I have a car that I bought new just over years ago. It has the original battery and it seems to work just fine. But I’m thinking that it should be near end of life. I’ll keep the car 2-3 more years.
Any reason not to just go out and replace the battery now, rather than squeeze the last few month out of it?

Most any of the auto parts stores will run a free load test on your battery, and it only takes a couple of minutes. If you have it done every 6 weeks or so, you'll have an idea of when it's time to replace it.

Otherwise, make sure you've got enough distilled water in it, that that you keep the terminals & cable clamps free of corrosion.

FC

I would use it until you have a notable slow start. When I replace a battery I buy the biggest that will fit in the space.

I had a ford PU that I bought new. I had it for 12yrs and one morning I turned the key on and the Battery exploded. the battery was completely destroyed ,I had a hard time getting all the acid cleaned up, so now when the battery is at the end of its life I buy a new one, I don't try to keep using it until it dies or explodes. ( this was a matiance free battery)

Bet I've owned 50 cars

Never had a battery blow up, I've ran them dead, blast boosted them with 200 amps, cooked the cables off them, forgot about chargers and left them till they've boiled over. Ran some for 8,9,10 years.



Now way in hell I'd go buy a new $130 car battery just because it's approaching 2-3 yrs old.

What a worry wart, jeeze almighty

i'd change the valve cover gaskets too.

How do you get to be 60-70 years old, driving for 60 yrs and are still be perplexed by the basic science of a car battery?

Toasters, now that's a complicated contraption, who can figure out such devices.

x2.

Have jumper cables will travel

Actually it’s 4+ years old.

Get it tested they can gage cold crank amps and compare it to the new specs
I just got a AAA battery, 6 years warranty, 3 full replacement. Brand new, not been on shelf for 6 months like some parts stores. It tested 810 amps on a rated 600 battery. Tech said that is normal on their batteries
Remember heat will kill a battery quicker than cold, given the present weather

It seems they “die” in the summer heat and it shows up on the first actual cold day!

I think the batteries in my pickup are going on 8 years old?


And they've been from +110F to -40F in the last year.


The old pickup starts right up.



That said some of the newer vehicles seem to need more juice at start up for the all the electronic chit. I've replaced the battery in my wife's car twice in the last 5-6 years. It won't even spin over when the battery 'dies'. Get some horsechit message on the screen....


Needless to say I've kept the 'bad' batteries and use them in old chit that can work on 12 volts or whatever they show on the tester.

I replaced the batteries in my work truck last spring in a panic on a day when I needed every last bit of sunlight to finish a job.

Cost me a few hours and I should have done it a few days prior when I noticed it being slow to start and I had the time to spare.

I'll try my best not to let that happen again.

Same here, mine have always given me a heads-up that they were done about a day maybe two prior to totally being gone.
I pay attention and replace when it tells me to...

I’ve seen cars that would crank, but not fire. Sure enough, ‘‘twas the damned battery.

FC

Some won’t even turn over even if battery isn’t drained. Wanna say my ‘08 dodge 3500 is like that. Too much lectric stuff now days

Dead car/truck battery at 11 pm at a Dennys off the Interstate is a pain in the ass. I replace them at three years whether they need it or not. Cheap insurance.

Also if they completely die they sometimes take those electronic "brains" along with them at times requiring reprogramming or replacing.


Living in CO if it gives you peace of mind then replace it, cheap insurance you won't be stranded during a winter storm.

Not necessarily just newer vehicles. I have a 2001 Dodge truck I bought 6 months ago. Got in it to go and it would not turn over one day. Cleaned the terminals and tried it and it was completely dead. About that time a pal came over and I asked him to jump me off. His battery spun the starter normally but the truck would not crank....and it always started easily. Every other vehicle I remember jumping would start if you could spin the engine. I thought something had gotten fried in the truck's computer, the fuel pump, coil, ....all kinds of stuff came to mind. I talked to a mechanic friend who said a new battery would most likely start it because of what Sam said about not enough juice.....sure enough it fired right up.

I'm still not sure I understand it. My friend was in a car with a smaller battery maybe not enough amps for the electrical system in my truck or something. But the morale of the story is that jumping off is not always as straight forward as you think

2003 Dodge diesel - it is still running the original two batteries. No sign whatsoever of slowing down.

Recently it seems my batteries fail without warning. One day they work. Next day they don't. I bought a tester off Amazon; tests battery, alternator and starter. Didn't cost much. Handy size and it's paid for itself several times over in two years or so. I wouldn't be without it now as I run a lot of batteries.

Hydrometers never lie.


If you aren't testing the chemical, you aren't testing the battery.

YMMV.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

TM

i wpnt understand the [urpose of this thread, if you battery is dead. recharge it or get a new one....Simple.

2011 Tundra original battery. Replaced it yesterday after two dead episodes where door and rear cargo lights were on for 30 minutes.

It was time for new 😎

Batteries are like tires; no one knows or give two schits about em until they fail, then its either some unexplained phenomenon or some manufacturer just known for making junk....

Blasphemy

We run batteries for a long time and have been fortunate. Some are 12 years old, a couple are even older than those. I replace one when it starts to say I'm quitting" via the hydrometer and retained voltage - quitting happens infrequently. I've never plugged in the engine heater in winter and, or the first time in 19 years, on a minus 20 morning last winter our Dodge Cummins did not want to spin - "click, click"- and I felt certain that the two Optima Reds in there were not spoiled.. It did not want to spin with help from a booster cable from a Chevy. So, I hooked up a small charger at 5 amps for 15 minutes, then put the charger in "start" mode, and the Cummins fired right up. For some reason, the cold snap that time put the batteries to sleep. They are still in there 7 months later, and doing fine.

With a bunch of 45 to 50 year old vehicles, i do keep a fresh batter (usually a blem from Morco) on a trickle charger and ready to go. The spare "ready to go" has been sitting there for 15 months. Of course, these old trucks/car do not have lights/clocks/computers running as they sit.

Here's the little bit I know. A batter kept up to - or close to - full charge at all times will live much longer. I keep trickle chargers going on all batteries where the vehicle is used infrequently. A battery in which the distilled water level is kept proper will live longer. A battery which has been drained dead - or even near to dead - is difficult to re-charge properly and has seen its death notice. In some cases, very good jumper power from another vehicle battery to the terminals of a dead or badly wounded battery will not spin the starter of the dead vehicle - something goes dead in bat land and that's it. The only cause I've ever seen for battery explosion has been when the bad battery is putting out hydrogen (has no odor) and an errant spark from a "jumping" process ignites the hydrogen. The moment will tend to concentrate your mind. There may be other causes, but I've been fortunate not to experience those.

I wouldnt replace it til it is dead.

That is never not funny

Solid advice.

I buy interstate batteries

Observe during winter. Wet cells wear out by loosing reserve capacity and an ever increasing self discharge rate. Last winter if it didn't fire right away (as usual) when cold you could hear the starter struggle as the voltage sagged. Also got in the habit of running the charger long enough to give the battery a surface charge (~20 min.) if the truck hadn't run for 3 or 4 days. Works absolutely flawlessly now but I'll need to replace before winter. Swapping out batteries is easy (for the most part anyway) but no fun when it's 10 above and the hawk is flying.

Or have it tested under load as someone said. That'll give you an idea of how it'll handle cold conditions.

Hey, changing valve cover gaskets was something I could do in high school without screwing up too badly. And the valve covers leaked (warped I guess) until I discovered Permatex #2.

-------------------------

Occasionally a battery will drop a cell particularly if it's abused by a hard starting vehicle. Grind and grind and not only does the deep discharge wound the battery but you can generate enough heat to the point where the plates warp and short out. Getting the vehicle tuned up so it starts easily is half the battle. (Geez I'm wordy this morning)

I never got less than 10 years service out of the original battery the auto came with.

I can always tell when mine are about to go. After hearing it start thousands of times if it starts a little slow then I can expect about one more start and it will not start again.

Had one explode once was pretty scary and a real mess to clean up. The battery was 15 years old and the original. Shorted out when i tried to start it and when it blew up it was like a bomb.

Same with me. Woke up half the town at 6AM.

Had one blow up in the battery box on a Mack. The battery box contained the acid from flying all over the place.

^^^THIS^^^

Had 2012 GMC with all of the bells and whistles. It was about 3 or 4 years old. All of a sudden, it would be deader than dead. You'd have to keep the cables on it for about 15 minutes, then it would fire right up. It would be fine for several days or a week, then it would be dead again. Thought it was kind of an electronic problem and was going to take it to the dealer. One Saturday morning I went hunting. There was about a foot or so of snow on the ground. I go out and shoot a big ass 8 point. I got the deer out to the edge of the field. Go back to the truck, it start right up. I drive across the field and shut it off and load the deer up. Get back into the truck and the bastard was dead. Walked about 1/2 mile back to the barns and got the farm hand and he brought a tractor out there and had to keep it on the cables for about a 1/2 hour until it started. Went directly to the battery store that I use and they load tested it and found a dead cell. It would be fine one minute and dead the next.

If it ain't broke don't fix it......

Usually I wait until they start acting up. I'll pull them out and check the date and take it to the battery shop and have them tested. If they're bad I replace them. I always buy the most cold cranking amps I can get.

Beat me to it....

MOst OEM batteries are rated for 3-4 years max life. WAIT until it dies then call AAA unless you plan on a long roadtrip. Buy one with extended life, there are but a few battery manufacturers in the US anyway.

The best advice given thus far. Taught my daughters to buy 60 month battery's and replace at 48-months. Standing around in the dark hoping a stranger jumping your car doesn't jump you first is a bad plan. $125 to $150 more or less for a battery is cheap insurnace.

LOL.



The Go To guy for car battery advice!



https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...cs/13320478/truck-batteries#Post13320478

I'd say it depends on how the battery is used. If it never leaves the 'farm", I'd rum it a long time. I am no fan of being stuck, nor stranded.

oem batteries a way better than anything available to us through the parts retailers...they must be built to a higher standard...
I have replaced the factory batteries with the same brand and size and they never last as long as the original...they want those batteries to last over 10 ys..

Are you sure about that?

That rule sure applies to wrist watch batteries!

I made the rounds of the auto parts stores a couple of years ago. None of them load tested the battery; they just measured the output. When I asked them if it was a load test a couple of the testers made it clear that they did not know the difference between a load test and a resting output test.

When I get a slow start I just go to Walmart and get one of their base batteries, which seem to last long enough for the price.

Battery maintenance 101 right there. Amazing how many don't know it.


Curious. Does you wife make a lot of short trips? If so, the alternator may not be running long enough to restore charge. Other thought is if it sits a lot in between drives, the same thing can happen. Charge due to leakage drops low, then the drive isn't enough to fully recharge.

Sam;
Good morning to you my cyber friend, I hope that the summer has been a good one for you folks - enough rain that the crops are growing and enough sun to make hay.

As always I'll state the proviso that I'm not a trained mechanic - but was in charge of maintaining a small fleet of vehicles for a construction firm for 5 years, ran a boat, RV, classic and exotic auto storage facility for 2 years and now am employed at a Big 3 auto dealership - so am not exactly unschooled on the subject either.

Not all replacement batteries are created equally by any stretch. If I'm keeping the vehicle for awhile and want to depend on it starting, I will personally buy/recommend an AC Delco branded battery.

Many parts retailers and suppliers have told me there's only a few battery manufacturers in North America now, but that doesn't mean that factory X batteries will be the same spec if they make them for "these guys" parts store as opposed to say AC Delco. Like a lot of manufactured items these days, they are made to the retailers spec and to a price point.

Some new cars have so much anti theft electronics going when the vehicle is off that the battery will only last a couple weeks without a tender on it. Ferrari, Corvette and some of the sportier BMW units come to mind here - they will kill a battery in short, short order.

Our 40th Anniversary Mustang which is an '04 is on it's 3rd battery in the 4 years we've owned it. Being only run 6 months a year combined with the anti theft system is just plain hard on batteries. I'll note I've been experimenting with solar trickle chargers and now that I'm running 2 of them it's a wee bit better, but not entirely cured with solar.

Edit to add - the Mustang also had a parasitic drain issue which killed one battery. It was a faulty alternator - but took a mechanic who knew what he was doing, as in not me - to find the problem!

On the tractor which is mainly used in winter, I use a battery tender which won't overcharge the battery and actually discharges it sometimes and then recharges it. Anyway they're not free - roughly $50 CDN for the one I'm using, but they do work in my experience.

Some folks have mentioned battery testers, but if they don't test the amps under load, it will only tell you if you've got a dead cell - not if we've got enough amps to run the system.

As well too, there's so many batteries now which are sealed, so testing the liquid level or quality isn't an option.

Then there is the fact that newer vehicles require more power to start them than many older ones. For instance as early as the '99 F150 we had, if there's not enough cranking amps available, the on board computers will not give the fuel system or the starting system the go ahead if enough amps aren't detected - so the auto door locks may work, as might the sound system, but it won't start.....

For sure and certain too - as an extension of the electronic power requirements - one has to keep the booster cables on much, much longer than we did when all the rigs had a mechanical fuel pump and carburetor.

Hopefully that was useful for you or someone else out there in the ether space this morning Sam - the experience of a guy who's likely boosted and/or tried to start 3-4 dozen different brands/types of rigs in the past half dozen years.

All the best to you all as we head into the fall Sam.

Dwayne

My cousin is a AC Delco distributor. He’s says by them from a dealer who sells a lot of batteries. Get um fresh. Hasbeen

Or in a desert climate in the heat of the summer. No AC and it might be your wife who's out and about.

Cheap insurance, indeed. If you want to save a few bucks over the life of a battery, have at it.

Paul

Not true.

The first thing most people do (because many need to compensate for something), is buy a battery that exceeds OE spec. This usually means higher CCA, which translates into less heat dissipation and less life. In newer, gear reducted starting systems, exceeding OE spec is a waste. The other pitfall is that many times these are the batteries with the longest "warranty".

The other thing, if your all else equal, is that everything in a new vehicle is, well, new. Cables are clean, alternator brushes aren't blackened and the battery isn't one that's been sitting on a boat, warehouse or shelf.

That brings us to the next consideration, is the age of the aftermarket/replacement battery as it sits on the shelf. Many times they are discharged or slightly sulfated, meaning the charging system will not recover the battery to its full state of charge. Again, your gauge might say its charged, but unless the battery measures 1275-1300 on a hydrometer, it ain't...driving it, instead of charging it first, will create issues.

Gringo, you nailed it. The vehicle sits for days at a time and then is usually only driven a few minutes to the grocery store.

I should either take it out and drive it once in awhile for an extended time and or leave it on a slow charge over night.









Good afternoon Dwayne, we were baling this morning and with all the rain lately things look really good. Green going into August is almost unheard of in this country!

Speaking of alternators I've had to replace the one on my 6.0 Ford diesel twice. They make it about 3 years and die.

The last one I just replaced a couple weeks ago and it was covered under warranty.

I pump a fair amount of diesel off the batteries(electric 25 gpm pump) and wonder if that doesn't have something to do with the short life span?

Ford alternators burn up because their charge voltages are too high (beyond 14 volts)....


FWIW, any car that sits beyond 30 days (modern) needs a re charge, at best.

Sitting beyond 30 days with modern vehicles for battery health is the equivalent of a knife in the sidewall of a tire.


But what the [bleep] do I know.....

Please tell me why the highest CCA gets your vote; I've seen about 30 semi loads of defects that tell me otherwise.....

Does your battery shop use a hydrometer, or are they 20th century outfits with digital bullshit?

Replace my batteries every 4-5 years.With all the electronics on cars/truck these days cheaper than replacing the alternator.Price one of those puppies.When its -20 below 0 here in michigan I want my truck to start & not leave me stranded.For $130 its well worth it to me.

I worked for a place that sold over a million two units in the time I worked there, if that matters.

During some of that time Delphi still made batteries, but most of it Johnson Controls made AC Delco branded stuff, as the Delphi plants quit manufacturing; were talking around 20 years ago.

Working were I work now, I would rate many AC Delco branded products as moderately sulfated and discharged, which is pretty good as far as the industry is today...

Most OEM's are Johnson, and deservedly so. They have a handle on most OEM's and have [bleep] canned the replacement market in favor of being OEM for almost all manufacturers that sell in North America.

My batteries last at least three years... keep driving unless you want to waste your cash.

Agreed.

If you have something sitting that much, a battery tender gadget is the trick. I've kept boat batteries that sit a good bit for 10 years with one.

http://products.batterytender.com/Chargers/Battery-Tender-Junior-12V-0-75A.html

Here most batteries give up the ghost when winter hits, at least that is what my brother-in-law who does RACV callouts tells me...and each of mine that has gone did so in the cold months as well.

First time any of mine give even the barest hint of strife it is replaced...I also carry a Noco GB70 as a backup.

It would seem around here that most batteries "die" on the first decent hot day of spring. They somehow make it through our bitter winters, but on that first warm day, they won't work again.

What do you think of those units?

For those worried about being stranded, they seem to be a pretty good solution.

I'd recommend getting a trickle charger. There are a couple, maybe several brands out there that will trickle charge and then tend the battery once full charge is achieved. Battery Tender is popular. I have a Battery MINDer. They are small and cheap enough you might consider mounting or stowing it under the hood someplace for convenience.

Seems fine, I have only used it to start a vehicle for a couple of Japanese tourists but it performed as advertised.

We pick up my wife's new vehicle in the next week and I plan on putting a Noco in it for emergencies...our daughter's vehicle already has one in it, she is probably the only Uni student in Victoria that carries a Noco in her vehicle, most don't even seem to carry tools or a spare.



And I will admit to cheating with my batteries as every twelve months or so I give them a hit with this wee item...seems to keep them in good condition.

It all depends on your needs IMHO. Mom is 84 and by herself. We replace a bit early. Especially if going into summer heat. Winters we dont' have down there.

OTOH our own, when we can afford to be dead on the side of the road or such, get replaced when they give a bad sign and are close to lifes end.

FWIW we have run Walmart batteries for years and years.. only once had a short lived one that was warrantied. Have had batteries in the diesel tractor from them that have lasted almost 10 years. My F350 diesel usually runs about 5 years which is life of battery.

The other thing about Walmart, you can almost always find one when out on the road if one dies....

I use the CETEK all the time, in fact I have my Honda ATV & truck hooked up as we speak. Last Honda battery went 7 years, & no doubt could have went longer if I wouldn't have been so lax keeping it plugged in.

I have the next step up:

https://smartercharger.com/collections/vehicle/products/ctek-mus-4-3-test-and-charge

In honor of my late father-in-law, I must point out that what we are discussing here is properly called a "batry".

Do you carry jumper cables anymore or are you good with the Noco?

No longer even bother with cables, just carry the Noco.

I have a Diehard Gold that I've been running for nearly 20 years. I top off the cells every fall and it cranks at -40 Below at long as the block heater is plugged in.

Some folks are just hard on batteries for some reason. My dad is always dicking around with them. Never can figure out what he dose to run em down. I haven't had to buy a new battery for a vehicle in quite some time.

Now a boat...that's a different story. lol

One of those battery tender jrs. would be your best friend with the boat battery......or on any piece of equipment that sits for a while between runs.

My sense is there’s a low voltage shutoff on the newer GM trucks. The battery, isn’t completely dead, just below the threshold to trigger the ECM\BCM/etc.

Yeah, and people jumping [bleep] when it should be on a charger (then verifying that charge with a hydrometer) might be the PRIMARY issue.

Again, hydrometers don't lie, alternators aren't chargers and unless they popped the caps and were above average in such matters, finding a dead cell with a load tester is a bit dubious....but getting a discharged battery to fail a load test is pretty much a new battery sale, even ones that may read 12.72 volts with a surface charge. Its no trick to take a battery with 1050 specific gravity and get it to 12.7 volts; the problem is it isn't charged. Only a specific gravity test will tell you if it is fully charged. Not an expensive charger gauge, not the gauge on your vehicle and not any tester with a voltage readout, period.

I'd also bet it was "tested" on a digital analyzer, not a carbon pile, neither of which are as infallible as a hydrometer test.

Midtronics or the most expensive Snap-On whatever aren't 1/10th as accurate as a carbon pile load tester with a nine dollar hydrometer test, because if you aren't testing the chemical, you aren't testing the battery. All modern testers do not test the chemical; they lie, aren't accurate and are designed to sell product.

"Fine one minute, dead the next" means the battery is discharged. Batteries with dead cells have 10.6 volts if all but one cell is fully activated, and no amount of jump starting surface "charge" makes that last a week, let alone a couple of hours......

If you find yourself jumping a battery, it needs to be charged and verified with a hydrometer. The alternator isn't going to recover it from totally discharged, even if the gauge reads as such....