Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Your battery life

Since something like the 1990s I really never had a bad battery. I replace them at 5 years or so because I don't want to get stuck in the woods. My OEM battery in my Kubota is 12 years old and still pops over the diesel. I have an Interstate battery in my first generation 4.7 Tundra and it was a bit slow to crank last week after I left the lights on for a few minutes before I tried to start it. The battery looks a smidge swollen I think. Since it is a 2011 battery I guess it is time to replace. I had Walmart check it with a hand held diagnostic tool and he said it was still pretty good, but I would need to test it for 1.5 hour test to be sure. The quick test and 1.5 hour test are free.
So how do you judge when you need a battery?

Other than testing it, there's no way to be sure. If it's ever been run down to completely dead one or more times, it's more likely to fail early. That damages them.

I use Odyssey Batteries in my truck and 4 wheeler. For automotive use, they're sold at Sears under the Diehard Platinum brand. The set I have in my truck is 8 years old and I expect a few more years out of them. My truck has sat for 3 weeks in sub-zero temperatures yet still started right up. My 4 wheeler is parked all winter with no trickle charger, yet starts right up with in the spring on a 5 year old battery. Odyssey batteries are completely sealed, meaning no off-gassing which means you never have to worry about corrosion of any battery related components. They can also be mounted in any position, including upside down if you like.

You pay a big premium for these batteries. Having equipment that lasts and doesn't let you down on some logging road in the middle of nowhere is a bonus.

Sears DieHard Platinum Batteries

Odyssey Battery

I can't say as I would trust the practice on a battery I need way away from help.

A fellow was telling me a battery can be brought back by draining the acid, then pouring a few rounds of boiling water in.

I'm not sure if the "recipe" called for fresh acid, or not.

The idea is to clean any sulfated plates.

Car batteries should last for 10 years. If not, you have a bad charging/electrical system...

Lot's of variables go into how long an automotive battery can, or should, last. How old is your starter and how many amps does it draw and how long does it take to start the engine? How many times a day do you start the engine? How far do you drive between startups? How many power accessories are on the vehicle?

The factory battery on my 2005 Pontiac Vibe, a 4cyl with no power windows/doors/seats, etc, lasted about 8 years. That is the longest, by far, any auto battery has ever lasted me. At the 5 year mark, I started to get leery about it because I take it to some very remote places in Colorado, both mountains and Eastern plains.

Typically, 4-5 years, even less when I had diesel cars.

At ten years, ( last year) I changed both batteries in my Cummins Powered Dodge pickup.

I had no issues at all, just felt it was time to swap them out. A battery is not typically the item that will strand you. They more often then not fail with some notice. Starting gets harder, or if looking at an amp gauge on the dash the charging is not proper. If a volt meter, you don't get to the typical 13-14 volts but see a drop to 11-12 volts.

I use big batteries on so many of the things I have. My dual battery boat, camp trailer, two ATV's, laws mower, diesel tractor, trolling motor. Yikes I have a lot of stored energy here! The best luck I have had is with the Sears diehards that I believe are made by optima. Both the deep cycle and the starting batteries have been long lived and dependable.

Last year, I replaced the two 9 year old OEM batteries in my 2007 Ram Cummins as I was doing a major refresh on a number of items (anti freeze, serpentine belt, brake pads, tensioner, idler, etc.) They were working fine and I have now repurposed them to start my Hitachi excavator. I did replace them with the Odyssey battery from Sears. Used the Odyssey batteries for years in race cars and was always pleased with their performance.

Huh, ........Is it the Odyssey battery that is a Diehard? I thought it was Optima? My memory of this is not great. Thanks for the correction that..... it is Odyssey not Optima

Guess I was close it was something with an "O" ha ha

I think a lot depends upon how much electronic stuff is on your vehicle, how cold it gets where you live, & the number of batteries in the vehicle. I have a 99 dodge/Cummins diesel and like the other guys here with them, I got phenomenal life out of the stock batteries. I had over 300,000 miles on the truck and it was 11 years old when I had to replace them. I think t helped that there were two batteries so it lessened the load between them. A 2005 Toyota Camry I had went through 4 batteries before I traded it in 2014, but it did have 300,000 miles on it.

I worked at Sears auto center putting on tires and installing/testing batteries when I was in college. There was a definite uptick in bad batteries when they got to be 5 years old. They seemed to be on their last legs after that.

I usually replace mine at 4yrs or so, and usually right before winter.Most battery problems I had were 5-6 yrs old, so I get rid of them right before that This coming year my 2012 Taco will likely get a new one.

That ain't gonna happen in the south. It is heat that kills batteries. It is when it turns cold that you find out that it no longer works.

15 years ago that would have been a reasonable statement. Today, not so much. Electrical demand in modern cars has skyrocketed, alternator charging capabilities have risen from 90-100A to 180-220A on the average luxury cars we work on, some alternators are liquid cooled to keep up with demand. Power control modules are replacing voltage regulators, and battery replacements are now "registered" to the power control modules using the manufacturer specific software. The negative battery cable now includes an IBS, or Intelligent Battery Sensor that communicates with the Power Control Module. Batteries lead a much harder life in the current crop of cars than they used to due to much higher demand and much more amperage being put back in more quickly. I'm seeing 5-7 years now as the average life expectancy.

A trickle charger is actually needed more in hot weather than in cold. You're right that heat will drain one down fast.
That applies to all batteries. Don't leave your cell phone or GPS on a hot dashboard.

I had one last less then a week,
Chasing a coyote I heard a horrible noise, so I stopped popped the hood and discovered, the bailing twine I tied the battery down with had come loose and the battery hit the alternator grinding a hole in the side of the battery. Huge mess,

Now that is funny... .. Goes to show you that care of your batteries has a lot to do with their life span. JMR40 is probably old enough that he should have been taught to properly care for a car battery. If one does this, it will last 10 years. Something my granddaddy taught me long ago... . You cornpone mother fu ckers that can't get a battery to last any longer than 4 or 5 years have a lot of learning to do...

Every two years whether they need it or not.

Bungee cords should be used in this application, if one makes sure to avoid sharp edges, they will last a long time.