Auto Batteries

[Showkey]

I think the problem with AGM's are they die suddenly and without warning.

That's what happened to me this summer

Very common with all battery types* in many situations.
Typical ……..No slow crank or other hints the battery weak or failing ……..good morning start, stop for fuel or an errand, come back to a no crank no start.

Good reason to carry a ( lithium) “jump pack” ……discussed many times prior in the GJ and other forums.


*Other note not all sealed batteries are AGM.
AGM very very common in newer power sports vehicles. ( motorcycles, ATV, snowmobiles)
AGM in new cars and trucks are fairly new……….currently more common today with “auto idle stop” mandates.

 

[Chumly]

Scotty Kilmer is a wackjob IMO. He's my vehicle information version of Alex Jones, but Alex is more correct than Scotty to put it in perspective. Just my opinion.

AGM are still just lead acid batteries so they're not "Better" really, they both die at the same rate given the same-for-same. It's lead acid with a glass mat holding stuff in coils instead of sloshing water around. I've got some Optima batteries that still work after 6 years and some that haven't...it's really luck of the draw I've basically concluded. Kirkland/Costco were preferred here and now they went full Interstate, whom probably made the Kirkland brand anyway.

I'm done with Duralast (Pretty much all, not just batteries) as all have failed prematurely over a pretty wide purchasing time frame, just to kinda rule out a bad run. SuperStart hasn't hurt me and got one still holding up in a sitting '06 Cherokee that hasn't started in 2 years, but I assume it's heading south by now.

Something motorcycle guys may remember talking about is that "bad run" thing. The weakest link in a battery is the strap going to the posts themselves. If either of those two thin piece of lead or metal coming from the many plates sitting in acid break the entire chain is done. We'd see a strong battery one day to entirely dead the next and our problem was the vibrations simply broke the chain. Just something to think about if you're seeing a run of bad batteries that are possibly made by the same manufacturer. I was chasing my own tail trying to get batteries to live for a season of riding until that old article came out.

 

[csp]

Kirkland/Costco were preferred here and now they went full Interstate, whom probably made the Kirkland brand anyway.

Johnson Controls makes Interstate and made the Kirkland brand. Same battery, different stickers when both were made.

 

[nadogail]

Lead Acid batteries don’t last as long as the Edison Batteries

 

[Showkey]

Johnson Controls makes Interstate and made the Kirkland brand. Same battery, different stickers when both were made.

That maybe true………..same battery is HUGE jump:

batteries made for private label are also built to price point, so the same factory, same battery case, different label………there are only a hand full of manufacturers but there are good better best made and sold by all.

can also mean different amount of plates, electrolyte, quality of materials used right down to the plates and plate separators………so the performance spec can also vary dramatically.

Weight is good indicator of what’s inside.

Compare battery manufactures to the contract beer brewing business…………competitor major beers brands being brewed in same locations with different ingredients and processes.

 

[ycgoat]

Everyone seems to have their preferred brand, but there are different technologies now too.
Heat is the enemy of all batteries, they will retain their maximum capacity the longest when stored around freezing.
If the car is not used much use a trickle charger to keep it charged.
Keep an eye on your voltage gauge.
checking the alternator is easy with a voltmeter. Battery voltage with car off should be a little over 12v, with car running you should see 14v or close too it.
Never add tap water to a battery that allows access, unless its just to get you to the auto parts store.

 

[csp]

That maybe true………..same battery is HUGE jump:

My reference was to the two batteries I mentioned in particular, per someone I know at Johnson Controls. The Interstate sold by Costco isn't necessarily the same Interstate sold elsewhere, comparing the same group size and/or CCA rating.

I'm aware of the economics of manufacturing to different specs.

 

[brianh]

Guess I am lucky I usually get at least 8 years out of a battery my wifes last car a 2003 echo bought new was at ten years when I replaced the battery, not because it was bad I just did not want it to leave her stranded figured the time was near. My 2008 tacoma got the same at ten years it was starting to go. We live in the middle of nowhere so most of our trips are 10 miles or more. Probably why they last so long.

 

[Chumly]

So it's basically the same snapshot of Wix vs Fram vs everyone else at any given time. That's why I brought up the old motorcycle battery deep dive about how, at the time, one piece was breaking ruining the entire pretty decent battery package. It's too many variables for filters, batteries, or ex's to figure out what is the over all best. Which one hurt you the least is the one that is the best for you.

Heh, I'd marry Amsoil but she's pretty pricey and doesn't like discounts at Walmart. She liked Snap-on, just not the available colors. So I dated around and found Kirkland/Interstate/and basically Johnson Controls to be the stable one for me. If I moved back to where weather occurs, they may leave me dead, on the spot

 

[hasco]

I Usually go with Advance,due to their discounts. I have had good service with them ,Now With the Die Hard Sticker on them No more discounts.

 

[Sumboodie]

So when are we going to see Lithium Car Batteries for gas powered vehicles?
Curious how big the Lithium battery would have to be to provide 600CCA.
I am sure a whole new charging system would need a smart module to regulate charge.
Probably way too expensive.

They exist for race cars. Had one in my Lotus. Weighed just a few pounds.

 

[Chumly]

Check the prices. They exist but the ones for the motorcycles are itty bitty and run $180 per. The common household won't buy a $300 battery to start up their daily driver because it's light. LiPO4 has it's faults too.

 

[Showkey]

Dropping a lithium in a vehicle as a replacement does have many issues………especially on the charging profile required on lithium.

Even AGM drop in place of conventional wet lead acid ………the charge profile is different.

 

[nadogail]

The battery is a, designed for the purpose, component of a vehicle electric system. Some variations in the design are well tolerated, but others will create problems. Changes in battery size can be made with usually very little problem; changes in Charge Profile may cause problems.

 

[dscheidt]

I've never gotten more than ~3 years out of the batteries in my Diesel F250. Not sure why I can't get more than that, but it hasn't mattered what brand.

diesels have always been hard on batteries, glow plugs take a substantial current, and then you have to turn the engine fast enough to compress the charge enough to go boom. that requires a battery in good nick, a battery that might just start a gas engine won't even turn over a diesel.

Modern disels are worse. one reason is that they run the glow plugs after start, for as much as several minutes, until the oil reaches a cut off temperature. glow plugs are designed to work at battery voltage (12.6 V, give or take.) If you put charging system voltage on them, they burn up. There are two obvious solutions to that problem. First is build some voltage regulation into the vehicle, so the glow plugs don't see more than 12.6 volts. That's expensive. So they don't do that. They don't turn the charging system on until the glow plugs are done cycling. That means after a cold start, you continue to need the battery for a few minutes.

 

[ycgoat]

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

The battery may be weak, and the colder it is, the harder it is to turn the cold engine requiring more power at 22* than at 40*, which is why failing batteries usually show themselves in winter when they have to work harder.

 

[Showkey]

The battery may be weak, and the colder it is, the harder it is to turn the cold engine requiring more power at 22* than at 40*, which is why failing batteries usually show themselves in winter when they have to work harder.

Agree accept the when failing shows………..far more batteries fail in hot climates and far more often with the average battery life in hot climates is less than 3 years. Cold climates the average is about 5 years.

How Hot Weather Affects Your Car Battery and What to Do About It - Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports explains how hot weather affects your car battery and shares tips for ensuring reliable starts in summer months.

www.consumerreports.org

Don’t like CR…..Google hot weather or hot climate battery failure or life for 50 more article complete with opinions and facts.