Battery test at Sams Club

[Donald]

I brought my 2001 Jeep Cherokee into Sams Club to have the battery tested. It has some white powder on the negative terminal which I have cleaned but some comes back and the "eye" is clear or darkish.

They used a Midtronics conductive tester in the parking lot and it kept saying check red terminal. He tried several times to get a better grip with the red terminal but to no avail. The guy found the correct wrench and took off and cleaned the red terminal and it said the same when he retried it. He then said he would have to use the tester in the bay and they were too busy to bring in the car.

The guy obviously did not really know what he was doing but how hard can it be to hook up the tester, and unsure how the tester can tell which wire is not attached properly.

The white powder on the black terminal is more around the bolt and nut rather than the post and connector.

I think the vehicle takes a group 34 battery and am not sure Sams Club even carries a group 34.

Its probably the original battey from the date codes I can see. It is a Jeep or Chrysler battery.

 

[SecondMonkey]

Originally Posted By: Donald
Its probably the original battey from the date codes I can see. It is a Jeep or Chrysler battery.

Time for a new one. Everything else is irrelivant, if it's that old, it should be changed.

 

[Donald]

I was looking at AAP and the size 34 with a better warranty (Duralast Gold) had a lot more CCA, which in my understanding means thinner plates and less lifespan.

 

[scoobie]

Measure the size of the battery tray and buy one as large as possible. I actually used a hack saw to the battery tray in my Dodge Colt - '95, with a 1.5l 4 cyl, so I could put in an oversize
battery 850CCA, 1000A at 32 F. I took the battery out of my E150 Econoline, which I'm scrapping. The battery is only 4 years old. But at that age, 7 years, the battery is just about pooched. I just replaced the battery in my 2000 Focus, but that car sometimes was not being used too much. In colder parts of the country, they say a battery will last UP TO
7 years. Get out the saw, and buy the hugest battery that will go in. My Colt really loves it!!!

 

[Donald]

In looking again (now with glasses), I think its a size 65 which is not a small battery.

 

[globey]

Originally Posted By: Donald
I was looking at AAP and the size 34 with a better warranty (Duralast Gold) had a lot more CCA, which in my understanding means thinner plates and less lifespan.


More CCA means less lifespan? So you should buy the cheapest battery out there because it will have the lowest CCA in that group. According to that logic, it should last the longest. Honestly, I don't think it's as easy as this.

Duralast Gold is Auto Zone, not AAP.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: globey
Originally Posted By: Donald
I was looking at AAP and the size 34 with a better warranty (Duralast Gold) had a lot more CCA, which in my understanding means thinner plates and less lifespan.


More CCA means less lifespan? So you should buy the cheapest battery out there because it will have the lowest CCA in that group. According to that logic, it should last the longest. Honestly, I don't think it's as easy as this.

Duralast Gold is Auto Zone, not AAP.


More CCA in the same physical size can only be had by thinner plates or holes in plates or other techniques which in most cases means a less rugged battery and most likely a shorter lifespan.

Consumer Reports has said this. Basically get a new battery that is equal or slightly above the CCA than the battery than came with your vehicle, but do NOT go for a battery with a lot more CCA.

 

[qship1996]

I didnt read that at all in the latest Consumers Reports battery test{nov 08 issue}, nor the 2007 Consumers Reports battery test issue?????

 

[ZZman]

Should be a group 34

 

[ZZman]

A certain Consumer testing magazine lists the Napa Select 84 and Autocraft (Advanced Auto Parts) Titanium as best buys.

 

[globey]

Originally Posted By: ZZman
A certain Consumer testing magazine lists the Napa Select 84 and Autocraft Titanium as best buys.


Well, I wouldn't believe those results if they gave those batteries best ratings across the board. Like I said, they test and rank EACH group. Some lines may not be as strong in one group as another. For example, read CR's battery tests.

 

[SecondMonkey]

Originally Posted By: Donald
More CCA in the same physical size can only be had by thinner plates or holes in plates or other techniques which in most cases means a less rugged battery and most likely a shorter lifespan.


Yes, that is mostly true, though the particular brand, price, and battery construction will play a small role too. The best rule of thumb is generally to buy the heaviest battery you can find in a particular size. The more lead inside, the longer it will last.

Pretty much all vehicles on the road, outside of diesels, use less than 200 cranking amps at mild temperatures. They won't use much more than that even at zero degrees. You might want to consider a deep cycle battery if you don't live in a cold climate, they usually provide 400+ CCA and don't care if you accidently leave your headlights on one night.

That said, I do like to have plenty of amps, so I have an Odyssey AGM battery in my Cherokee. It's quite a bit smaller than stock, weighs MORE, AND rated for I think around 2,000 cranking amps! Plus it's a deep cycle designed for a life cycle around 10 years, which is rare in a battery.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: qship1996
I didnt read that at all in the latest Consumers Reports battery test{nov 08 issue}, nor the 2007 Consumers Reports battery test issue?????


Well I cannot provide a link to the exact article, but the basic physics of it are that in order to get more CCA you need more surface area and that comes from a bigger battery or thinner plates or holes in plates or other similar measures.

 

[mrsilv04]

Originally Posted By: ZZman
A certain Consumer testing magazine lists the Napa Select 84 and Autocraft (Advanced Auto Parts) Titanium as best buys.


I'm on my third NAPA Select battery in 15 months.

Maybe the third one IS the charm...

 

[ZZman]

Globey: Those were best buys. performance and price considered.

There were better testing batteries in that group but they were 150-180 dollars. I wouldn't pay that.

Best buys are not always the best overall.

The highest rated were a Diehard Platinum or Optima Redtop.

 

[ZZman]

mrsilv04: Was it a Napa Select 84 or just some other Napa Select battery?

 

[TallPaul]

Originally Posted By: Donald
More CCA in the same physical size can only be had by thinner plates or holes in plates or other techniques which in most cases means a less rugged battery and most likely a shorter lifespan.
Thank yu Donald. That I looked at this thread today, quite by chance, saved me from buying a cheap battery. I am in the market for a marine/RV deep cycle battery.

Look at the case sizes and the MCA (Marine Cranking Amps):

Existing: 12L x 7W x 8H, at 750 MCA (600 CCA)
Duralast: 10L x 7.5W x 7.75H at 875 MCA
Duralast: 11L x 7.5W x 7.75H at 1000 MCA

The 1000 MCA Duralast looks very nice for well under a hundred bucks, especially for a 28 foot motorhome than has only a single house battery, but case size wise, I will be replacing it in a few years. The one I have (Existing Interstate MegaTron) is from late 1999 and should have been replaced about a year ago. Think I will try NAPA next.

 

[mechtech2]

As mentioned above, replace the battery since it is so old.
You have had a very good amount of service out of it, be happy!
If you are not getting rid of the car immediately, it is time.

 

[kgb007stb]

Do you know which Midtronics tester this was? They are very good testers and depending on the model, they provide quite bit of information not only on the battery, but the overall charging and starting systems. They do catch potential errors early on, I wish I could have one in my toolbox.

 

[edhackett]

It's the Napa Select 84 in group 78/34 that CU liked.

One answer to get thicker plates is to order the DieHard South batteries from Sears. These have the fewer/thicker plates that is disireable vs the more common North version. Their Truck and SUV battery is a winner too. It has thick plates with added vibration resistance. I got over 8 years on one of those in my seldom driven truck.

Ed