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Battery ponderings

thedole

thedole

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Hi
I haven't been around here for a while, but the truck gently "reminds" me about coming here by throwing some more problems at me so here I am. ;)

This should maybe be in the "electrical" forum but there are mostly dmax guys out there in the big world and I don't know if there is same setup there..

I've been having a bad connection between my batteries wich wasn't a big problem until I fixed it. One of them has obviously had a harder youth then the other one and now it keeps draining the other one to compensate for its rough "childhood". :mad2:

I'm thinking, would a battery separator relay thingy be a good idea to prevent this from happening again and maybe even squeeze a bit more life out of these ones?

How about these desulfator devices, anyone have any experience with these, could they possibly equalize things a bit?

Third thing that goes through my mind is, how about replacing my two run of the mill batteries for a single big bad one? Thinking Odyssey or Kinetik batteries here. Anyone know how the Kinetik batteries are, their site is too "hip and trendy" to get much sense out of. Cold cranking amps is main priority for me..


Any thougts on this?
 
Sorry gotta disagree. Personally I have had nothing but bad luck with interstate batteries. Religion has nothing to do with whether a product is quality and I just pulled two out of my truck that were only about 2 yrs old and couldn't start it on a 50 deg day. Anything I have ever run across with them had starting issues. Always liked Sears Die Easys myself. As far as separating them with somesort of isolator you need to read more around here. These trucks MUST have quality,matched batteries. An isolator will do nothing. Whatever you buy, replace them both and make sure they match. I just put two Die Easy gold in my 95 and it starts like a new truck.
 
A battery separator will not help you at all. The truck uses both batteries at all time, especially while cranking. (The batteries are wired in parallel to provide the high amperage required while cranking.)

I would just buy two NEW batteries and be done with it.
 
Did you know that the new NAPA batteries are made by DEKA. That is what I put in my truck this summer. They work well.
 
hehe, two new ones are inevitable I guess. But I was thinking about how to minimize the trouble with the new ones.

I don't think Interstate batteries are available around here(Norway). Still kinda curious about the big bad single one though. If I can get it to fit physically a single battery with more then twice the CCA and about twice the Ah of the two I have now should(theoretically) be less prone to problems then the dual setup.. Problem is space though, gotto measure up a bit I guess..
 
I forgot..
Why wouldn't a battery separator relay do any good. Only time the batteries are separated is when the engine is off and there is no charging. Charge = parallel. And you can hook them together by a switch before cranking. This way they are charged and used in parallel, but when the truck sits in the driveway the batteries don't display any mismatching(draining) issues.
 
Well, my position has always been that if you have a situation where one battery is draining the other, it's time to replace them both. It's not worth the hassle trying to squeeze the last drop of juice out of them, 'cause sooner or later you'll get caught in a "no-start" situation when you're out in the middle of nowhere, so it's not worth the risk and constant worry, especially in cold climates.

Two batteries seldom fail at the same exact time, but when one goes, the other one will soon follow.

You will also need a very hefty separator relay that can handle the 400 - 600+ amps required while cranking. By the time you spend the money for that, you'll have come close to paying for the new battery and you'll STILL have old batteries.

It's best to replace them and make sure you have good cables and clean connections.

Also, since you will always have a parasitic load from the ECM and radio, if you isolate one battery, it will be totally out of the system and the remaining battery will end up with a lower charge when you go to start the truck and you will be right back with the same problem of one battery having a lower charge than the other.

In my opinion a battery isolator will add more cost and more hassle and you'll still have the problem of one battery having a lower charge. From my experience, a battery isolator is a benefit if you use only one battery for running the vehicle and the other battery is used ONLY for accessories, like in RV's and boats. Our trucks use BOTH batteries all the time.

Just my 2¢ worth.
 
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Acesneights1 said:
Sorry gotta disagree. Personally I have had nothing but bad luck with interstate batteries. Religion has nothing to do with whether a product is quality and I just pulled two out of my truck that were only about 2 yrs old and couldn't start it on a 50 deg day. Anything I have ever run across with them had starting issues. Always liked Sears Die Easys myself. As far as separating them with somesort of isolator you need to read more around here. These trucks MUST have quality,matched batteries. An isolator will do nothing. Whatever you buy, replace them both and make sure they match. I just put two Die Easy gold in my 95 and it starts like a new truck.
Click to expand...

wow...and I have had just the opposite experience...Diehards rarely lasted over a year on my 94 6.5 and my 96 Dodge Cummins...

My new 01 GMC lost the ac delco's pretty quick and I went with optima...they have been replaced a couple times already...

I will try interstate next as I had lots of luck with them in most all the cars(never had em in my trucks) I've owned...

So yes...I will give them a try in my truck and the wifes Tahoe next time...and yes a corporation that goes against the mainstream to promote Christianity will influence my decision...
 
You are in Norway. So we won't know what battery is available there. The rule of thumb is to get batteries the highest cranking amps available there. Here the good battery has 800 CCA and 1000 CA or close to it. The units may be different there so numbers may be different also.

You may also want to check why there is a drain on your battery and put a switch to whatever it is to turn it off when the engine is turn off. Usually something that has memory retention type.

Check all grounds and cables, may be you need to add more grounds or something is grounding when it is not supposed to. Cable corrosion is the worst enemy in this truck.
 
Pepperidge said:
wow...and I have had just the opposite experience...Diehards rarely lasted over a year on my 94 6.5 and my 96 Dodge Cummins...

My new 01 GMC lost the ac delco's pretty quick and I went with optima...they have been replaced a couple times already...

I will try interstate next as I had lots of luck with them in most all the cars(never had em in my trucks) I've owned...

So yes...I will give them a try in my truck and the wifes Tahoe next time...and yes a corporation that goes against the mainstream to promote Christianity will influence my decision...
Click to expand...

People have mixed on INterstate. I have heard people swear by them and I have heard people have nothing but trouble. My experience was the latter. Sears are not the end all to batteries but they are easy to return. The idiots that usually work behind the counter don't even question, they just hand you new ones. PLus I get commericial discount from Sears. Usually5-10$ per battery. Not alot but every bit helps. Exide were really good years ago but I think almost all of them are made overseas and slapped with what ever name brand sells them.
 
I use to swear by my stock batteries. I'd open up the hood and start off with "You stupid ****ing piece of **** batteries", then I'd hook up the cables and jump it. Yup, I was swearing by them all right.
 
GM 6.5 batteries are like Lay's potato chips: one is not enuff - replace both at the same time, or lose the driveability...............................
 
Is the general concensus that the Ac Delcos are good for a long time, and then will die suddenly?

What is the issue w/ optima's? i thought they were all right.

I have to agree that interstates are not that great, have never lasted long on the farm. (equip vibration doesn't treat them well)

I agree w/ Aces on the diehards, ran for a long time on old mans 7.3L NA, running one currently in my truck. it was abused, as my sisters car had a short and we put the biggest batt we could find in her car, took the corroding POS as always John Deere battery out of my truck, and put the little diehard in, working great so far!
 
I have always had excellent luck with Sears DieHard batteries.

The only premature failure I've ever experienced was a cracked case back when I was in college. Sears replaced it, no questions asked.
 
I agree with the comments here. With both the Tahoe and the 'burb, they had some starting problems, especially the 'burb, when first purchased. I noted that the 'burb had mismatched batteries, and saw how they were hooked up. My wife was unable to start the 'burb once (good thing it was in the garage) so I rumbled down to Costco and purchased 4 - and swapped out everything. From what I could tell, the ones at Costco are made by Johnson Controls, and they were all from the same lot. I would also take a close look at your connectors and the cables, and spend a few bucks and do the battery connector mod using the hex bolts, and get new cables while you're at it. You'll thank us all later.

Rob :)
 
I've not been real impressed with my NAPA batteries. For my gasser I bought one from Autozone - I think it was the DL Gold - and it did well. I don't know how many of you are Consumer Reports readers but the list certain DuraLast Gold batteries as good buys. If I have the money when the time comes about I think I'm going to go with a couple of the sears diehards next time though.

As for the one big battery, that might be great for starting but I would venture to guess you may start burning up alternators. Keep in mind that the beast will require charging and the standard alternator may not beable to do the job real well.

Just my 2 cents...
 
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