How long did your battery last?

Danny Ryder - Deceased - 1962 - 2021

Danny Ryder - Deceased - 1962 - 2021

PCS Life Member
My battery went out on my 70 hearse during the Kingsport meet in 2006. Actually the alternator went out but during the process replaced the battery also. Special thanks to Kenneth McCoy for the lift in the rain to I believe an Advance autoparts store and back to my car where I but battery in and when I got back to hotel put alternator on. The battery was a duralast which I don't know much about but I have not replaced the battery since then so that was 6.5 years ago and it always starts. I drive the car at least 10 miles every two or three weeks, usually more and I unhook the cable when not driving it.
 
Danny, 6.5 years is good! I usually put Interstate Megatron batteries in my cars and they last a long time too. It seems that if you don't use a car and just let it sit, the battery usually doesn't last as long. I have seen some other brands of batteries die in two, or three years.
 
Most batteries I have replaced were 7 or 8 years old. Last summer I replaced the battery in the 1972 Fleetwood 75 that was in the car when it was delivered over 9 years earlier.
 
we can normaly get a 72 month battery to go the 5 years most of the time. inside storage that help that kind of stuff last a lot longer.
 
Extreme heat & cold are the biggest killers of batteries. I had an Interstate Megatron that was 10 years old when it died, according to the tag that was punched out on it. Ive got a Sears DieHard in my 71 Mark III that is probably 9 years old; I'll check it tomorrow.
 
The longest i hd one last was about 11 years.. A sears die hard gold.. The refillable battery that came in my 60 crown last summer was dead, but when i had it charged it worked just fine. I will have to go out and look at it for what make it is but they told me it was 14 years old..... Can anybody beat that one? This one is still working so let see if it breaks the record.
 
I have a NOS Delco 6 volt battery that was manufactured in the late 1950's that is still good... still in the original box with no acid added.... :D

The battery in my 05 Ford Explorer is original as is the battery in Sandy's 03 Mountaineer. I find that the OEM batteries are a better quality than most of the replacements. The one problem with modern batteries, is that when they go bad, it is sudden, and there is no resuscitating them..

For the batteries that have removable caps, I have used Victor Instant ElectroStart to rejuvenate them when they start getting weak. It brought a battery back to life that had been in a car sitting dormant for over 10 years, and that battery continued to work well for another 4 years. The battery was a Delco 12 volt in a 1964 Chevrolet Corvair Spyder that I purchased around 1985. The trick to bringing a battery back to life is to charge it very slowly with a trickle charger. If you put a strong charge into a dead battery, the heat will warp the internal lead plates, causing it to short out.
 

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Paul brings up a good point about the plates. Another factor is the stability of the plates that a strong case provides. The better batteries use better materials and construction.
 
A few of the things I've learned over the years and my past life as a AAA Driver:

There are only 3 main battery manufacturers in the world...Leaving out the uber costly high end stuff...When you go to your local auto parts store the difference in price equals the warranty.

I agree with the extreme use statement: Average life of an auto battery in NORMAL use is 30 Months. Here in Cactusland we're obviously in an extreme environment...I feel lucky if I get 2 years.

For you fellow AAA members: Yes, Your local Road Service will gladly come out and install one...For an excessive markup from the local store. The markup is split between the driver and AAA. :eek:
 
battery life

Shelley got almost 9 years from the original battery in her PT Cruiser.
My Ford van with dual batteries (diesel) would got 4-5 years before it
needed replacements.
Got a good battery from Pick n Pull for my 91 Caprice. Don't know how
old it was. I got 5 years out of it.

I have seen chargers that have a desulfate setting on them. The idea
being that it 'cleans' the plates so they will then take a good charge.
Does it work? Never used one so have no idea.
Mike
 
I usually get 5-6 years out of mine. Driven often (except winter), and I always leave them hooked up and not on a charger all winter (or started). Some need jumped in spring, some do not.
 
There is a lot to this battery business. The manufacturers have got it down to a science as far as longevity. Price may not be an indicator of the quality.

There are a number of variables that will affect the lifetime. Number of discharge cycles, time spent dormant at what temperatures, whether or not partially or fully charged. Batteries that are used in our cars are referred to as SLI service. Starting, Lights, Ignition. High Amperage output, not great for slower discharge rates or cycles. The opposite would be a deep cycle battery that is designed to be fully discharged at a relatively slower rate, and not as capable of providing the high amperage we need to start a hot Cadillac V-8. Battery design gets involved, and manufacturers are combining elements of both in batteries now.

My truck tractor has 4 group 31 batteries, with a CCA(cold cranking Amperage) of 1050 each. Regular flooded cell batteries in this service lasted me about 18 months. I am trying a set of AGM(absorbed glass mat) batteries now, hoping to get 3 years out of them, seeing as they cost twice as much.

One of the bigger manufacturers is near me, East Penn Manufacturing near Kutztown PA still has a genuine factory outlet where you can buy anything they make, in 1st or 2nd(blems) quality.

Website has lots of info about batteries: http://www.dekabatteries.com/
 
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