Need a new battery...

Status
Not open for further replies.
M

MysticGold04

Joined
Jan 12, 2005
Messages
1,211
Location
CA
Ugh.. went to go start my Taco this morning.. and click...

Gonna go get it tested at Autozone, but I was considering getting a Costco battery. Those any good for an OEM replacement? I guess 4 years is fairly good for the oem battery..

I had thought there was a discussion here about different batteries, but I can't seem to find it.
 
2004 needing a new battery?

The panasonic in or 94 previa was still strong when we replaced it for time-based peace of mind in 2004.

Are you hard on your battery? I dont think we have ever had a 4y.o. battery go bad.

I personally like duralast gold, die hard gold, interstate and ac delco, but that is me...

JMH
 
I'm hoping its the battery.. I've been driving alot less... 10 miles a day back and forth to work.. A couple of longer trips.. dunno if that has anything to do with it.. I doubt it.

It died all of a sudden, no idiot light, anything.. It sounded weak yesterday afternoon, but it started. I'm not hard on it at all.
21.gif
I'll go have it tested... though the "eye" is still green - Its a Delco Freedom Maint Free battery.
 
JHZR2 said:
2004 needing a new battery?

My battery went on my 04' Mazda6 in the parking lot of an Autozone. I bought the Duralast from them, which seems to be fine. I guess the heat kills a lot of these batteries.
Click to expand...
 
I'm finding that out... did some quick googling.. (geez I love google) and come to find out most people like them and have had good experience with them.
thumbsup2.gif
 
Somewhere as hot as there, do not worry about cold cranking amps so much as heat is what kills the batteries, and they have less electrolyte and a greater number of thinner plates.

Costco batteries are made by Johnson Controls, who make most OEM batteries plus brands such as Interstate and Optima.
 
Consumer Reports gave a Best Buy to Advance Auto Parts flagship battery so I priced one for a Toyota Avalon - $89, which I thought was good. I've also used Costco with no problems, but don't know the price currently.
I'm no CR advocate, just for info and comparison purposes.
 
I would use an AC charger and full charge the battery and then have it load tested. The eye only monitors one cell, you have six. Best test is 50% CCA for 15 seconds then measure voltage. However many do it with a 50 or 100 amp tester.

Also think about how long you will keep your vehicle. If you will drive it into the ground, then maybe a Optima battery. However hard to justify for many who already got 5-7 years from original battery and are not planning on another 5-7.

Once you get a new battery installed, consider getting the alternator checked to make sure its not undercharging/overcharging. Basically after driving maybe 10 minutes (charges up anything taken up by starter) with no big loads truned on, your battery voltage should be around 14V, best to measure with a DVM at battery, dash gauges are not very accurate.
 
I've had my Optima battery for at least 5 years and it has been automatic. One note is that I bought it with my GNC card at PepBoys when there was a great deal on it. If it were at full price, I would likely have gotten a Duralast Gold. I have one of those on my girl's mustang and it has been strong the past 2 years.

Her OEM Motorcraft lasted 5 years.
 
Interstate ..Deka. I'm on 6 years on the OEM in my jeep. I don't suspect I'll need a new one for another few years.

How many of you have battery temp sensors in your cars?
 
Panasonic in the Toyota died after 5 years.

Currently running a Optima Yellow Top that won't die. Its been in 3 different cars of mine and came used when I bought the first of those cars. No clue on its age but I have been bench testing it annually and the specs recently came out over and above the factory specs.
 
My son's older F150 went click recently when he tried to start it, and I assumed that it was the battery. Checking it out the headlights were still bright and didn't dim when he tried tsrating it, so the old (install date worn off) Costco group 65 battery was still good. Now I assumed it was the starter. Checked the clutch switch, it was ok, then checked the starter connections. Just reconnecting the starter got it to work, so I cleaned all conenctions and it's still working fine.

I'm using a red Optima in one car (got tired of dealing battery acid leaking) and so far it works fine. An Interstate 'Megatron' lasted almost 8 years in a Taurus, as did the OEM battery in a newer Taurus.
 
This battery was about 4 1/2 years old. It has been through heat, cold, offroading, etc, so I would think I got good service from it. I'm trying to remember how long the OEM battery lasted in my 99 Civic (RIP) I seem to recall about 4-5 years as well.

Anyhow...I picked up a Costco battery yesterday after having autozone test my prior. The old battery was at about 7-5 volts. The costco battery was $61 and some change.

How does one go about testing the alternator? Can I use a volt meter at the terminals? I have the Factory Service Manual for the Taco, so I'll go see if there is anything in there I can look for. Thanks Guys!
 
Originally Posted By: MysticGold04
....

How does one go about testing the alternator? Can I use a volt meter at the terminals? ....


Yes, but I prefer to see what is actually getting to the battery. Check the battery voltage before starting, then have a helper start the vehicle while you observe the voltmeter during cranking; after it starts observe it for a minute or so, then turn on all lights and accessories. This gives a pretty good indication of what's happening in the entire system.
Joe
 
Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
Interstate ..Deka. I'm on 6 years on the OEM in my jeep. I don't suspect I'll need a new one for another few years.


The Chrysler-branded battery in my 1999 Cherokee Sport lasted a little over 9 years. Had the case not cracked and leaked (an epic mess), it probably would have lasted longer than that.

I replaced it with a maintenance-free Johnson Controls battery bought from a local distributor at a highly competitive price.
 
Originally Posted By: 1sttruck
My son's older F150 went click recently when he tried to start it, and I assumed that it was the battery. Checking it out the headlights were still bright and didn't dim when he tried tsrating it, so the old (install date worn off) Costco group 65 battery was still good. Now I assumed it was the starter. Checked the clutch switch, it was ok, then checked the starter connections. Just reconnecting the starter got it to work, so I cleaned all conenctions and it's still working fine.


Gonna make a hard earned suggestion here. Many 80's and 90's Fords and Lincolns have/had a mostly plastic clip on the small "exciter wire" to attach it to the starter. After various numbers of years the plastic will expand,swell,deform,etc. 'till it'll occasionally fail to make connection. Result is exactly as you describe. Get an all metal (best are nickel coated copper with transparent nylon insulation jacket)spade connection, cut the old one off, and install new all metal one. Problem will NEVER happen again.

Bob
 
An easy way to test the alternator is to test the voltage across the battery terminals with a DVM with the engine off and running at fast idle. You should get about 12.5 V and 14 V with no load (lights, stereo, etc). If you get that then you should be OK.

If you have a load tester with a carbon load pile you can dial the load up while looking at the voltage and see how long the alternator keeps up with the demand until it can no longer keep up and the voltage falls.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

A
battery hold down options for 24f battery in 2015 rav 4 xle
2
Replies
25
Views
1K
apollo18
raaizin
Tested my battery
Replies
4
Views
371
Donald
A
abs / awd light came on, swapped with new sensor, still got the light..
Replies
19
Views
547
JamesBond
R
BMW Battery Registration Success
2
Replies
22
Views
1K
f355spider
I
Battery or alternator?
2
Replies
37
Views
3K
dumkid
Back
Top Bottom