I have a 96 LT1. I put in a new diehard battery 2 years ago.
I rarely drive the car as I have a company vehicle for work and I only drive it in good weather on the weekends.
It sits in my garage for the winter and every winter the battery dies.
I have a charger that I can charge it with and it has a slow charge mode for longer periods of sitting.
(I know I need to get a "battery tender" rather than the charger. )

Lately I have to give it a complete charge to start it and even after driving 50 or so miles and then going in a store for 30 minutes, when I come back out the battery is dead and I have to use a portable charger to get it started again. Also, when I start the car and park it in the driveway for a few minutes to let it run and charge up a bit, the lights on the radio are flickering a little as if the power to these parts are not constant.

So, my question is this, should I have the Chevy place replace the battery with a GM battery and check the alternator or should I just replace the battery and see what happens? I don't want to replace something I don't need and the local dealer keeps telling me I need an opti every inspection even though I tell them it has recently been charged and has not yet been driven the 60 miles it needs to reset. It isn't a matter of mistrust, it is a matter of good sense with the local dealer.

I would replace the battery myself again but it is a HUGE pain in the butt to take out the components above it and then take off the quarter panel etc. Plus, I am not a mechanic.

Thanks in advance for any information.

Diane

 

Take it to about any auto parts store for a FREE electrical check.

 

Thanks!

 

Autozone or most car/automotive stores can/will check your battery/alternator for free. Without a battery tender, your battery's ability to maintain a good charge is greatly reduced. Continuously running your battery down (not routinely driving the car) again and again puts a huge strain on the battery and will drastically shorten its life span. If your battery is bad, get yourself a battery tender (not a charger) and the battery should last at least four years. I just replaced mine and it lasted for eight; it was a Sears DieHard Gold. I've always used them and they've always lasted for years and years.

I would not get a GM battery. They're very expensive and I doubt it will last as long as a DieHard or other name brand battery.

 

my 96 needs a battery tender, otherwise it dies like yours.
But get a sears diehard gold battery. then sears will take care of you for 7 years.

 

1)..charge battery

2)..get volt meter and read voltage at battery (should be approx
12.3v +/-)

3)..get volt meter and read voltage at batt (red) terminal to ground of alternator (should be approx 12.3v +/-).**if not, dead battery, blown fusible link.

4)..start car and measure voltage at at batt terminal of alternator. (should be 13.3v +/-) *if not alternator bad assuming you had voltage in #3..

5)..measure voltage at battery terminals with car running. (should just about be the same as alternator as in #4). **if not any higher then battery voltage, bad alternator or blown link as above.

take battery in and have it load tested. remove cruise control and structure brace and the batery should lift right out at an angle...a hell of a lot easier then removing body panels..(mine is an 88, your MAY be similar).

 

RedHotLT1,

Your battery is shot. Replace it before something gets damaged trying to jump start it or the low voltage damages something.

Since you purchased it at Sears only 2 years ago, what warranty came with the battery? If the battery is still under warranty and you will get at least 1/2 the cost covered by Sears, then I'd go back to Sears to have them replace it (either for free or pro-rated) -- and follow the suggestions of forum members by getting the sears diehold gold.

If the Sears battery is no longer covered under warranty, then consider another brand and facility (ACDelco, interstate, exide, etc), but get the highest/longest warranty version available (you'll probably need/use it).

Also, try and purchase a battery that has the words 'maintenance free' right on it (although these are not available at many places, hence why ACDelco professional 72month battery is typically put in by the dealers -- it is a 'maintenance free' battery). Reason is a 'maintenance free' battery's chemistry is slightly different and requires and tolerates the slightly higher charging voltage that our cars generate.

Regarding the health of your alternator, your digital dash can tell you if the alternator is working (use the 'gauges' button on the DIC to select 'volts' and once the engine is running, see what it says -- should be 14-15 volts if alternator is ok, less than 12.6 means dead alternator, more than 15.5 means the regulator (which is built into the alternator) has a problem, and both need to be replaced.

Alternatively, Sears should also (for free) put their volt meter on the old/new battery and advise if the alternator is working correctly.

Lastly you mentioned not trusting your dealer because of their wanting to replace the OPTI. If the OPTI was truely replaced less than 60 miles ago, what is it that has them recommending replacement again? Is the 'check engine' light lit and/or do you have old 'codes' which are normally related to OPTI failures? Let us know and maybe we can get your dealer off your back by correcting whatever they keep 'seeing'.

 

It sounds like you may have a short somewhere too. I can't remember the exact process for checking, but I think you remove the negative battery cable and then take a test light between the two. If you have a short, meaning the hot side is shorting into your ground, then your light should light up once placed between the negative terminal on your battery and any other working ground on the car.

It may be a very slight short with some resistance meaning the light won't light, so a voltage meter would be better. On a brand new battery with a very small drop it could go for months without running the battery dead, but once a lead acid battery is totally discharged, it totally kills it's maximum capacity. Do it a few more times and 30 minutes sounds about right before it goes dead again, until it gets to the point where it won't even hold enough charge to start the car.

 

Take the car to a reputable auto repair shop and have them test the chargings system. They will charge the battery then run a load test on the battery with the engine off and then with the engine running. These tests will determine whether or not the battery is bad or if the alternator is bad. No need to remove the battery or the alternator.

Testing for a current drain is easy but you need a digital volt/ohm meter to find a current drain. Set the DMV to mA (millamps). Remove the negative battery cable and connect the DVM leads between the cable and the negative post. Look at the readout to see what the value is. Make sure that the doors are closed and the interior lights are off before disconnecting the battery as you need the electrical system to be "quiet". Any mA reading above about .120 will indicate some excessive current drain. IF you see a high value, you can check the circuits by pulling fuses in turn to see if the reading drops off.

There will always be a slight current drain as the ECM and CCM need some power for maintaing memory. Even things like the clock in the radio or the settings in the HVAC head (if you have the C68 climate control system) need some amount of power.

If you need a battery, I would recommend an AC Delco "Professional Grade" as a suitable replacement. These batteries are sold at auto repair shops, dealers, or AC Declo parts stores. The Delco batteries sold at chain stores are not the same. The Sears DieHard is a good battery or you can go with an Interstate.

Given that the car sits a lot, invest in a good quality battery maintainer and hook it up.

The battery is easy to remove by simply removing the side gill panel. There is no need to remove the diagonal brace or the criuse control unit. You can have the battey out in about 3 minutes simply by removing the side gill, the two cables, and the hold-down bolt on the back of the tray.

 

You must not visit much in C4 tech. I have been trying for years to educate owners to take better care of their batteries, particularly owners that leave their cars sit for long (4+ wks) periods. Don't bother taking your battery anywhere to be tested, it is ruined by sitting and nothing can be done for it. Buy both a new battery and a battery tender and USE the battery tender when you don't drive your vette. Car batteries go bad sitting and using a tender to keep it charged will allow the normal battery lifetime.