Auto Batteries

[1967ChevyRagtop]

And, well, chargers.

Ok, so I'm on my 3rd Advance battery in 9mos. They didn't even check the previous one, just gave me another.
Are there any more dependable batteries?
I've checked parasitic draw, etc.
I read a prior thread which seemed to suggest they are all only good for 36mos.
What ever happened to the DieHards on a frozen lake w/lights on?

Also, what is a good charger?
thanks,
bg

 

[ace10]

Are you in the desert? Arctic tundra?
What's the application?
Daily driver? Stored inside and never driven?

You want one that's cheap or one that will last?

 

[justsam]

Which Advance battery are you buying? I would go for their top tier AGM, especially if you are in a cold environment.Having said that it is difficult to imagine 3 failed batteries, even if flooded electrolyte type. You mentioned checking parasitic draw, how about the other side of the equation, the charging rate? Have you checked alternator output with real world load on it? Most batteries produced in the US are made by one of about 3 companies, and then private labeled for distribution. Johnson controls being the largest of the three.

 

[Showkey]

Most batteries produced in the US are made by one of about 3 companies, and then private labeled for distribution. Johnson controls being the largest of the three.

Not that it matters …….but………
Johnson Controls Power Solutions has sold off its automotive battery business to Brookfield Business Partners for $13.2 billion. That includes its more than 16,000 employees across 56 locations around the world. May 6, 2019

 

[dave*99]

I had a battery from Advance auto - it failed after a few months - or so I thought. They gave me a new one , no testing etc. That died in 2 days.

Well - it was not the battery. Someone tried to break into the car. Seems that they jammed a screwdriver into the drivers door keyhole (2014 Acura TSX) and destroyed the lock. I didn't notice this right away. I use the key fob. I did a bunch of parasitic draw testing and discovered there was a parasitic draw only when the car was unlocked. It went away when the car was locked.

My point..... Some parasitic draws only happen under certain conditions. This one was a B!tch to find.
YMMV

 

[unslow1]

I had a battery from Advance auto - it failed after a few months - or so I thought. They gave me a new one , no testing etc. That died in 2 days.

Well - it was not the battery. Someone tried to break into the car. Seems that they jammed a screwdriver into the drivers door keyhole (2014 Acura TSX) and destroyed the lock. I didn't notice this right away. I use the key fob. I did a bunch of parasitic draw testing and discovered there was a parasitic draw only when the car was unlocked. It went away when the car was locked.

My point..... Some parasitic draws only happen under certain conditions. This one was a B!tch to find.
YMMV

That what I was going to suggest. It must have a really weird problem. A bad battery that is fairly new happens but multiples I suspect something else is going on.

 

[Mr_fixit]

3rd battery in 3 months. look for another problem. You're not that unlucky.

 

[Doug]

I sold Interstate batteries for over 30 years. When a customer would come in with an alleged defective one I would only give him/her a new one after charging and load testing the one they brought in. I can count on one hand (maybe two) the times the battery was actually defective. More often than not the problem was something silly like the glove box light staying on or a poor connection in the alternator output path.

 

[finn]

On my wife’s Mustang GT convertible, it was the right rear sound system amp that wouldn’t shut off.

If the car sat for more than a few days the battery would be completely drained. Unplugged the amp and it was fine.

Ebay to the rescue for a new to her amp.

 

[unslow1]

My sister had a weird draw on her Explorer. There was enough of a draw to totally drain the battery overnight. It would happen randomly. Sometimes not for weeks and sometimes more than once in the same week. That was several months ago that I looked at it when I was visiting her. I looked at it a couple of nights to see if I could spot the dash, radio or some other lights coming on. She took it to a shop but I don't know if she ever got it fixed/figured out. She had put a switch on the battery and resorted to disconnecting the battery overnight.

 

[PWC Repair]

We have 7 full size batteries to maintain around here. Over the last 10 years or so all have been changed over to Duralast Gold from Autozone. Have had the best results with these ever since Walmart stopped the yellow case EverStart "Extreme".........those were GREAT batteries! The only one That's not a Duralast is the deep cycle in our camper, which is a Diehard.

 

[PoorUB]

My sister had a weird draw on her Explorer. There was enough of a draw to totally drain the battery overnight. It would happen randomly. Sometimes not for weeks and sometimes more than once in the same week. That was several months ago that I looked at it when I was visiting her. I looked at it a couple of nights to see if I could spot the dash, radio or some other lights coming on. She took it to a shop but I don't know if she ever got it fixed/figured out. She had put a switch on the battery and resorted to disconnecting the battery overnight.

I forget the years of Explorers, sometimes around 2010, but if they had the Microsoft sync they were a problem.
My buddy's wife had one and fought with Ford on it for a few months. The resorted to plugging it into a battery tender every night, then eventually traded it off. It is a known issue.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

I get 3-4yrs out of kirkland (costco) batteries which are made by interstate.

The warranty is 3yrs so i trade them in for a new one before the warranty is up and get another. Usually for just the price difference between what i paid 3yrs ago and the current price....

 

[IBEME]

Doubt that all 3 batteries were bad unless they were old stock and not fully charged.
What car are you putting them in? The 67 ragtop? If so voltage regulator?
I like my CTEK charger.

 

[Hot shot]

We have 7 full size batteries to maintain around here. Over the last 10 years or so all have been changed over to Duralast Gold from Autozone. Have had the best results with these ever since Walmart stopped the yellow case EverStart "Extreme".........those were GREAT batteries! The only one That's not a Duralast is the deep cycle in our camper, which is a Diehard.
Duralast gold have been good to me too
Current one 4 1/2 years in 2006 Ridgeline

 

[Doug]

I get 3-4yrs out of kirkland (costco) batteries which are made by interstate.

Interstate does not 'make' batteries. They are a marketing and distribution company only.

 

[James-W]

Some members here may laugh about this, but I have been using WalMart batteries for a long time now. I am not a big WalMart shopper, but for automotive batteries I will go there to buy them. They last as well, if not longer than other batteries I have purchased from auto parts stores, and they are less expensive.

 

[MarineScott]

Some members here may laugh about this, but I have been using WalMart batteries for a long time now. I am not a big WalMart shopper, but for automotive batteries I will go there to buy them. They last as well, if not longer than other batteries I have purchased from auto parts stores, and they are less expensive.

I too did research, and purchased a Walmart battery for my mother in law's car. She only puts 1000- 2000 miles / year on her car. I check terminals and fluid in all my batteries. Yes, you can check the level of your battery, if it has caps under the stickers. My batteries last an average of 8 years. If it has a parasitic draw, of course that would need to be addressed first.

 

[1967ChevyRagtop]

Doubt that all 3 batteries were bad unless they were old stock and not fully charged.
What car are you putting them in? The 67 ragtop? If so voltage regulator?
I like my CTEK charger.

It's an '03 Tundra. The Chevelle is converted to alternator.
But along regulator thoughts, I wonder if it's an alternator diode.
I'll look up CTEK. My current one is a Schumaker (-10SP)

 

[1967ChevyRagtop]

My sister had a weird draw on her Explorer. There was enough of a draw to totally drain the battery overnight. It would happen randomly. Sometimes not for weeks and sometimes more than once in the same week. That was several months ago that I looked at it when I was visiting her. I looked at it a couple of nights to see if I could spot the dash, radio or some other lights coming on. She took it to a shop but I don't know if she ever got it fixed/figured out. She had put a switch on the battery and resorted to disconnecting the battery overnight.

Well, a switch is kinda where I'm at, b/c it is so random regardless of temps,etc. Thought at one point it was bed lights so I still watch to see if they cut off.

 

[finn]

Some members here may laugh about this, but I have been using WalMart batteries for a long time now. I am not a big WalMart shopper, but for automotive batteries I will go there to buy them. They last as well, if not longer than other batteries I have purchased from auto parts stores, and they are less expensive.

I was pretty po’d because of the short life I was getting from Walmart batteries.

Then I looked at the date codes on the pile of dead Walmart batteries that had accumulated. They were all six to ten years old!

Seems like I had just bought them, but I guess time flies.

 

[theoldwizard1]

What ever happened to the DieHards on a frozen lake w/lights on?

Diehard was just a Sears brand that they slapped on some battery that met their specs.

The Diehard brand is now owned by East Penn. They also sell under the brand name Deka. They manufacture for many private labels.

Also, what is a good charger?
thanks,
bg

Many models, sold at many stores, Schumacher.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I've checked parasitic draw, etc.

No offense, but you need to re-do that test.

Also check the voltage at the battery terminals immediately after starting and 10 minutes later.

 

[TractorJeff]

Noticing you appear to be referring to 2 different vehicles?
You aren't specifying which one or both are eating the Batteries?
Then you question the Alternator Diode?

I have a Willy's Jeep sitting in the Shop that would discharge over 3 months or so time period. Looking it over closely, I see an Aftermarket One Wire Alternator was installed. I found that the parasitic draw was actually back through the Alternator. I opened this Unit up and saw many Mods that I have never seen before inside a Delco Alternator. I rebuilt it back to the way I typically see them and found the Jeep didn't spin fast enough even with an undersize Pulley as the Engine pulley is too small. I rebuilt it again to a 3 wire which turns on and stays on at lower rpms. Problem the Original Owner had is now solved!

Batteries? Around here, they typically come from Tractor Supply. Seem to have Good Luck with their Brand!

 

[Doug]

The regulators used to convert a Delco alternator to one wire should be installed with a resistor (made for the purpose) between the output stud and the regulator itself. This dramatically lowers the turn-on speed. I never had a problem doing it this way even on the slowest turning engines (usually farm tractors). It doesn't help with the draw, which is normally negligible if you don't let the vehicle sit for months at a time.

 

[IBEME]

I'd also check your grounds. A bad ground won't let your battery recharge. Trace the battery ground back to the frame.

 

[Bretny]

I have had prety good luck with exide batteries and cheap walmart batteries. The parts store ones only seam to last a few months past there warrenty.

I bought a yukon with a red top optimum battery and sold it 6yrs later with the same battery, but I hear things have changed with that brand. I also got 6yrs out of an Exide. I even had a walmart lawnmower battery last 10yrs, no spring jump start and no battery tender.

 

[PoorUB]

It has been a few years, but where I worked we had two pickups with the batteries fail within a few weeks of each other. Both pickups were bought at the same time, both had the original Delco batteries and they were 14 years old! The guys at the battery shop confirmed the dates from the batteries.

 

[csp]

There are what, three maybe four actual auto battery manufacturers in the US?

Many "brands" are the same battery with a different colored shell and stickers on them if you're comparing similar group and CCA's.

 

[T VETTE]

I only buy Interstate and never an issue going at least 4 years, sometimes 5.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

You could have an issue but I believe based on what I’ve seen you very well could of gotten many defective ones. I gave up on auto parts store batteries a long time ago besides Napa or Auto Zone batteries. But my preference is Interstate or Duracell as I’ve never had any of those fail within a short time. Today we replaced a Super Start battery from O’Reilly that was 8 months old the customer said I don’t even care about warranty because this is the second car I’ve had to put multiple batteries in within a short time so I want a good one. Put a Subaru OEM one in and hopefully they are good to go now. Don’t even get me started on Neverstart batteries that’s one automotive item I will not buy from Walmart. The only batteries I would use from a non auto parts store is Rural King batteries.

 

[Noltz]

I'd also check your grounds. A bad ground won't let your battery recharge. Trace the battery ground back to the frame.

Recently had a Nissan in that ran like absolute ****... some of the time. Bucking and chugging, not charging, backfiring. Shut it off, restart it 10 seconds later, smooth as hot butter and quick as a rabbit. By pure random luck we finally realized if I put a pry bar between the alternator case and the shock tower body while it was running rough it'd smooth out instantly. Alternator demand dropped from 100% to 60%, and yet system voltage went up. There's much more to the story but in the end it was just a bad ground on the drivers shock tower. Cleaned and replaced the bolt - done.

 

[jd_1138]

I only buy Interstate and never an issue going at least 4 years, sometimes 5.

That dude on YouTube, Scotty Kilmer, says to never buy an Interstate because the way they're sold is that the Interstate sales reps deliver a nice display rack with batteries to a mechanic, shop. etc. then let the shop pay for them only when one of the batteries actually sells. And then the Interstate sales rep will replace that battery.

According to Scotty that means all their batteries are old and already worn out by the time they're installed in your car. lol. That dude assumes a lot. I am sure their batteries are fine like you have experienced.

As for chargers, I bought one of these 2 months ago to bring a battery back to life in a car we rarely drive.

https://www.harborfreight.com/4-amp...ntrolled-battery-chargermaintainer-63350.html

It works nice. Red display color means it's working, and a green background means it's done. It's a 4 amp, so it's kinda slow, but that is probably a good thing. I am not sure how long it took, but it was at least 4 hours or so.

 

[unslow1]

Recently had a Nissan in that ran like absolute ****... some of the time. Bucking and chugging, not charging, backfiring. Shut it off, restart it 10 seconds later, smooth as hot butter and quick as a rabbit. By pure random luck we finally realized if I put a pry bar between the alternator case and the shock tower body while it was running rough it'd smooth out instantly. Alternator demand dropped from 100% to 60%, and yet system voltage went up. There's much more to the story but in the end it was just a bad ground on the drivers shock tower. Cleaned and replaced the bolt - done.

I've had that happen twice on Fords. Once a Mustang the other time a van.

 

[Doug]

That dude on YouTube, Scotty Kilmer, says to never buy an Interstate because the way they're sold is that the Interstate sales reps deliver a nice display rack with batteries to a mechanic, shop. etc. then let the shop pay for them only when one of the batteries actually sells. And then the Interstate sales rep will replace that battery.

According to Scotty that means all their batteries are old and already worn out by the time they're installed in your car. lol. That dude assumes a lot. I am sure their batteries are fine like you have experienced.

That is pure ********. I stocked over 80 batteries for years and my route driver would cycle out batteries that didn't move to a location where they would.

 

[theoldwizard1]

According to Scotty that means all their batteries are old and already worn out by the time they're installed in your car. lol. That dude assumes a lot. I am sure their batteries are fine like you have experienced.

Buy from a high volume dealer like Costco.

 

[Bretny]

Don’t even get me started on Neverstart batteries that’s one automotive item I will not buy from Walmart. The only batteries I would use from a non auto parts store is Rural King batteries.

I have two everstart lawnmower batteries in series in my 24v diesel generator. I believe there 4yrs old now and last winter I tested them preheating and starting the generator at 6*F. They worked well even though the generator calls for a battery with 2x the CCA. They where the upper end of lawnmower batteries. I believe about $45 each, lower end was about $25-30.

 

[dave*99]

That dude on YouTube, Scotty Kilmer, says to never buy an Interstate because the way they're sold is that the Interstate sales reps deliver a nice display rack with batteries to a mechanic, shop. etc. then let the shop pay for them only when one of the batteries actually sells. And then the Interstate sales rep will replace that battery.

According to Scotty that means all their batteries are old and already worn out by the time they're installed in your car. lol. That dude assumes a lot. I am sure their batteries are fine like you have experienced.

As for chargers, I bought one of these 2 months ago to bring a battery back to life in a car we rarely drive.

https://www.harborfreight.com/4-amp...ntrolled-battery-chargermaintainer-63350.html

It works nice. Red display color means it's working, and a green background means it's done. It's a 4 amp, so it's kinda slow, but that is probably a good thing. I am not sure how long it took, but it was at least 4 hours or so.

I have seen 1 year old batteries on the shelf in Walmart. The date stickers are very useful. I suspect there are a few battery sizes that are obscure, less in demand etc. so they sit.
I find the same thing with lawn tractor batteries - in the spring there are a few dusty ones laying around from last year and a batch of shiny new ones too.

 

[1967ChevyRagtop]

Well, truck was dead as a hammer after 22F overnight temps yesterday, but started today after it warmed to 40F.
This really seems to me to be a bad battery.
Gonna take batt back when snow melts.
I hate winter. Anything below 70F is hard winter to me.
bg

 

[bubinga]

Well, truck was dead as a hammer after 22F overnight temps yesterday, but started today after it warmed to 40F.
This really seems to me to be a bad battery.
Gonna take batt back when snow melts.
I hate winter. Anything below 70F is hard winter to me.
bg

I can't tolerate winter like I used to.