Old batteries

[Bob Bancroft]

Truck wouldn't crank over this morning. Jumped it and it started right up. Drove 1.5 hours with lights, wipers, and some heater. Backed on the scales and shut everything down. Truck wouldn't crank! So we tried jumping it. Then we tried towing it. Then we pulled the batteries and waited for the local auto parts place to open. Two new 31S did the trick. $156.42 each. Date stamp on old batteries- manufactured Dec 08! Shipped Jan 09. We speculated as to what they cost then. Maybe a third of what they are today? There's room for three of them but two have served me well.

 

[Tree-Farmer]

18 years is pretty amazing for a battery to last that long! What brand were they?

 

[scootergmc]

That's some good battery life these days. It's not too often they just up and quit like that. Did you figure out if it was just one or both that failed?

 

[Buckhammer]

I have a friend who writes the purchase date on the battery in her vehicle. Every 5 years almost to the day she will replace that battery with a new one.

 

[Russ from MN]

Run to failure, how else would you know how long they will last? The battery in our JD 4600 is 11 years old; I don't shut it off away from home!

 

[Bob Bancroft]

18 years is pretty amazing for a battery to last that long! What brand were they?

Pretty sure they just came from NAPA. When I pulled them I saw the 9 punched out and was thinking 19, not 09! But the tag on the end of the batteries told the true story.

 

[Bob Bancroft]

That's some good battery life these days. It's not too often they just up and quit like that. Did you figure out if it was just one or both that failed?

I was kind of stressed and just wanting to get going. I had assumed I could get back home and take my time to check things over and get batteries here. I knew the batteries were old, just didn't realize how old. So no analyzing was done. I had been running the truck a lot, then it sat for a couple of weeks. Apparently enough time for the old batteries to go flat. It seems odd to me that they would take a boost/start early this morning, but not an hour and a half later.

 

[Bill of TN]

I'd say you got a good deal. My F-350 wouldn't start a few days ago. Batteries were 5 years old, and cost $379 then. The replacements were $432.

 

[Dingo3]

I'd say you got a good deal. My F-350 wouldn't start a few days ago. Batteries were 5 years old, and cost $379 then. The replacements were $432.

I don’t know if all the electric gizmos shorten the battery life or if it’s just putting in a cheap battery at the factory. If you search average battery life on most newer trucks it’s 3-5 years. Mine died at 6 years so I guess I did OK.

 

[Bruce from Can.]

My wife’s Jeep is a 2016, and is still using the original battery it came with when new. Ten years I think is pretty good battery life. I also believe that a battery will last longer in a vehicle that gets used regularly rather than one that gets used infrequently.

 

[Bob Bancroft]

I don’t know if all the electric gizmos shorten the battery life or if it’s just putting in a cheap battery at the factory. If you search average battery life on most newer trucks it’s 3-5 years. Mine died at 6 years so I guess I did OK.

My pickup is very close to three years from date of manufacture. A couple of weeks ago it was dead. I jumped it and it started right up. I moved it inside to where I could put a charger on it. I eventually unhooked the battery to see if the big charger draw was going into the battery or the system. Before it was all over I got "no power steering" and other various warnings. After a long low charge with the battery unhooked, all is back to normal. There are always all kinds of noises- buzzing, clicking, and whirring going on after you shut it off! So yes, anymore the main test of a battery is not starting the vehicle, it's how long it can operate all of the systems between getting charged.

 

[Hobo,NC]

I have a friend who writes the purchase date on the battery in her vehicle. Every 5 years almost to the day she will replace that battery with a new one.

I have quite a few customers who replace their batteries at 5 years. Some folks just don't take a chance it’s going to take a dump at an inconvenient time.

The rare 10 year old battery that kept ticking I guarantee would not pass a true load test 5 years ago. Instead of bragging it lasted a long time I would say you just got away with it for a long time.

I’m guilty of it most of my tractors are take outs from cars I work on : ). When I run out of them when the battery truck stops by, I test his cores and pick out a few good ones. : )

When you buy a battery, you are buying a black box unless you weigh it you don’t have much of an idea what’s in it. I have one of those $39.95 used car dealers’ specials that blew up it surprised me the plates in it were 3 to 4” tall are it was haft a battery.

 

[Russ from MN]

I don’t know if all the electric gizmos shorten the battery life or if it’s just putting in a cheap battery at the factory. If you search average battery life on most newer trucks it’s 3-5 years. Mine died at 6 years so I guess I did OK.

I got over 10 years on the original battery in a 2013 Chevy Silverado, but anytime it sat for over 2 weeks I disconnected the ground cable.

 

[d13series1]

2017 Silverado still on original battery. Only has 40k on it so not that many cycles. I try to drive it on a good trip once a month to keep the brakes from rusting and freezing up - again ( did it at 5 years and 28k miles!).

 

[wh]

Wife has a 2009 smart car. Got it from her sister who bought it new. Brother in law told me when we got it in 2016 that it had the original battery. In 2023 i decided it was time to replace it. Still started fine. Went by auto store and got battery. Carried it to a friend who has a shop and ask him about swapping it out. In an odd location under floor. Swapped it and carried old battery to turn in at auto store. Hade them check it and it was all but dead. Had it been starting anything but the smart car it would have already failed. Was a German brand of battery.

 

[Richard Nixon]

Truck wouldn't crank over this morning. Jumped it and it started right up. Drove 1.5 hours with lights, wipers, and some heater. Backed on the scales and shut everything down. Truck wouldn't crank! So we tried jumping it. Then we tried towing it. Then we pulled the batteries and waited for the local auto parts place to open. Two new 31S did the trick. $156.42 each. Date stamp on old batteries- manufactured Dec 08! Shipped Jan 09. We speculated as to what they cost then. Maybe a third of what they are today? There's room for three of them but two have served me well.

Truck wouldn't crank over this morning. Jumped it and it started right up. Drove 1.5 hours with lights, wipers, and some heater. Backed on the scales and shut everything down. Truck wouldn't crank! So we tried jumping it. Then we tried towing it. Then we pulled the batteries and waited for the local auto parts place to open. Two new 31S did the trick. $156.42 each. Date stamp on old batteries- manufactured Dec 08! Shipped Jan 09. We speculated as to what they cost then. Maybe a third of what they are today? There's room for three of them but two have served me well.

As far as I know, Rusty 6 holds the record on battery life with a "Workaholic" battery that is 26 years old and still starting a big tractor up in Canada. Here are some pics of my 20 year old battery that started my Kubota M6800 for 20 years. It said Kubota on it but it also said "Made by Exide".

 

[Ray,IN]

I was kind of stressed and just wanting to get going. I had assumed I could get back home and take my time to check things over and get batteries here. I knew the batteries were old, just didn't realize how old. So no analyzing was done. I had been running the truck a lot, then it sat for a couple of weeks. Apparently enough time for the old batteries to go flat. It seems odd to me that they would take a boost/start early this morning, but not an hour and a half later.

Time sulfates battery plates, this often flakes off the lead plates and falls to the bottom. When this accumulation reaches the bottom of the plates, the battery is dead-shorted and will not retain a charge. IMO the morning jump-start and subsequent road vibrations were the batteries last gasp.

 

[Bob Bancroft]

Time sulfates battery plates, this often flakes off the lead plates and falls to the bottom. When this accumulation reaches the bottom of the plates, the battery is dead-shorted and will not retain a charge. IMO the morning jump-start and subsequent road vibrations were the batteries last gasp.

The batteries were definitely near death when I jumped them. And they apparently died on the road. So I'd say you're assessment is correct.