John Wicz Posted October 8, 2007 Report Share Posted October 8, 2007 How long are people keeping their OEM battery before replacing and are you replacing with another Delco or some other brand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimD Posted October 8, 2007 Report Share Posted October 8, 2007 It seems that with batteries inside the car (not under the hood), you can expect 6 or more years. But I would replace any battery that failed to crank and fire the engine after 5 years and not look back. These 'modern' cars put a lot of load on the battery and low voltage can set false trouble codes. ACDelco is the OEM supplier and I have heard that Johnson Controls also offers a battery in the same configuration. Jim Drive your car. Use your cell phone. CHOOSE ONE ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted October 8, 2007 Report Share Posted October 8, 2007 John, I have been told that Farm & Fleet has batteries that have the proper venting to fit our application. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fast 600 Posted October 9, 2007 Report Share Posted October 9, 2007 How long are people keeping their OEM battery before replacing and are you replacing with another Delco or some other brand? Stick with Delco, I copied this from another forum. I teach automotive electrical system training and have just recently assisted in developing a bid spec for batteries to be used in our fleet of vehicles. So I have a little bit of experience in this area. One of the most important factors that is often over looked is the construction of the plates. Lead-acid batteries have plates that are constructed from lead. Pure lead is not strong enough to withstand the vibration that an automotive battery is exposed to. Because of this lead must be combined with another material to make it stronger. Battery manufacturers for years have combined lead with antimony to give the plates strength. Antimony is the ingredient that causes lead acid batteries to gas. Years ago Delco pioneered the use of batteries that had no antimony. The plates were reinforced with calcium. This virtually eliminated gassing. Because gassing was eliminated there was no water loss from charging. This eliminated the need to have filler caps to replace lost water. The maintenance free battery was born. Today most automobiles come with sealed maintenance free batteries as standard equipment. Lead-calcium batteries are more resistant to charge than lead-antimony batteries. Because of this the charging system must charge at a higher voltage to keep them fully charged. The voltage levels that are used for lead-calcium batteries will overcharge a standard lead-antimony battery. If a standard maintenance type battery is installed in your vehicle you can expect to have excessive gassing and acid spewing. The major drawback to maintenance free lead-calcium construction is that they are not very resistant to deep cycling. If you run your battery to a low state of charge, there is a good chance that it will cause damage to the battery and it’s life will be shortened. I always recommend replacing a sealed maintenance free batteries with the same type to prevent overcharging. Recently, in speaking with a representative from Exide, he told me that their batteries were lead-calcium construction. They still have caps to fill them so I’m not completely convinced that this they won’t be a problem. But we have some in service that we are testing in GM vehicles to see if we experience excessive gassing. In my personal vehicles (GM products), I always replace them with the original equipment Delco batteries and have had very good luck them. I seem to get very good life from them. Also, I don’t have problems with rust and corrosion because there is no acid present in the engine compartment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted October 9, 2007 Report Share Posted October 9, 2007 Very informative, but it begs the question, why do the OEM batteries under the rear seat have vent tubes on them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Wicz Posted October 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2007 This also assumes that Delco makes their own batteries or specifies the internal construction to their manufacturer (who might also sell the same battery under another label). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Wicz Posted October 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2007 Just an FYI: Dealer price for an AC Delco $165, parts store price $149 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted October 9, 2007 Report Share Posted October 9, 2007 $150 for a battery! I'm going to Fleet when I need one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Wicz Posted October 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2007 $150 for a battery! I'm going to Fleet when I need one. $89.00 at Fleet (in stock @ Woodstock) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted October 9, 2007 Report Share Posted October 9, 2007 Much better, but that would be the most I have ever paid for a battery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Wicz Posted October 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2007 A sale might lower it by $5 - $10, still a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjtjwdad Posted October 13, 2007 Report Share Posted October 13, 2007 FYI, I replaced my battery at 6 years and while it never failed to start the car or produce electrical problems it was ready to be changed. The one that was put in 129.00 installed at my dealer went dead in 6 months, which was recently replaced again. Unknown as to why the 1st replacement battery failed but one unknown question was how long that battery had been sitting on the shelf. As a general rule I replace all batteries between 5 and 6 years of age. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarneyKris Posted December 1, 2007 Report Share Posted December 1, 2007 I just bought a 2000 Deville DTS. Battery still seems ok. Will see how it handles at 20 below in wisconsin. Battery says 880 cold cranking amps. Assuming original. My main question is there is a hole from corrosion right through the bottom of my battery compartment, about the size of a quarter. It has the vent tubes installed etc, but hole right through floor. Hate to replace battery if not needed or does this say I need to replace? Can I put something under the battery that will protect the burning holes and still allow for the battery holder to bolt down and keep battery from moving? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Wicz Posted December 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2007 Is there a hole in addition to the vent tube hole, if so, this is a known "problem" and the dealer should have a kit which consists of a tray for the battery. If you have an additional hole that is caused by corrosion, I would remove the battery and inspect it good to make sure there are cracks etc. (in other words, what caused the hole). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted December 1, 2007 Report Share Posted December 1, 2007 The hole will only get worse unless you repair it. Clean it up good. Wire brush the rust. Paint it with Permatex Extend or some such product. Cover the spot with a sheet of aluminum or sheet metal and attach it with rivets, sheet metal screws and/or silicone caulk. Then determine the cause. It has to be either a leaky battery or a disconnected vent tube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.