it off. Also, I buy Interstate batteries for most of "fleet" that my Pop and I own. They have always performed well. My two cents... Joe
I would also add that in addition to the battery I have found what you use to charge it with can make a big difference as well. I am getting better battery life using one of the new generation electronic chargers that has settings for de-sulfide and will electronically switch between charging modes and once the battery is charged it switches to a float mode. The damn things are expensive and most of the technology comes from Sweden but they work (at least for me). I was getting one year to 18 months service life from the batteries in my lawn tractor but after switching from a "battery tender" to the new gen electronic charger I will start my third year on the same battery soon. Scott...
Thats a nice charger tudor, one that will switch from equalize to float will definately make your batteries last longer.
1. optima is owned by johnson control... they were bought out in 04... 2. you will not hurt the car/starting system with to much ca's but will hurt it with not enough... 3. in theroy you only need about 100 ca's per liter to start "most" engines... 4. not all parts store employees are idiots...
I don't think you're really too far off base with that advice. We sell batteries where I work and a few years ago and I decided to weigh a few just out of curiosity. I weighed three of the same type battery of each warranty coverage, like 50, 60 and 70 months. They were all the same battery group size, like 75 series. For each increase in warranty period, there was an increase in CCA and an increase of something like 2 or 3 pounds in weight. Not surprising really. More lead plate surface area, more amperage capacity. As far as pricing, keep in mind that you're also paying some amount for the warranty coverage whether you use it or not. If you replacing a battery in a car that you don't plan on keeping more than two or three more years it's probably not worth buying something with a 6 or 7 year warranty. Is it just me, or do newer batteries seem to fail with less warning than they did 10 or 20 years ago? I've had cars in the past that might give you a few days or a week of sluggish cranking as a bit of a warning that they were on their way out. More recently it seems that one day they're cranking over as well as they ever did and the next morning they just **** out and leave you stranded.
So, let me ask this...I have a trickle charge battery tender. Is there ANY downside to just keeping it hooked up to a battery all the time? Right now it is attached to the battery of the emergency generator that I use for my house and garage. Will it in any way shorten the life of the battery? Possibly prolong the life? Dunno.
I'm wondering about the Odyessy brand batteries also, specifically the PC680 model. Has anyone had real life experience with one? Good or bad? Thanks!
I use the Deltran Battery Tenders on the cars, bikes and the lawn tractor. Replaced the original Harley AGM battery in my 02 FLHTPI last year because it was just getting too old for me to trust it. But seven riding seasons was not too bad IMO. And when I bought the lawn tractor at Sears in 04 the salesman told me that I should plan on replacing the battery every two years. That one lasted until mid summer 08.
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