Tractor Battery Died Instantly

[tc1446]

Four year old auto battery group 24 on my Kioti tractor has been fine for 3-4 year, trickle charger on when there is long down time. Used about 5 days ago but yesterday when I went out to start it, it had died an instant death, according to my battery charger as well as a batt checker. Both said DEAD, Replace. I wanted something quick without a lot of searching around so I got a Marine battery from O'Reilly's. Price $120 otd. Was dark when i got home but will put charger on to check it out before installing later today.

Old battery had a lot of corrosion which I have cleaned off; what is a good way to stop the hot terminal from corroding? I've got dielectric grease; maybe smear that on generously?

 

[eljefino]

Check when the tractor's running as well as your trickle charger and make sure the voltage doesn't go above the low-mid 14s. High charging can burp acid fumes that cause that corrosion.

Also overtorquing terminals can crack the seal and cause acid fumes to come up by the terminals.

Dielectric grease would work but is probably a little thin. Those felt washers soak up acid fumes so they help a little. Annual cleaning & wirebrushing might be appropriate.

 

[bullwinkle]

Check when the tractor's running as well as your trickle charger and make sure the voltage doesn't go above the low-mid 14s. High charging can burp acid fumes that cause that corrosion.

Also overtorquing terminals can crack the seal and cause acid fumes to come up by the terminals.

Dielectric grease would work but is probably a little thin. Those felt washers soak up acid fumes so they help a little. Annual cleaning & wirebrushing might be appropriate.

Felt washers with a little extra grease on top, & spray the top os the battery with battery protectant or similar. O'Reilly batteries are made by East Penn, so that is a plus, they're not as leakage prone as Johnson Controls/Clarios ones.

 

[Cujet]

Lately, flooded lead-acid batteries have been a gamble. Large numbers of known good brands fail fast, leak or fail to hold a charge. The imported AGM batteries are often no better, going bad rapidly.

Odyssey batteries are still the best AGM's along with Concorde aircraft batteries. Both brands perform in the manner we are used to. That is to say, fairly well.

Many of us are switching to LiFePO4 starting batteries to get away from the hassles. Ordered on Amazon, sometimes they are not too much more in price and often come with a 10 year warranty.

 

[Devo242]

Odyssey batteries are still the best AGM's along with Concorde aircraft batteries. Both brands perform in the manner we are used to. That is to say, fairly well.

Agree with Odyssey quality. When Interstate stopped making the 17HF I needed to switch my MGA from two 6 volt batteries to a single 12 volt. The Odyssey was a nice fit for the tray with some basic mods and has been bulletproof in about 3 years of use.

Battery tester always gives it near perfect health and full charge. The battery charger I cycle around the fleet for maintenance confirms it stays at 99/100 even with infrequent use. After a bad experience with Bosch AGM prior to this on another vehicle i was hesitant to pay the premium but glad I did.

 

[Gyro Gearloose]

Check for parasitic current drain when you install the new battery. I have never had one go DEAD without help.

 

[daves87rs]

Lately, flooded lead-acid batteries have been a gamble. Large numbers of known good brands fail fast, leak or fail to hold a charge. The imported AGM batteries are often no better, going bad rapidly.

Odyssey batteries are still the best AGM's along with Concorde aircraft batteries. Both brands perform in the manner we are used to. That is to say, fairly well.

Many of us are switching to LiFePO4 starting batteries to get away from the hassles. Ordered on Amazon, sometimes they are not too much more in price and often come with a 10 year warranty.

I’ve heard this from more than a few folks now. Friend that works for Ford as mentioned that there is been quite while testing vehicles , including the Motorcraft ones as well. Seems like an industry wide quality issue….

 

[Rand]

exides fume from new.. never had one I liked yet.

 

[tc1446]

Check for parasitic current drain when you install the new battery. I have never had one go DEAD without help.

Not sure but what I left the switch on for a week or so!