Long-lived batteries

[Jeremiah]

This has been covered before, but I couldn't help mentioning that in another week I will begin my 10th year (and also the 10th winter) on my OEM batteries. Bought the truck in November 2002 (it's an '03), so count em: 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10 and 11 is nine years. My 10th year begins 11/11.



I attribute this longevity to plugging the truck in during winter any time the temp goes below 20 degrees (which, at 9,000 above sea level, is nearly every night from November to April). Turning the engine over through 10 quarts of cold oil has got to be hard on batteries. Plus, I use a synthetic too, so that makes a difference too.



Now I'm gonna go knock on wood and hope I'm back a year from now saying the same thing, only it will be Year 11!

 

[tp0d]

I`m happy for ya, but yer pushin it. Dead in a parking lot on a 10° day isnt worth it.

-j

 

[Blakers]

I bought my truck new in May of 03 and I've never touched the batteries. I plug her in when it gets real cold, but always use 15W-40 oil. They're still cranking along fine.

Blake

 

[Jeremiah]

Hey, if that happens (dead in the parking lot), it's Triple A to the rescue! A quick jump and I'm on my way to Costco to buy a couple of new ones! $75 apiece oughta get me back running again. Someone awhile back mentioned that Costco batteries are made by the same company that made the OEMs. Don't know if that's true or not, but it sounded good to me. Especially the price. Full disclosure: I don't work for Costco, don't know anybody there, but I am a shopper there.

 

[icman95]

J,



I'm right there with you. My 01 purchased in May of 01 kept on going with the batts, so I waited to see how long they'd last. It was this time last year-right before winter-when they started to crank noticeably slower, so I replaced them before I got stuck, but was able to get 9 1/2 years out of them. I was really impressed considering all they do. I was fortunate enough to have a neighbor who had some super duper AGM batteries (I think originally $180 each) that he had removed from a vehicle he didn't have anymore and he sold them to me for $50 each. They were only a few years old and work great in my truck. Glad to hear others are having good luck with OEM batts as well.

 

[Mark31]

I replaced mine last Dec on my sig truck, even though they were still cranking. The new ones turn it over a little faster, though. Even though Dodge starters don't give much trouble, good hot batteries makes life much easier for them. I was thinking maybe I might be dollars ahead replacing batteries, instead of having to buy a starter early. Make any sense? Mark

 

[rbattelle]

Turning the engine over through 10 quarts of cold oil has got to be hard on batteries.

Don't short change yourself - 12 quarts is more like it!

Plus, I use a synthetic too, so that makes a difference too.

Some people are crazy enough to think this is the only real reason for synthetic oil - cold flow properties.



-Ryan

 

[Road Dog]

I have an '02 (built April 2002) with the original batteries. I'm going for 10 years. The key to long life for lead acid batteries is to keep them fully charged. In the winter I top them up with a charger once a month.

Mark -- as long as the battery can provide enough cranking amps the starter won't care. Heat is tne killer of electric motors and it only runs for a couple of seconds (in my case).

 

[AH64ID]

I am always amazed at how far people will let batteries go. They generally don't fail when its a good time, or even when you are home. I have always considered batteries to be preventative maintenance, 6 years is plenty out of stock batteries. The OEM's do hold up well, but nothing worth waiting on.

 

[TLane]

My truck is only two years old, and the batteries went out on vacation this year. I was at a campground in Leadville, Co and one cool morning (around 40F) it wouldn't start. Even with a jump, it wouldn't start. Interesting, the old batteries tested just fine with the little tester at the shop, but they wouldn't start the truck. Fortunately, I was with friends who gave me a ride into town and new Interstate batteries fixed it. The day before I was 10 miles down a dirt road with no cell service. In fact, there wasn't any service when I got back to the pavement. You can call AAA all you want, but if they can't hear you it's a long walk.

My truck was almost two years old when I bought it new, it had sat on the dealer's lot a long time. I noticed when I bought it that it had already been jumped (scrape marks on the battery connections). So I suspect that it had sat long enough that the batteries had gone dead, and as noted above that is very hard on batteries. If they are not well charged, they will sulfate.

I got lucky - it only cost me 1/2 day of vacation plus a few bucks higher price on the batteries. It could of been a lot worse.

 

[Motorhead]

I am always amazed at how far people will let batteries go. They generally don't fail when its a good time, or even when you are home. I have always considered batteries to be preventative maintenance, 6 years is plenty out of stock batteries. The OEM's do hold up well, but nothing worth waiting on.

I strongly agree!

Why over work an expensive alternator and starter on less than good batteries. It takes MORE amps to the starter when the voltage drops. It takes more load on the alternator to charge less than good batteries. More amps and low voltage means less life for the starter and alternator.

If you are going to run the batteries longer than about 6 years then they should be INDIVIDUALLY load checked for proper amperage capacity. My $0. 02

 

[Tumbleweed]

I replaced mine last Dec on my sig truck, even though they were still cranking. The new ones turn it over a little faster, though. Even though Dodge starters don't give much trouble, good hot batteries makes life much easier for them. I was thinking maybe I might be dollars ahead replacing batteries, instead of having to buy a starter early. Make any sense? Mark

I change batteries every 4 years regardless. When i bought my last set in Yuma,Arizona the person i was dealing with said that around Yuma they don't get much more than 2 or 3 and 4 years would be stretching it. The hot summers in Yuma cooks the batteries which of course are just a few inches below the hood. The cooler weather folks seem to be doing well. ED.

 

[dlmetzger]

2008 OEM Batteries not so good

I've a 2008 and my batteries only made it to 3. 5 years (one cell in the passenger side battery brought them both down). It seems it was a bad year for batteries based on other threads posted.



Also, I've heard the new OEM batteries are AGM (absorbed glass matt). They're supposed to last longer but not have as deep cycle life (discharge capacity). Can anyone from the dealers confirm this?

 

[Blakers]

... . Even with a jump, it wouldn't start. Interesting, the old batteries tested just fine with the little tester at the shop, but they wouldn't start the truck. ... .

Sounds like you need heavier jumper cables!:-laf

 

[ACerf]

My 03' batteries lasted until 2010. Which I thought was very good considering that we live in Arizona part of the year. This state is hard on batteries and tires, and windshields don't do well either! I was lucky, when batteries died I was at home. 2010 was a bad year for me and batteries, I also had to replace both batteries in my Fifth wheel and car!

 

[Chief USA]

This has been covered before, but I couldn't help mentioning that in another week I will begin my 10th year (and also the 10th winter) on my OEM batteries. Bought the truck in November 2002 (it's an '03), so count em: 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10 and 11 is nine years. My 10th year begins 11/11.



I attribute this longevity to plugging the truck in during winter any time the temp goes below 20 degrees (which, at 9,000 above sea level, is nearly every night from November to April). Turning the engine over through 10 quarts of cold oil has got to be hard on batteries. Plus, I use a synthetic too, so that makes a difference too.



Now I'm gonna go knock on wood and hope I'm back a year from now saying the same thing, only it will be Year 11!

Gotcha beat! I bought my 2002 Ram 2500 back in September of 2002. The battery manufacture labels say Novermber of 2001. I am still running my original OEM batteries. I have been keeping them in good shape with a CTEK battery charger/conditioner.



I also plugged in my truck during cold temps below 60 degrees.



I will have to admit that these loyal and long lasting batteries are getting tired. I will likely have to replace them in the near future.

 

[CThomsen]

I put a new set of Interstates in my 97 in the summer of 01. Truck still starts great every day. I will probably replace them soon-before the real cold weather starts.

 

[ACerf]

I think it is great that some of us have had our batteries last for years. Which is fine if you are not far from home. But lets say you are boondocking somewhere and your battery goes died, you don't have another vehicle with you, and your cell phone has a weak signal or no signal! You first thought would be; I should have load checked the battery, or I should have replaced the battery! I think that most people who have slide-in campers keep this in mind, because they like to boondock.

 

[Road Dog]

Around here getting out of cell service is easy but there's usually someone around. I'm more likely to need a winch up a hill. A battery can be tested with a proper load tester and if it's good then there's no reason to replace it.

 

[MAshley]

So the moral of the story is Batteries die ... some sooner some latter...



I personally waited too long and on the last day I had to use a battery charger to get me going again. I went with the Sears Platinum series. Haven't had them really long enough to say they are good or bad, but I did a test starting with one battery. . WOW pretty impressive at least compared to my 2 old batteries that wouldn't even start the truck.