Battery ....RIP,......... Death By Polar Vortex??

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I work for JCI and had no idea we make automotive batteries.

I keep the 2015 Dually on charge with a permanently mounted NOCO unit I won at a car show, just ran the plug up front like the block heater. keep the B’cuda reproduction AGM on charge with a Schumacher unit.
 
If it has to start - get an Optima. Red in the street cars, yellow in my race car.
 
The only problem I've ever had with any battery was at Auto Zone about 20 years ago.
Bad cell after a recent install.
Brand new.
They wouldn't take my word for it.
And they had to keep it to charge to verify that.

My daily has a new advance Gold battery in it.
Just replaced the Auto Zone battery that was out of date.
I don't usually have problem with either battery line.
But I don't live in Siberia.
 
FISHYPETE said:
.....He said when a veichle ages it uses more energy to operate hence shorter battery life
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mbaird said:
Don't run **** with engine off and put a deep charge in it every few months...…....
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Hmmm.... Got to wonder if these "confuser" controlled cars aren't actually shutting things down on key off when the get some age on them.

prorac1 said:
The optima red top...
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Mattax said:
MT-24 is the Mega-tron …..
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Good stuff. I do have a blue top ($$) for the trolling motor since '09 that has taken a lot of recharges.
MTP-65HD. Looks like one Interstate dealer within 25 mi.

adriver said:
......….But I don't live in Siberia.
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Lol, Definitely not Siberia here either! It just got a little cooler than normal for a couple days. The day prior to the cold snap it ran for at least 45 minutes straight on a round trip. Next day....click, click, click. If the battery can't even "weather" that, I'm thinking it was never really up to the task as sold.
 
Daves69 said:
The day prior to the cold snap it ran for at least 45 minutes straight on a round trip. Next day....click, click, click. If the battery can't even "weather" that, I'm thinking it was never really up to the task as sold.
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Not good that's for sure.
Have you checked the charging system?
 
@Daves69 Yes... on the modern cars things like Bluetooth control boxes stay active for upto 15 minutes after the car is off.
Also your headlight delay and Keyless proximity sensors.... Dont leave your keyless Fob in the car . Some cars stay awake all night waiting for the key to do something.
 
Mattax said:
……….Have you checked the charging system?
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Dash meter is positive. I'll verify with a real meter today. The replacement battery checked 12.6 V after load test before it came off the stores counter top and followed me home.
mbaird said:
….and Keyless proximity sensors.... Dont leave your keyless Fob in the car ....
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Hmmm......Never do (intentionally) Now the other car, key in coat pocket, hanging on rack attached to wall, car on other side of wall in attached garage. Probably within 10'. How close is "too" close?
 
Not sure what the dash meter indicates in the car being discussed.
Definately a good check will be to measure the voltage at the terminals before starting and then when running.
If its around 14 Volts while running, then the battery should charge if low and yet not get cooked once its recharged.
 
toolmanmike said:
I have had excellent luck with Interstate. They were the only engine start batteries that would survive the vibration in my tool truck. I have gotten 7 years out of one in the wife's car. Having starting problems yesterday though. The battery was almost dead. Too many short trips in -50° wind chill.
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The weather warmed up into the 30's today. I need to pop the back seat up in the Buick and test the battery. It still isn't happy.
 
car charger.jpeg
If you don't have a multimeter at least pick one of these up. Handy little tool.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/4-in-1-D...5cHNxeEkAskq5Tbhpyev5-np2epjUDpgaAmrhEALw_wcB
 
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Daves69 said:
Referring to the stock volt meter in the dash gauge set (not always known for accuracy).
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It's probably wired to show system voltage.
You can measure the voltage at the battery. Then compare to the voltage at the alternator and the inside meter. Assuming good connections and wiring all three should be the same.
 
Mattax said:
........All three should be the same.
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It's about 55° warmer now then a couple days ago. Some sunshine would help though.
Lol, anyway I'll go ahead and get the "Fluke" on it! ( :D pun intended)
 
My 2014 3500 ram diesels batteries died only 4 years old, Optima hasn't come out with a battery that works for mine, i tried, took them back and odyssey batteries has a perfect direct replacement, even the factory battery blankets fit. Better battery over stock. On all my cars once the factory ones goes out a dry cell goes in.
 
Daves69 said:
It's about 55° warmer now then a couple days ago. Some sunshine would help though.
Lol, anyway I'll go ahead and get the "Fluke" on it! ( :D pun intended)
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I hope your test results aren't a "Fuke". LOL
 
Have had HORRIBLE luck with Duracell battery's. Got one and 28 months later replaced it due to a shorted cell. The replacement lasted 20 months and the replacement for that one lasted 15. Granted each replacement was covered by warranty and was free. It's just the hassle of dealing with it. This time i switched to a Bosch.
 
Auto value “parts master” batteries. East Penn is the manufacturer if i recall get good service life.
Interstate pro-rate scale is poor.
Had a similar situation,seller wouldnt honor warranty.
I had an optima, it puked before warranty ran out,and there was no support from the dealer. And optima themselves wouldnt help. Squirreled out of it.
No optimas for me.

Have a ford battery i changed out 10 years ago that was frozen. It timed out last summer.
 
toolmanmike said:
The weather warmed up into the 30's today. I need to pop the back seat up in the Buick and test the battery. It still isn't happy.
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Yep mine tested bad. I bought it January of 2014. 5 years old but I remember the shop I bought it from was glad to get it off their rack. It was pretty dusty so it could have sat for a year or longer in the shop. LOL It's a 840 cca battery and it failed at 654 cca. It's fully charged but only at 12.45v. Time for a new one. Too bad it's a special battery though. (because it's under the back seat and is completely sealed and vented to the outside) I might have to order one.
 
toolmanmike said:
Yep mine tested bad. I bought it January of 2014. 5 years old but I remember the shop I bought it from was glad to get it off their rack. It was pretty dusty so it could have sat for a year or longer in the shop. LOL It's a 840 cca battery and it failed at 654 cca. It's fully charged but only at 12.45v. Time for a new one. Too bad it's a special battery though. (because it's under the back seat and is completely sealed and vented to the outside) I might have to order one.
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Now, O reillys and Advance both have a battery in stock. Which is best? Both are about the same price.
 
toolmanmike said:
….Pry the caps off and see if the cells are dry. Sounds like overcharging to me...…………..
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Well, I hope it hasn't boiled out already, lol. I've already exchanged it for the new one (see 1st post). The old one showed no signs of any regurgitating or tell tale on the painted hood just above it. The battery insulation wrap is a little dusty but no wet spots at all.
It has the whopping 3 month replace warranty so I'll have Advance check it just prior to the OOW date. I think I'll have the alternator tested at another store in the meantime.
 
Daves69 said:
Well, I hope it hasn't boiled out already, lol. I've already exchanged it for the new one (see 1st post). The old one showed no signs of any regurgitating or tell tale on the painted hood just above it. The battery insulation wrap is a little dusty but no wet spots at all.
It has the whopping 3 month replace warranty so I'll have Advance check it just prior to the OOW date. I think I'll have the alternator tested at another store in the meantime.
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14.2 volts is the benchmark for charging systems . 15v+ can be a problem. A bad battery can cause the alternator to charge on the high side but when you do a batter/ charging system test, the battery should be fully charged for accurate results.
 
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