Truck batteries-

[Kev Williams]

So while moving my truck around the yard, the fact that I COULD move it still somewhat amazes me...

It's my trusty 2002 Ford F-250 supercab, bought it brand new in March of '02; almost zero options, has 4WD, an automatic trans and air conditioning, and that's IT. Because I've been self-employed for nearly forever, and work from home, I don't need to drive it much. Right now it has just under 64,000 miles on it, and it's been at 63-something for about 5 years now. It's basically pretty much like new.
Pics below, first one was taken in Sept '09, just before I was about to change out the first set of tires, 2nd pic is from Nov '19, and that's the newest pic I can find at the moment-

As for the 'batteries' subject, it's because, like the tires that's on it, which are only the 2nd set of tires it's ever seen, it's also on only it's second battery-! The factory battery had to be changed in August 2013, over 11 years in, and not because it was going dead, it was still starting the truck just fine; but because the thing 'exploded' just after launching our boat! -Wasn't a BIG bang, it was more of a firm *POP* when it went, but the case blew apart, apparently it shorted out within itself.

--Anyway, that battery I put in later that day is still starting the truck just fine, and it's near 10-1/2 years old! I've never had ONE battery last 10-11 years, let alone TWO, and in the same vehicle!

So I got to wondering if anyone else has a battery story, or has some other 'thing' that should've given up long ago but just won't die-?
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[Jim Koepke]

One of the tricks I learned a long time ago to help a battery survive a long time is to keep the top of the battery clean. A build up of dirt, especially with a little oil or other moisture can conduct and drain a battery.

Wipe the top completely with a dry rag.

Another thing is to check that the terminals are tight and the wiring should also be kept clean. Make sure both ends of the cables and wiring is solidly connected.

jtk

[Rick Potter]

Had a '97 F250 which I sold in 2005. After it left home, I got to thinking about the battery and realized it was still on the original one.

On the other hand, the replacement for it was 2005 F250 diesel, which had two batteries, and ate them continuously at the three year mark until I sold it to my Grandson in 2022.

[roger wiegand]

I just bought my third set of batteries (it takes two) for my 2009 F350. 6-7 years seems about average for me; I imagine there is a distribution of battery lifetimes and that some percentage last 10 years. If it's 2% then your chance of having two is about 0.04%, or 1 in 2500. Maybe you should buy a lottery ticket!

[Jim Becker]

While batteries "generally" have a 3-5 year lifespan, I've seen many folks talk about situations where they got much longer. The battery in the MY12 Grand Cherokee I owned was actually still fine at about 7 years, but I elected to replace it proactively at that point. I'm pretty sure that the fact that it lives inside the cabin on the JGC certainly didn't hurt the longevity. I only got three years out of the OEM battery on the MY19 Ascent and grabbed a new one from Costco with a little better spec. I'm actually surprised the battery in my Kubota tractor lasts as long as it does...I think I've replaced it maybe three times in 20 years.

Now tires...this is something that someone owning a vehicle for a long time and not putting miles on it has to pay attention to. Tires can become degraded after about five years or so after date of manufacture. For safety reasons, one sometimes has to replace them even if they are not significantly worn. Dry rot, etc, can cause poor handling and blowouts. The rule of thumb for trailers is five years and replace so serious consideration of that should be in play for a truck or car, too.

[Bill Howatt]

Neighbor has a 2013 RAM with the original battery. The original one in my 2017 Grand Caravan croaked in about 3.5 years. I tend to go with Roger's 6-7 year number and consider anything can happen at the 5 year level.
It appears to me, at least around here, that you used to be able to get a 7 year warranty on the more expensive batteries but now 5 seems to be the limit. This isn't based on an exhaustive search.
It's the heat that kills the battery, it's the cold when it shows up - nice general thought, but it doesn't always wait until it is cold.

[Curt Harms]

While batteries "generally" have a 3-5 year lifespan, I've seen many folks talk about situations where they got much longer. The battery in the MY12 Grand Cherokee I owned was actually still fine at about 7 years, but I elected to replace it proactively at that point. I'm pretty sure that the fact that it lives inside the cabin on the JGC certainly didn't hurt the longevity. I only got three years out of the OEM battery on the MY19 Ascent and grabbed a new one from Costco with a little better spec. I'm actually surprised the battery in my Kubota tractor lasts as long as it does...I think I've replaced it maybe three times in 20 years.

Now tires...this is something that someone owning a vehicle for a long time and not putting miles on it has to pay attention to. Tires can become degraded after about five years or so after date of manufacture. For safety reasons, one sometimes has to replace them even if they are not significantly worn. Dry rot, etc, can cause poor handling and blowouts. The rule of thumb for trailers is five years and replace so serious consideration of that should be in play for a truck or car, too.

I've seen 'talk' that Pennsylvania is considering making tire age an inspection item. Don't know what there's to it. The OEM battery in my 2001 Ranger went about 10 years. No replacement has done as well. When I install or remove the battery I put a light coating of grease on the terminals. No special grease, just wheel bearing grease. Keeps the terminals nice and clean, no corrosion.

[Dick Strauss]

We replaced the battery on our 01 Camry in 2013. The old 89 Civic was on the OEM battery when it was traded in for the Camry.

"Sealed" or "Maintenance Free" batteries still lose fluid over time. Pop the sealing caps and add DI or distilled water when the levels fall below the plastic tubes for each battery cell. If the cell becomes exposed, the battery capacity drops off significantly.

Possibly the rate of charge versus the battery capacity comes into play with poor longevity. If you are charging a 700 CCA battery using a 200A alternator (2010 F350 used to use this size for HD versions iirc) versus a 90A alternator charging the same battery, the battery may get hot charging at 200A and the fluid can be lost quickly. If you don't replace the lost fluid, the battery won't last long. We routinely saw this situation with electric forlifts being put on fast charge circuits in industry causing the batteries to need more water at least every week and usually several times per week. The batteries placed on the slow charge circuits needed more fluid less than once a month while working in a 120 degree environment.

[Jim Becker]

I've seen 'talk' that Pennsylvania is considering making tire age an inspection item. Don't know what there's to it.
I haven't heard that but it would not be difficult for a state to do that given the date codes are molded right into the tires. Most folks don't have tires last longer than a few years with normal driving patterns so this would largely affect a smaller portion of the owners out there who keep vehicles a long time without driving much; largely like a pick em up truck that doesn't get used very much.

[Bruce Volden]

Well Kev,

This is a sneaky way to try to sell your truck!!
You forgot to ask how much I am willing to pay!:D:D
Bruce

[roger wiegand]

After having a couple trailer tires with 1-2000 miles on them disintegrate from age I'm now a believer. Five years and off they go, no matter what they look like. I was told that it is less of an issue on more frequently used vehicles because the flexing of the tire helps distribute the plasticizer. I suspect that's hogwash, but it's only a potential issue on my truck that gets only a couple thousand miles a year. The car tires way out much more frequently.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

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This monster has 4 batteries wired in parallel and series to make a 24v deep cycle system. The batteries went dead and they are $650 each. I found a place that sells adapters for Optima batteries, which are much cheaper. I read a lot of bad about optima batteries after moving production to Mexico. Two of the batteries went bad in short
order, but they were replaced free of charge under warranty.

[Bruce Wrenn]

For heavy duty truck batteries, stop by the PeterBilt store, AKA the Pete store. Way better than other sourced batteries, and cheaper. We average around nine years on batteries in our vehicles. Last batteries we bought (three) were the one year ones from Walmart. All three are now in their fifth year of use. Battery on stand by generator has 2009 manufacturing date, which means it's at least 14 years old now. On Monday, I will find out if it still works during monthly generator test. It did the first of this month. One thing that hurts batteries in newer cars is for fuel economy, alternator doesn't continously charge. It waits till battery is well drained and then charges, rather than continously. Kinda like deep cycling the battery.

[Rich Engelhardt]

For heavy duty truck batteries, stop by the PeterBilt store, AKA the Pete store. Way better than other sourced batteries, and cheaper. We average around nine years on batteries in our vehicles. Last batteries we bought (three) were the one year ones from Walmart. All three are now in their fifth year of use. Battery on stand by generator has 2009 manufacturing date, which means it's at least 14 years old now. On Monday, I will find out if it still works during monthly generator test. It did the first of this month. One thing that hurts batteries in newer cars is for fuel economy, alternator doesn't continously charge. It waits till battery is well drained and then charges, rather than continously. Kinda like deep cycling the battery.
The battery in my 3.5 year old Hyundai Kona with 19k miles on it died a few months ago. The guy that came out from road service pretty much told me that exact same thing - about the charging system.
He said my battery died because it never had the chance to charge up enough because I didn't run the engine long enough to charge it.

[Bruce Wrenn]

The battery in my 3.5 year old Hyundai Kona with 19k miles on it died a few months ago. The guy that came out from road service pretty much told me that exact same thing - about the charging system.
He said my battery died because it never had the chance to charge up enough because I didn't run the engine long enough to charge it.A Battery Minder, or Battery Tender is your friend. Using quick connect, keep it connected when not driving vehicle. That's what is on stand by generator battery, so it's always topped off, with out over charging. Twice a year, I check electrolyte level and add distilled water if necessary. Remember that the maintainance free batteries are designed to have enough distilled water to last them thru the warranty, and no more. Peel sticker off top, and using a sharp tool, pry out caps and top off electrolyte. Distilled water is a lot cheaper than a battery.

[Dick Strauss]

Short trips are hard on all batteries, especially in colder climates because as your guy stated, the car doesn't run long enough to replenish the charge used. Do that often enough and your battery is dead. Running heated seats, headlights , etc., make it that much harder to maintain a charge.

Battery tenders are your friend in that situation!

[Monte Milanuk]

Gotta love the timing on this thread... I traded our '18 F350 SCLB SRW 6.2L gas for a '22 F350 CCLB DRW 7.3L gas a few months back. Got the '18 when it was about 2 years old, and we also have a '17 Ford Fusion that I got @ 1 year old (former rental car). Both the '17 Fusion and the '18 F350 needed a new battery within the first year, as the OEM one was crap. There were zero maintenance records on the '22 F350, so I took it in for the 15k service. I was a little skeptical when they showed me the report, saying (among other things) that the battery was 'good' at 85% capacity - after only a year!

Since then, I got an alert on my FordPass phone app saying remote start was turned off due to the truck battery charge level, and suggested driving around for a while to charge it. This is an 'extra' vehicle, primarily for hauling a slide-in truck camper and the occasional trips to the big box store or the lumber yard. I don't know about you, but I have absolutely zero intention of 'driving around for a while' in a crew cab long bed dually just to charge the <bleep>ing battery. I did let it sit and idle for a while, hoping that would help. Nope, next time I went to actually use it, it barely turned over.

Now, I suppose the charging system *could* have gone TU in the relatively short interval since the 15k service/inspection... but I doubt it. I think it's just time for a new battery - again. But I am beyond frustrated with my experience with Ford's OEM batteries. I might get one of those battery minders also.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Who do you think makes Ford's OEM batteries? Do a little research. Might surprise you as to the answer. Batteries are built to customer's specs. As an example, when I last bought batteries from Walmart (4+ years ago), a group 65 was $49.99, with a one year exchange warranty. For $79.99, I could get a group 65 with a two year exchange warranty. Both batteries were made by Exide, had same CCA, and weighted 42.5 pounds. This tells me they were the same battery with different stickers and prices. At that time Rural King sold same (Exide) battery for $59.99, with a five year prorated warranty. Here locally, Car Quest, AutoZone and O'Rielys are the big vendors of batteries. You will have customers with a bad battery come in and swear they would never have a battery from the other parts store as they are JUNK! Then they buy a battery from this store which was made by the same exact company and to same specs, with only the sticker being different.

[Brian Elfert]

I have a set of four group 31 AGM batteries in my converted bus from 2010. I swear the Series 60 still starts on the first revolution with these batteries. I keep them on a Battery Tender when not on the road so that helps.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

We planned a Pawpaw Christmas vacation for West Yellowstone for an ex-DIL and 3 youngest grandkids, twin 12 year old granddaughters and their 10 year old brother for Dec. 18--Dec. 23, 2022 for multiple tours of Yellowstone National Park. 10 days before going I got to thinking about the fact that the battery in my 2013 Honda Pilot was original. As a kid I lived for over a year just south of Yellowstone and was quite aware of the weather potential in the area. It was high 30's here before the trip and I elected to take the chance.

We rolled into West Yellowstone, MT on 12/18/2022 and began with everybody taking the next day as a day of relaxation. The next day we began our winter tours. Wednesday night according to the hotel staff it got down to -38º F with a wind chill of -57º F. Thursday morning at -27º F, my Pilot wouldn't start. The hotel maintenance personnel jumped it 3 times, twice with their truck and then retrieved a professional battery booster/charger from a garage and it still wouldn't start. They then contacted that garage and they towed my Pilot to their very large heated garage, checked the battery, removed it, replaced it with a new battery from NAPA and charged me $250 total. I checked with the nearest Costco in Bozeman and the battery alone would have been over $190 and taxes. I thought $250 for the labor, battery and tow was more than reasonable.

BTW we got over 20" of snow while there on top of what was already on the ground. We had a ground floor suite of 2 bedrooms. Check out the snow outside the window on top of the pool cover.513052

And yes, properly clothed, you can have fun in sub-zero weather!

[Warren Lake]

just had the saturn not start and walked home. 2 Year old well known battey Before it had a Delco for 8 years and before that a delco that only lasted two years and was replaced for free.

On the counter wiht the fancy meter they told me it was fine, one guy three times. Even did a printout from the meter. My mechanic had shown up earlier with a load tester. I asked them for a load tester and one of them listened and got a 2k load meter. Set to cold crank amps for the battery it went down and in seconds dropped below 9.2 and fail started at 9.6. I suspect a proper load test is longer than the maybe four or five seconds. I took photos of it with the meter in the fail zone and left with a new battery. This was not the battery I wanted as I always go higher if it fits and on this car planned to cut the bracket that held the battery in so I could do that but was short of info at the time plus this car the battery is vented so that being a part of it as well. Lucky my old mechanic friend came by with his 40 plus year old meter earlier. I learned Amps and volts are two different things I think I was showing 12.55 volts on the bench till the load meter. I'm losing my faith in these batteries even if they are a top company. Batteries used to weigh as much as my car, now they almost float in the air compared.

[Rick Potter]

For those who have little used cars, I strongly recommend using a battery tender. I have several for my toy cars, and the batteries last a long time, as well as staying strong. Also have an old Toyota mini van we use only every few months, and it always starts right up because of the tenders.

I use Deltran and have had no problems with them.