Yesterday I was planning to take the C7 out for a little Joy-Ride. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. The Corvette refused to start.

It’s a good thing that I remembered where the Manual Door Latch was located, because a security warning showed up on the driver display and the electronic door switch was inoperable.

About a week ago the battery gave a little hint that it was failing. On my return trip from a local store, during the final restart of the engine, it turned over a little slower than normal. Upon returning home I hooked up the battery tender, but, as we all know, the battery tender is not a charger. And it cannot overcome a failed or failing battery.

This happened to me in the past a number of times and the solution has always been a battery replacement. So I'll be on the hunt for a new battery soon.. Perhaps the only replacement battery should be OEM?

 

Many like after market but I'm a OEM freak, unless I can help the engine breathe or exhaust or look better

 

I contemplated other options for my Tahoe a couple months ago, but decided on the OEM with a 42 month warranty

 

There are a number of good aftermarket batteries that work just fine in a C7, but when I had to replace mine, I went with an AC Delco 42 month battery through the local dealer.

 

How old is your car?

(i.e., the battery)

 

Don't know the date the battery was mfg'd. I'm the second owner. But I'll post the date of the battery mfg, and load test the battery both with photos soon.

tks

 

I'm an OEM guy; I'd go with AC Delco.

 

The main purpose of a battery is to crank your engine. Buy one with at least the same cranking amps that you currently have (assuming it's OEM and it usually says it on it on the sticker). Any brand that you like will do the job. GM doesn't make batteries. They buy them from battery manufacturers and put their name on it. The same manufacturers you would buy a battery under a different brand name. My opinion is to buy whatever brand you would like. I buy my batteries from the local parts store and I usually get 3 or 4 years out of them. If you want OEM, go for it.

 

There are only a few battery manufacturers. Then they all get branded different.

 

I went with a GM AGM battery from my local GM dealer.

 

just get any decent AGM battery and you'll be fine.

 

I also am a OEM guy. Went with the AC DELCO 42 month. My original was still going strong after 6 years, but didn’t want to push my luck and decided it was time. Didn’t want anything to start going haywire lol

 

Funny, with all our other cars I go with the battery that I think is the best deal. With the C7, I go OEM.

 

OK, I got the battery changed yesterday. A little over 1 hour was needed.

I gave some thought to AGM, but I've not had good luck with them in the past. In the end I chose OEM.

I'd be lying if I said it was easy. It was not. But it is doable for most guys with tools, strength and patience. THE BATTERY IS HEAVY!!!

A final note: I purchased one of those battery carrying straps. The strap did not fit well and came loose two times while I was trying to pull the battery. Purchasing the strap was a total waste of time and money.

Photo1 – Old Battery – the photo shows the Date Code, the Static Battery Voltage taken from the Harbor Freight load tester, and the location of the unused Vent Port with a White Vent Plug installed.



Photo2 – Load Tester - This photo shows battery voltage under a load condition. The load tester confirms the old battery is toast with a little less that 8 volts under load.


Photo3 – The Battery Well - In this photo everything is shoved out of the way. The space is deep and very limited.
I had a difficult time removing the battery because I could not get a hand under it to make the lift. Also, the carpet on the upper side of the photo (passenger side) prevented the battery from lifting straight up and out. I was finally able to flip the battery to a lengthwise vertical position, negative side down. This allowed better leverage to remove the battery.
-- I feel bad that I forgot to take the money shot of the battery in a vertical position - oh well, perhaps next time --



Photo4 – All done, everything reassembled but the Positive Cover Shield. A final check shows the little ground cable is attached to the main ground cable, and all cables are tight. The Vent Port tubing is installed.
For reinstall, the battery did have to go in vertically and then roll down to it's normal position. There are videos of guys pulling the battery straight out, but this way did not work for me.


Photo5- A vent plug is attached to the Positive Battery Shipping Shield. Don't forget to install the vent plug into the open Positive side Vent Port before dropping the new battery in place. You can install the plug afterwards without removing the battery (with tweezers and good eye sight), but it is better to do it first.

 

Yeah, its really important to know about that. I have this in my car.

 

Thanks for the great write up with pictures. (Wish more folks would do the same when it comes to performing repairs etc) Knock on wood, but I haven’t had to replace my battery yet. But realize it’s only a matter of time. Was wondering, when the battery is out, is there enough room to lay something like some sort of thin strap or maybe a leather belt underneath the new battery to aid in lifting it out the next time?

 

Changing my GS battery was a real pain in the a$$. Could GM make it more difficult? maybe but, not much.
Did the[GM] ever try to change it themselves? I think not. A strap - turn it on the side - undo many extra bolts/nuts - remove padding === yikes!!!

 

I used this to get mine out. Very easy.

 

Just did mine too. Some patience and tools. Maybe a small bourbon. I got the oem battery from Chevrolet dealership with the 42 month. Nice thing this one has a handle to pull it out. It’s a great feeling DYI. Nice work.

 

That must be the secret.

I like how you think!