I've had my 2000 coupe for less than 2 mos. The previous owner left me no records, and I am assuming that the AC Delco 6-year battery is the original.

Today the battery is 100% dead. I just drove the car home from the mechanic yesterday (brakes and coolant service) and had no indication of a problem. The hydrometer looks clear. Is there anything special I should be aware of before replacing the battery on this car? Are there only certain batteries I should consider as replacements? Is there anything I should do to safeguard the electronics in my car when I swap out the batteries? I'd rather do it myself than pay someone to do it.

Thanks for any helpful advise you can give.

 

It's possible the battery could die if it's the original battery. My '01 coupe has only 14000 miles on it and I'm on my 3rd battery. They will drain the battery if they sit for long periods without driving or at least starting and running to keep the battery up. That has been my problem. Allowing the battery to run down and then charging it is tough on the battery. Especially, if it happens a few times as in my case. The replacement battery of choice seems to be the Optima Red Top. I'm on my second one because of my laziness. The second was a warranty replacement. You can buy these at Sears and I've also seen them at Blain's Farm and Fleet. I suggest if you won't drive/start it for long periods that you also consider a "Battery Tender Plus" charger/maintainer. They are very good, but only if you use them after you buy, that was my issue. I bought mine at a motorcycle shop. There are other trickle chargers out there, but they are not the same.

 

Even though the battery's dead, there are identical high pitched noises coming from the headlight assemblies. What's with that?

 

I forgot to add that I did not have any issues changing the battery myself. Just disconnect, loosen/remove the hold-down and you know the rest. I think I lost my radio presets, but I can't remeber for sure.

 

Thanks for your response, Redblur, sitting around un-driven is definitely not the problem. I wish I could leave the car alone for more than 3 or 4 days at a time. Maybe after I've owned it awhile...

 

Is this noise with the key off?

 

Yes. No key, no anything.

 

I don't know why you'd hear those noises. It may be that something is trying to run when it should not be, such as the headlamp doors? That would put a load on the battery. You might try disconnecting the battery and re-connecting it to see what happens to the noise. Regardless, if it's the original battery, it's time. You'd just want to make sure nothing out of the ordinary is draining the battery, especially if you continue to hear the noise after installing a new battery.

 

Had same issue. Replaced battery and within week, dead. Was electrical drain, driver seat switch shorted. Feplaced switch and no more problem>

 

Your battery could still be good if the reason it died is that someone left a door ajar or a radar detector on. I thought my OEM AC Delco was gone about a month ago after I left the radar detector on and something was causing it to beep constantly. I simply charged the battery to a full charge and everything has been great ever since.
Now if you DO need to replace it, you have plenty of choices. Many forum members are nervous about using a lead acid battery, since earlier designs tended to leak at the terminals. This was rumored to be because the factory over-torqued the clamps, placing too much stress on the posts. Fortunately, since 2004, the AC Delco batteries have benefited from a redesign, which included significant strengthening of the battery case, especially at the terminals. The AC Delco Professional batteries now carry a 50 month free replacement warranty - best in the industry.

If you feel like you HAVE to have an AGM battery, there are the Exide Orbital, Optima Redtop, and Sears Platinum. The Optima has fallen out of favor with many C6 owners, due to very short lifespans and the other two really haven't been around for the same number of years, so the jury is out on them as durable batteries. Keep in mind that the AGMs are typically much more expensive than say, a new AC Delco battery. Choose wisely.......

By the way, I used to watch Astroboy on TV when I was about 4 years old!

 

My '04 has only 9,000 miles on the battery and it's gone. It obviously sits in the garage a lot, but some Jackazz sideswiped me last November and the car was in the shop til March. The JA installing the windshield broke the sunvisor and I think the switch never cut the vanity light off and killed the battery every couple of weeks. Now it won't really take a charge. Tomorrow I'm going out to Corona, Ca. and pick up an ODYSSEY battery and a mini-charger that exercises the battery when the car is stored. Hopefully that cures my problem. Oh BTW I had to buy a new passenger side sunvisor/vanity lamp from Ecklers for $99.00 and replace it too...so don't use the CLIPPENGER CHEVROLET BODY SHOP FOR YOUR VETTE those guys only know one thing when working on your Vette

Just my $0.02.....