Hello, the last owner of the 89 Vette that I want to buy has told me that he has changed the battery 3 times in the last 2 years, is it normal?

If it is, why is so fragile this battery? I know that even alternator need to be changed sometimes... Can someone explain me the cause of this electrical fragility? Affects it all the C4s?

Thanks!

 

The C-4 is hard on batteries. Seems to have a daily drain and needs to be started every few days. I have a 1996 and also seems to have no drain. After two week vacations, mine seems to start right up. Lucky, I guess.

 

The factory original battery in my 92 lasted 11 years before I replaced it. And even then, I installed a new battery simply because I was going to drive across the country and back. I did a load test on that original bettery and it never got below 78% of rated capacity. It's still used to power a 12V autocross timer at our club events.

The later C4's have a number of computers and processors that need a constant 12V power to retain data. This takes a slow drain from the battery but unless you only drive the car every other month, a good battery should be able to provide enough current to start the car and have the alternator recharge the battery.

Cold weather is pretty hard on a battery that is not used. The capacity of a batery drops when the temperatures fall like in the winter. Keeping a full charge in a bettery is important and a number of members here use battery maintainers to keep a battery fully charged.

Why, in your case, the battery had to be changed frequently is indicative of either cheap batteries, poor alternator output or some sort of abnormal drain on the battery. If you keep having batteries die on you, have the electrical system checked for excessive drain or low output from the alternator. Use a quality Group 75 battery that provides a minimum of 600 CCA. More cranking power is better and there are batteries in that group size that will provide over 800CCA.

If you don't use the car in the winter months, get a battery maintainer or tender (Harbor Freight has one on sale now for under $8.00:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=42292 ) I hook this tender up every winter and never have any problems when I need to use the car.

 

C4's don't need 3 batteries every 2 years!!!!
I'm easier on batteries because I drive my 87 everyday and I have owned it since 1989 and I have installed 2 batteries in those 16 years.
Lead acid batteries don't like sitting for long periods (4+wks) doing nothing. Batteries self discharge 1% each day and during discharge collect lead sulphate on the plates which is a good insulator. c4cruiser has good advice to maintain the charge on your car battery when it sits for long periods.

 

My '96 also is easy on batteries. I sometimes don't drive it for a month, and it always fires right up.
I do know that occaisonally the C4 under-hood lamps will stick on and drain batteries. Once, I didn't get the door shut completely and the interior lights drained mine, but that was MY fault.
Any C4 that needs three batteries in two years has something draining the system when the car is sitting....it is NOT normal.

Larry