f6john

In another thread the use of a sealed battery was mentioned. I have never has a problem with a sealed battery other than just "wearing out". Would a sealed battery be as safe in a C5 as an AGM type battery? Have any of you had a sealed battery leak in any vehicle? I currently have a Redtop and have had 0 issues but was wondering about failure rates for the sealed type.

jornahow

Especially when subjected to high G loads and high temperatures wet cell batteries are prone to failure. In my C4, which was a dedicated autocross car I had several wet cell battery failures, including one that burst.

dadaroo

Sealed batteries are nice but they are still prone to leak around the positive and negative posts. How do I know? I have had 2 do this in 2 of my cars. Each was from a different manufacturer. They were original replicas but I caught the problem early. In my Toy Box cars I am very careful to monitor batteries for potential leaks. C5 side posts (stupid idea) just raises the stakes on leakage damage.

jim993

Actually, all "sealed" lead acid batteries are vented to provide a path for off gassing hydrogen produced during charging. The vent is usually at the top or at the rim and is often a small round porous ceramic stone (sometimes concealed) which allows the gas to easily pass, but does not easily transmit liquid or gell.

I once had a large industrial telemetry panel explode when the internal trickle charger malfunctioned and the backup "sealed" battery inside the panel discharged enough hydrogen to become an explosive mixture.

As for my next Corvette battery, I will use an Optima, the same as I have been putting in my other vehicles.

MSG C5

What is the type of original battery supplied by GM? I have an AC Delco 7-year professional replacement currently installed.

I also have a 2004 which has the mounting terminals on the top of the battery, not the sides. I installed a $2.00 battery acid mat and acid rings around the terminals just in case.

Everything is working fine, however I read about all the electronics underneath the battery area and just want to make sure I have as much preventive maintenance as possible.

f6john

After the experience I had last week with the battery in my Titan I will never have anything in my Corvette other than an AGM type battery like the Optima. Having a wet style lead acid battery in your Corvette is like riding a motorcycle without protective gear or a helmet . Everything is great until you go down and then it's too late , just as these wet type batteries are fine until they take a crap on your electronics. JMHO.

killain

This just my $0.02, and I'm not trying to step on anyones toes, but from the moment I bought my 2003 50th Anniversary Corvette I knew after reading one after another horror stories, right here on this forum years ago when AC Delco batteries had a problem with the positive terminals, and I had the guys at www.countycorvette.com put a Optima Red Top in my Vette. I know a LOT OF FOLKS HATE OPTIMA, but they've been good to me, My current on is almost seven years old and still running and putting out cranking power to boot.

Now that's just my experience, I sure all of my fellow C5 owners have a good leak-proof battery in their cars. I had a chance to see whats under the battery in a C5 ????? Believe me, you don't want to have a leaking battery in your Corvette, get a AGM or something, but once you see the damage a leaking battery can cause you'll be convinced.

MSG C5

This thread also makes me wonder about all those battery den covers that are sold. Does covering the entire battery den cause problems with the battery, i.e. lack of air circulation, etc.? Some have holes already punched into the den cover for I assume ventilation, where other ones are one solid piece of molded gel.

2KFRC5

Killian, didn't your 2003 50th Anniversary Corvette come with an AGM battery, not one of the kind that was known to possibly leak?