Hi all,

I know there's probably a bunch of other threads on this, but I couldn't find anything of that recent. Twice this past week, a close friend of mine, who I had asked to drive my '96 every now and then while I'm away for college, has called me that the battery is flat. Since it happened to me once before, I'm pretty sure the battery needs to be replaced, which I will do when I return home. Looking for any recommendations on brands, warranties, etc.
Thank you.
-Taylor

 

There is only a few battery manufactures in the world who sell in the US. Johnson’s Control is a major supplier for most brands including wal mart most chain auto parts stores and others including AC Delco branded batteries. Interstate is anther one but I don’t think they re-label their batteries. Pick a price point and ease of convenience of a store and buy one.

 

However, you may NOT necessarily have to buy a new battery, depending on your battery charger. If there is some voltage level remaining in the battery, that is usually enough for most chargers to accept the battery as "good" and proceed to attempt to recharge the battery to normal full charge (~12.6 volts). However, not all chargers are alike. If the residual battery voltage is too low, some chargers will indicate the battery is hopeless (bad) when other (especially the old "trickle chargers") may in fact bring a battery back from the dead at least enough for a regular battery charger to accept them as viable candidates for recharging. (Welcome to battery maintenance 101!)

Normally in our cars (and all new cars as well) there is always some "parasitic" current draw: namely the presets on the radio and the computer memory. This draw is very small: 0.025A (25mA) is typical for our cars, but GM says up to 50mA is normal for all the electronics how on newer cars.

The other enemy of lead-acid batteries is the chemical reaction between the lead plates and the sulfuric acid (i.e., "electrolyte") in which the lead plates are immersed. In time, the reaction creates an insulating crystalline "sulfate" layer that grows over the surface of the lead plates - effectively reducing the amount of lead surface to react in the capacity as a battery.

There are two solutions: Connect a modern battery maintenance and monitoring "charger" (which not only maintains full charge, but periodically pulses the battery to remove any harmful sulfate and formation of same), OR disconnect the battery when it is to be dormant for weeks or months at a time.

Pros/Cons:

The "smart" charger (e.g., Battery Tender) will keep the battery at top performance (some of mine are 14 years old and still crank like new) AND prevent the formation of sulfate. However, these charger do require a steady power source which eliminates some storage facilities, leaving disconnecting the battery as the only alternative.

Disconnecting the battery does eliminate the parasitic draw issue, but w/o the pulsing of an active battery monitor/maintenance device, sulfate is unavoidable. However, if the battery is first fully charged and then disconnected and stored in a cold, often sub-freezing environment, like all chemical reactions the formation of sulfate is retarded perhaps significantly as to not pose an issue when the battery is reconnected and called upon to function normally.

So... All the way around the barn, I know. But, if you don't/can't rejuvenate the "flat" battery, you may have no other choice but to buy a replacement. If that is the case, remember that lead acid batteries largely come form the same manufacture(s) who put the name brand stamp on them when they go out the door. Therefore I recommend you buy a Everlast, or Interstate, or whatever inexpensive lead acid battery you can find and connect it to a "Battery Tender" (or the like) when not driving the car and let the charger watch over the battery while you're away!

.


Two things are at play with storage situations to be aware of: Normal parasitic draw, and sufate formation.

The normal parasitic draw is the "keep alive" current for the radio presets, and the computer memory. Depending on the source, GM says "normal" draw is up to 50mA (0.05Ampers). Anything greater than that requires investigation (the antenna motor switch is one common bugaboo)

Lead sulfate (PbSO4) is formed on the plates of lead-acid batteries - due to a chemical reaction between the electrolyte (sulfuric acid) and the lead plates immersed in it.

 

Check out places like Costco and Walmart with good prices and a nohassle warranty.

 

Do not buy duralast

 

Bought a walmart batter for 2 cars before I moved figuring they only had to last 6 mos they were both under 80 and had a 1 yr warranty. 2 yrs later still got em, wont buy anything else go figure.

Last mo Summit had a sale on ACDelco not sure for how long though.

 

The depot has excide now and seem to be a good buy , but warranty is not a issue any more because they pro rate the battery and i have not received the battery label warranty life at all.The AC Delco with a constant Battery charge on it seems to last the longest,. The Wal Mart fall short of there labeled life expectancy and have been getting cheaper and cheaper but are starting to leave me stranded. So a word to wise is always change prior to warranty dates. My last five year battery had no reserve after running the radio for a hour and a half and only gave me three years of running use..So now i have a portable battery charger i carry in the vehicle for a quick boost. Cost about $60.00 and well worth it!

 

When I owned my C4 for 23 years, I always bought from Walmart, good price, and performance wise, no complaints.

I also have one installed in my C6 now!

 

I have a advance brand (die hard now) in mine. It has little reserve capacity and boils over on a battery tender. The advanced lasts pretty much 2 years on the nose for me.

My diesel boat had walmart batteries (installed at the factory no less) back in 2006. The two starting ones finally failed a year or so ago. Ironically it was simply too weak for the engines but was fine for the gen and I'm still using it.

 

Looks like Costco or Walmart is the way to go then. Thank you for the input!

 

Or you could go with one of those super light $800 lithium ion batteries with reserve jump start capability (antigravity is one)... they look sweet but that price oh my.

I'd do AGM if you can as they'll stand up to sitting/discharges better

 

I would load test each battery that you buy. I just had a battery five year and had Walmart tell me the bar code read it was seven years old and i only have used it for three years. Let the buyer beware, walk with the your back to the wall!A good thing to do is date code on the battery your date of purchase.with a majic marker!

 

All I've used in my vehicles for the last 15 years is Duralast. I keep a Schumacher SC1299 Maintainer on the battery in my Vette since it gets started so seldom. Had no issues with the Duralast Golds, nor would I expect to since they are made by the same company that makes Walmart's and Costco's batteries. I have noticed that if they do fail, it's always about two months after their 5-year warranty expires........

 

Walmart or the cheapest you can find.

They all last about the same amount of time.

Any car that sits a few weeks with a computer or radio with memory drains the battery and that kills the battery.
I float the batteries with a mini charger and they last 3 to 4 years.

The better battery lasts 4 to 5 years. So is it worth the money?

I mark the date of purchase in nail polish on each battery. It saves guessing ....

 

Find out what is wrong first. Is it the battery that is bad or the alternator or there is a parasitic drain that is larger than it should be. It could be a combination of all 3.

Beyond that, I have had little luck with batteries lasting much past warranty other than whatever it is the MB dealer sells. WalMart was the worst since I replaced it twice under warranty for my Excursion and some other powersport. Interstate and Die Hard were ok. Delco, I am on my 2nd so we will see. First one crapped out during warranty.

 

Get an Interstate battery from CostCo or similar big box. They are good batteries and the best value in my opinion. If you don't have a membership, ask a favor from a friend who does.

 

Agreed 👍 Group 75 battery, less than $80, yes I know it's not Interstate's top of the line battery, but it's a good one, have Interstate batteries from Costco in all of my vehicles anywhere from 6 months to 5 years old, zero problems thus far 👍

 

Get was is available and convenient to your location. Walmart, Costco, etc.

 

Just buy a battery that can have Distilled Water added to it. If you can't add Distilled Water the battery is designed to fail quicker than batteries with vents.

ALWAYS Charge the New battery completely. If you can discharge it in a controlled fashion that might help as well. I like to charge/Discharge them a few cycles to get the battery to "FORM" before they ever get near my vehicle.

A lot of times "How Long the battery will last" has a lot to do with your Alternator. I have seen AC ripple getting put into the battery by an alternator with a faulty Diode Bridge. AC is great for your home but not for your Corvette's Electronics and electrical system. I check my alternator with a good multi-meter to be sure it is clean and free from any noise. This is critical for the "Optima" batteries is you want them to live a long life. The input voltage must be really clean for the Optima batteries if they are supposed to last. The two I have tried both died premature failures, one released a greenish colored smoke.

Like mentioned above, Mark your battery with when you bought it with a sharpie or something Permanent.

As for buying a battery, I go to places that sells hundreds of batteries per month. They have the newest Build Dates I have seen out there. Batteries frequently will have a build date on them, choose the freshest, newest made battery they have. I am convinced the supply chain of batteries don't get charged after they leave the factory. I have seen FLA batteries over a year old sitting on the shelf and there is no way I would buy that at any price. The open circuit voltage of less than 12 volts tells me that this particular battery will not have the capacity as lead sulfation has covered the discharge sections of the plates.

Do Not buy a battery based on it's warranty, it is a big gimmick. Frequently the same battery product is sold with different warranty levels. I have seen this myself on the exactly the same products.

Never leave a battery partially charged. Loss of capacity can occur pretty quickly. Always charge any battery with less than a full charge.

Battery manufacturers put antimony in the lead to help the lead stay hard longer and not flake off. Antimony is poison to a battery and the more they use the harder the plates BUT the water consumption is much higher with more antimony. I am not sure about Flooded Lead Acid batteries made in the United States lasting more than 10 years due to the materials used. VARTA is a German Battery manufacturer and they are known for their long lasting batteries. They don't use the antimony like we do instead they use Selenium and that helps harden the plates and is not toxic to the other materials used. VARTA car batteries can last way longer than our domestically made automotive batteries simply because of the ingredients they use. As you guessed, Selenium is more expensive and makes the batteries more expensive.

As the batteries get older they have a higher Self Discharge Rate and frequently become much more thirsty as well. If worried about your battery just record the battery voltage for 14 days and see what the self discharge is like.

There are battery chargers out there that claim that they can De-Sulfate a used battery and bring it back to full capacity. I would love to see one and test it, I am skeptical.

When handling a used battery be careful turning it on its side or at any sharp angles. Lead flakes off the plates and falls to the bottom of the container. When enough flakes are there and you put the battery on it's side you could short out the battery internally. The lead flakes make up a paste like substance and it can and will short out the cells when it gets high enough. So whenever handling a battery always keep it upright and cover the vents to prevent any electrolyte from leaking out. Internal shorts can lead to battery cases exploding showering the area with electrolyte. Try to keep your FLA batteries mounted securely and flat and they will be happy.

The only issue I have with these small Trickle chargers is that the electrolyte can become stratified and the battery will appear to be fully charged but not be. When you drive your car while charging it the battery is moved around and the electrolyte will de-stratify. Long term use of a trickle charger is frequently the cause. I put my batteries on a bench and charge them with a four stage charger and they will go all the way to "bubbling" of the electrolyte. An Unregulated HF unit did boil away all the electrolyte in a Brand new Interstate battery for my C3 when I left it unattended for three months or so.

Treat any battery like it is fully charged when working around them. I did a dumb thing and my stainless water bottle shorted across a battery and it melted holes into the container with water inside of it. The time the bottle was touching the battery terminals was only a couple seconds and that was more than enough to turn the lead posts on the battery to liquid lead. Several thousand amps can be released very quickly and things can get out of hand in a big hurry.

One last point. Batteries die faster when exposed to heat. Batteries mounted in the rear like in my C3 last longer due to their staying cool. I have now started insulating my batteries IF they are in the engine compartment. My wife's new VW has an insulated battery under the hood.

 

Not sure if they have batteries like that easily available. Can't say I have seen them in many places. Do they make it in many sizes or will it be necessary to shoehorn it in? How much more life would be expected to justify that trouble? My thoughts are to get one with a 3 year warranty and hopefully it breaks within the 3 years and get a new one so I can go 6 years.