Batteries, Unggh!

battery life went downhill once they eliminated the caps. With no way to check electrolyte levels and high powered alternators, it's a death sentence.

High charge rates can 'boil' off the acid and water., just a little at a time but once it's gone, it's GONE.Seems it only takes '5 years' and time for a new battery.

We were mandated to replace starting batteries on a four year rotation whether they tested good or not. All the systems I worked with backed up aviation navigation equipment so they really did need to start when commercial power failed......

Seen a lot of starting batteries work very well until the first cold snap of the year comes forth in automobiles then not start the vehicle. A carbon pile load test readily reveals this oncoming failure prior to it stranding anyone if it's done.  

  For more than 30 years I've been buying ALL of my batteries from a local battery store. Previously was just getting whatever from CT, TSC or what ever was the cheapest wherever I was.

  I learned that a good PROPERLY working charging system was paramount to battery life. I fixed all of my sometimes good/sometimes not charging systems and replaced most all of the battery cables with good heavy cables.

  Also I never buy High priced/premium hi cranking amp batteries. They have a tighter packed grid in the same size case and will short out faster when sulfation starts to develop in the grid. Just like rusting rims from having fluid filled tires: It's not if it will happen, but when. I always get the lowest CCA of the size battery available.

  Since I've started doing these things I always seem to get more than the advertised life of any given battery. The last Group 31 I had in my 1989 Dodge Diesel was a 5 year battery, that was in the truck for nearly 6 years and is now in my pulling tractor still doing the job, with no problem in sight. The 3 Group 31 batteries in my GMC Astro with the NTC Cummins are now going on 5 years old and I don't see any issues on the horizon. Everything else 12 volt has a group 22 and if the cars start to show problems they get the new battery and the batteries from them get moved to the tractors.

 Another key issue is battery maintenance. If you let terminals get corroded, you're just asking for trouble.

I was a big fan of Interstate batteries, but had a run of bad luck on them so no longer buy them.

Last spring I bought a One-Seventy that they said had not been started for a year. Went to the pre-look at auction items. Tried the key and the oil light on the dash barely lit, tried the light switch and the engine oil light went out and there was no lights. Basically a very near dead battery. Opened up the lid and looked at the battery and I would swear that tractor had not been run for 4 or 5 years because of the mouse/rat nests on top of the battery. Smelled the fuel tank and it stunk of very old gas, to the point it was turning syrup down in the bottom.  Bought the tractor and hauled it home. Picked off the crap from to of battery and put the charger on it. Next day the battery had enough life to light the lights some. Turned the charger on again and left it. Following day, shut the charger off and the battery actually turned the engine over and registered 12 volts.  I cleaned out the tank and moved the sediment bowel to outside the frame. 

 Started it up and ran pretty fair, except I thought I could hear a bearing noise and thought it was the alternator.  While putting the side tins on the hood, I heard something, water pump bearing had failed. Put new pump on and went to using the tractor. November the lights quit. I went through the electrical system and connections and found the fuse had let go in the base. While at it, I put in heavier cables for ground and to solenoid and started, and took the battery out, cleaned up the old battery and the sticker tag on it said 1/13 . Ameri-Start battery. It is the third battery I have found in things I have bought and none of them were new.  Who sells those batterys? 

 Almost changed the battery out because of age but put it back in. Dec, jan, and feb didn't start it and then in March, I started it, battery seems to be good and strong.  

  Seems the best luck I have with batteries are out of Farm and Fleet, though I question the new batteries anybody handles these days because of all the 'modern technologies ' they embrace.

   Reminds me of a time that the center cell went dead on a 6 volt battery in the WD. It kind of irked dad and he took a couple heavy nails and drove them into the lead connectors and wrapped electric wire around the nails then pulled the starter on the WD and the wires started glowing. So much for that quick fix, out came the old crank handle.