47-55.1 battery question

[nvrdone]

ok, as posted earlier, my truck is home. In checking things out, the battery is completely dead. Its an Interstate amg 35 that mounts in the stock box under the floor.
Im looking for recommendations for a good replacement
Thanks for the input.

[PDW HOTRODS]

Has you battery location been modified? Best way is to measure the space and get what fits. Here is a link to battery sizes. I have modified the battery location in a few of these trucks so I could fit a bigger battery in there.

https://www.batteryequivalents.com/b...ize-chart.html

[nvrdone]

the battery location has not been modified. It's still stock. An AMG 35 fits well. Im just looking for a good brand, wet cell, gel, etc.

[jweb]

I bought an Interstate from Costco and it lasted 10 years. I would say just buy the same thing.

[mr48chev]

Some people may or may not like Les Schwab but I have run Les Schwab tires and Batteries since 1980. For two primary reasons. At one time I had about six of my former students working in their stores and I think two former students manage Les Schwab stores right now. Second, and most important there are few places in the PNW that you aren't within a reasonable distance of a Les Schwab store if you have battery or tire trouble.

Interstate batteries are excellent and I have friends who will only use those.

I had a Die Hard Deep Cycle battery in my sailboat for 15 years that worked fine as long as I kept it charged.

Batteries like to be kept charged and be active and A battery tender isn't a bad idea.

That reminds me, it is time to make the rounds out here and charge all of the batteries in my rigs that don't move much. \

I found out a while back that if you have one of the electronic voltage sensing battery chargers like some that HF sells they won't charge a fully dead battery and will tell you that the battery is dead. I had to jump the VW off my lawnmower and charge it off the mower for about 20 minutes to get enough of a charge in the battery for the charger to trigger off. Those old analog chargers with the 6-off-12 V switch and a gauge with a needle don't care and will usually charge from stone dead.

[dsraven]

question, is it an old battery that you thought was gonna die one of these days anyway or was it a relatively recent battery and you were surprised to find it dead?
if yes to second answer, ask yourself what parasitic loads you have in your truck that could slowly drain a battery. clock, radio, security system etc. if you have those type of small loads then maybe you want to install a battery tender that will keep up to those loads. if no parasitic loads and your previously decent battery is stone dead you may wanna look at other reasons why. sometimes it's because it sat too long without charging and then cold weather caused it to diminish and it finally froze. when they freeze the plates can get seperated and distorted or the case can crack and leak the acid out so when it thaws it just isn't the same anymore. it could low on acid and the area above the acid sulphates and no longer reacts. anyway, it kinda makes sense to answer these questions before you simply place a new battery in and assume it will be all good.
another thing to mention is that when a battery is low and the vehicle is started without charging the battery for a bit first, like mr48 did with using his mower to charge, then the alternator works very hard to charge the low battery so it takes a bit of lifetime off the alternator and the battery or, worst case scenario, the alternator overheats and burns out.
a quick way to check for a parasitic load is to use a volt meter between the battery post and the cable when you are connecting the new battery. one side connected and the volt meter on the other side. if there is no load the volt meter will say zero. if there is a load, like an interior light is on or something ele, then the volt meter will register a voltage. finding that becomes the next thread.

[dsraven]

while we are talking about charging a vehicle and boosting etc I wanted to mention that when we boost a vehicle using a vehicle with electronic fuel injection we should first connect the boost vehicle and allow it to run for a bit to charge the dead battery some but then we should shut the boost vehicle off for the time it takes to try and start the vehicle with the dead battery. this is because when the boosted vehicle starts it's alternator may produce a spike in voltage that the booster vehicle voltage regulator needs to work very fast in order to control the voltage it is also putting out. if that takes a second then the voltage that is produced and uncontrolled for a second may fry some sensitive electronics in the boost vehicle.

[dsraven]

forgot to mention, before the rants, that I am an interstate battery guy but I also have used the napa batteries with great success and I use the costco deep cycle batteries in my RV and boat with no problems. somethng to mention is that there are a lot of batteries that are made in the same plant and a different sticker is installed before being shipped so something to check out.

https://www.consumerreports.org/cars...e%20can%20vary.

[dsraven]

kirkland batteries are made by duracell, apparently. same for the household batteries, unless something changed lately.

[leegreen]

I've always subscribed to the thing dsraven said: shut off the boosting vehicle before trying to start the boosted. Most people I see boosting leave it running including tow trucks and I've always wondered if the risk was real, has anyone blown an alternator giving a boost?

When I boost strangers I always ask why they need a boost and make it clear that I decide how much boost they get, that I will stop before draining (deep cycling) my own battery. Usually I make that a simple message - you get 2 tries.

And watch for the size of the spark when you connect - you get a big spark they probably have a battery that is dead shorted inside and you may just drain your own battery trying to charge them for 2 minutes

[dsraven]

while swapping a battery out it's a good time to check the configuration of your system. if you are using the battery and alternator set up from a donor vehicle it was likely matched to work with the system from that vehicle as far as loads and accy's go. your truck may have a different load set up than the donor vehicle had. start with the starter draw and work out from there. if you have a/c, a big stereo and a bunch of other power options then it requires more than a simple basic engine with no other power options that have a more continuous draw. the alternator and battery should match the vehicle otherwise they may be working overtime to keep up. also check the connection terminals at the battery because a terminal that looks clean, but has a black or dull finish on the contact surfaces, may cause a resistance which doesn't allow the alternator's voltage regulator to see the actual battery voltage. this can cause the alternator to overcharge the battery (usually noted by moisture around the battery cell vents) which will shorten the alternator and batteries life and also makes for electric options that seem a little dull.

[nvrdone]

Wow!!! I really started a discussion. And of course I learned a lot. Thanks.
I found the receipt for the Interstate battery thats in the truck now. Installed it in Nov of 2006. Cant understand Why It didnt last longer.
I did find an interstate dealer here in Yakima so I will talk with them about the cost and availability of a replacement. My son has aNoco battery tender that he uses on his Jeep and mustang that have a cable running from the battery to inside the grill. Unfortunatly Noco only makes cables in 18" and 10'. so I may have to use the 10' and bundle it up.
So now off to spend more money on the truck.

[mr48chev]

That would be a selling point for getting another Interstate battery.

[dsraven]

I have the old fashioned 6/12 volt charger with an analog gauge, it works well for most stuff. I also use a c-tek maintainer for batteries that don't get used for the season, rv, boat, my projects, the lawn tractor, motorcycle etc. this unit is small and has a quick disconnect that allows diffeent style pigtails to be used. my regular vehicles have a pigtail wired into the battery terminals and they simply get tied up near the battery but in an easily accessible spot. they have LED's that show the battery level. when we go away for extended periods I have one of my kids stop by and plug the maintainer in to a different vehicle every couple of weeks so each vehicle gets charged monthly. there is mistakes made with connecting the charger cables and also, since the quick connect is not near the battery vent, if they forget to unplug the charger before disconnecting there is less chance of anything going wrong. the mintainer has a couple of settings, for cars, motorcycles, lawn tractors etc. they are picture style icons so that, again, makes it easy to pick a setting.
the maintainer comes in several styles and the extra pigtails are available on amazon in several configurations. worth a look if interested.

[dsraven]

sorry, I should proof read my posts I guess. I meant to say there are no mistakes made when connecting the ctek cables.

[e015475]

I've had a couple of Deka batteries, one in a off-road vehicles that take a lot of shock and vibration abuse that held up well. Another one in my Sierra. Both were good.

I wouldn't buy anything made by Johnson Controls, especially their Optima brand

I currently have an Odyssey battery in my truck - it solved all the issues of trying to get a modern 12V battery in the 6V hole in the floor. I had an Odyssey in another offroad vehicle too (turbo Subaru sandrail) and the car would always start after sitting off season for six months without a tender then run all dune season with no issues - it did that for six years.

[nvrdone]

So after much research on batteries today I've got a real headache. First I found that Interstate and Les Schwab both don't have an mtp 35 or any thing that size.
So I happened to call a friend at the local Napa store. He told me that their batteries are made by East Penn who also make Deka batteries and lots of other goodies. The cost is good, the warranty is good and its 640 cca. which should crank the 327 over nicely.
So looks like tomorrow I will pick up ne.
Thanks for all the input.

[dsraven]

sounds like you got it figured. also, when you replace the battery, check all the cable connections, on both ends of the cables. sometimes the battery ends look fine but the starter or ground ends aren't so good. it all comes down to the weak link in the chain, like always.

[1project2many]

I've always wondered if the risk was real, has anyone blown an alternator giving a boost?

No, not on the truck that's starting the dead vehicle provided jumper cables are installed correctly. And I've been taking care of a fleet that frequently has dead batteries since 2003. I have seen alternators fail shortly after a vehicle is jumpstarted then driven right away. Newer vehicles limit alternator output much better and we now see alternators last well over 150k miles.

And watch for the size of the spark when you connect - you get a big spark they probably have a battery that is dead shorted inside and you may just drain your own battery trying to charge them for 2 minutes

Many of today's vehicles have storage capacitors in the electronics that will cause a very high current draw for a very short time when initially connecting a battery or jumpers. You can actually demonstrate it to yourself by connecting one side of the battery and using an incandescent bulb test light connected between battery and the other cable. The light will light brightly. Without disconnecting the test light, momentarily touch the disconnected cable to the battery. The light will go out. Remove the cable again, still leaving the light connected, and the light should remain out. If the light illuminates again there's likely a draw that needs to be diagnosed.

So I happened to call a friend at the local Napa store. He told me that their batteries are made by East Penn who also make Deka batteries and lots of other goodies.

Napa here sells several different brands of batteries and some of them are not so good.

We ran Interstate in the fleet for a long time. We had to do a *lot* of jump starting and battery replacements back then. I used to carry two different batteries in the side compartment of the service truck and two different sets of jumper cables. Most of our vehicles had quick-connect plugs for easy jumper cable connection. There were weeks in the winter when we would be jump-starting one after another vehicle every day. Connect one set of cables between a running fleet vehicle and a dead one, and another between my truck and a second dead vehicle. So much work trying to stay ahead of battery failures. Batteries would literally fail overnight and many failures could only be confirmed with hydrometer. Exide came in with a "blue top" AGM one day and man, did those things last. We pulled one that was 11 years old out of an E350 last month because the driver left the lights on overnight and we didn't want to chance the battery failing. One of the mechanics charged and tested it then took it home for personal use. It starts his truck every day.

Whatever those "blue top" batteries were, Exide doesn't sell them anymore. We've been using local store batteries for a few years and they just didn't survive. At one point I had 20 batteries piled up for warranty replacement. Some only a month old. They would discharge, either through driver error or parasitic loads plus lack of use (lots of energy hungry accessories and Covid reducing the need to use vehicles) and they would not recharge properly again. I bought different chargers, different testers, even battery disconnect devices. Finally I located an Exide dealer to try again with their current line of AGM batteries.

I can see batteries that look similar to the Exide blue tops for sale through Batteries Plus as X2 brand. If they're the same product then they're likely to live a long and happy life in a classic truck. But you need to throw out a few cubic dollars to get one.
https://www.batteriesplus.com/search...s=&query=sli35


If you use a battery maintainer, almost anything will live a good life provided it's not subject to excessive charging voltage or current or excessive heat. The battery in my '36 Plymouth has been installed for 10 years and still is going strong.

[Rickysnickers]

Wholly molly, those things are expensive. I think I'll let somebody else be the guinea pig first

https://www.batteriesplus.com/productdetails/sli35agmdp

[nvrdone]

So today I went to Napa and bought one of their Deka / Napa branded batteries. The battery goes in the stock location under the floor and the box has not been modified. I removed both the pos and neg cables and cleaned the battery connections, the starter connection and the frame ground. Got the battery installed and the darn thing would npt start!! What the ....! Got it started with a jump. Went back and re checked the connections and guess what I found. On the negative post there is a black plastic cap covering the post. I missed it. Removed the cap, hooked up the cable and she started willingly. Took off for Napa, had them check the output and its at 14.7 volts. All is good.
Another thing off the to do list.

[dsraven]

haha, thats a good one. at least it wa an easy fix. one reason why I always clean the battery posts even on new battery. I've had new batteries with a residue on the post under that cap so i don't take chances on the stuff. I usually put one of those felt washers under the terminal clamp too, especially on the hard to get to stuff. a little oil of some sort in the felt too, that keeps the corrosion at bay a little longer..

[nvrdone]

good tip on oiling the felt. Added that to the to do list.

[popeyestruck]

https://www.odysseybatteries.com/

[mr48chev]

I should have remembered but the Interstate battery store (warehouse) out on Ahtanum on the back side of the airport sells to the public. https://www.interstatebatteries.com/...m_content=9267

In case you haven't picked one up yet.