anyone have a guide as to when our batteries should be replaced other than the obvious.(when your truck doesn't crank).

different battery brands etc...

thanks

 

The only suggestion that I can offer on this is when the heater grids in the winter drag it below the safe level on the voltmeter, you should have them looked at.

 

Seems that most batteries last somewhere in-between when the free replacement warranty runs out and the time the prorated warranty runs out. The better the warranty the longer it will last and the more it will cost. In dry hotter climates batteries don't last as long. My batteries generally last about five years but friends in Arizona are lucky to get three.

 

Proper maintanance is the key (and a good voltage regulator). We have batteries here at the farm, that are 5+ yrs old, and still going strong. Oldest one is around 9 years old. It gets lots of abuse, too, being in a skidloader. That machine gets run hard and put up wet.

 

This may be one for the record books. I have an Optima red top battery I put in my CJ-7 October '93 and it's still working! I've never seen or had another battery that has lasted anywhere near that long. The last 2-3 years it hasn't been used much - waiting to get settled more permanently so I can complete some work it needs - but it's always started the Jeep even after setting for months on end. Before that it got pretty steady use - starting & winching - when we were active in a 4-wheeling club in Colorado. When it finally does quit I'm buying another one to replace it.

Steve

 

Definetly. Spend the little bit extra on Optima's when you need new batteries, and theyll be well worth it. Because they are sealed, they are also alot less likely to fail in heat (like AZ!!!)

 

The best battery I ever saw came from the factory in an '89 K car....



Seriously, that thing was good as new when we junked it 11 years and 240,000 later.

 

The batteries in my truck show the Mopar/Chrysler emblem on them. I'm the second owner, but if they were replaced, I can't imagine the original owner would replace them with OEM batteries. The truck has spent it's first 6 1/2 years in Spokane, and has been in Southern CA since July of last year. Quite impressive for stock batteries. Optima batteries will be the replacements.

 

Optima is best but the priciest.

My NAPA batteries lasted 5 years with no leaks on first set - let it sit for two weeks when I was working on pinion seal and AC clutch and that finally killed them at 64 months on 72 month batteries. I use a Ramsey QuickMount 5k winch on occasion that is tied to the passenger battery so abuse happens.

The new NAPA batteries, with prorate, were half the cost of Optimas but now they are leaking a little (I hate that). I may go ahead and use these batteries in other trucks and get Optimas after all.

You do get what you pay for in batteries.

That said, the best batteries I used to use in the past were Douglas Batteries out of Winston-Salem, NC - but now I can't find local distributor anymore.

 

sams club is running a 20% off sale..i just got 2 34/78 reds for 95.00/ea

 

Average battery life out here in hell is around 2yrs. Heat kills.

 

I got 4 years out of my factory batteries. I beat the tar out of them to. Playing the sound system for hours on end with the truck off, never plugging it in. Let's see how long these ever starts from o'reilly's last. Glad I got the 5 year warranty on them.

 

So far I have 4.5 years on the factory ones and 140k. They are still doing fine. I can honestly say I have never had factory batteries last me this long. I have attributed it to there being two of them but we will see if they make another winter. They have never run down low enough to need a boost and I have run the stereo all day, left the dome light on all night, out at our property when I burn slash I use them to power a 12 volt water pump to spray on the coals when done usually go through 40 gallons of water or so. Nor have they leaked at all yet. They havent seen any real abuse though. I keep waiting for them to go or at least show signs of giving up but so far so good.

 

Thats part of the reason for two.. they always have an active charge, and are less likely to develop dead cells and drain themselves.

 

the best factory battery I ever had was the one in my '94 ranger. I took it out in 2000 because I needed to buy a battery and figured the Ranger would get the new one. After a couple of years the "new" one went bad and the original went back in the Ranger. Retired it finaly in 2004.