Calgary Jeep Association
4x4 Related Groups => General Talk => Topic started by: JackstandJohnny on November 20, 2009, 08:35:00 AM
-
well this has been a recurring problem which should probalby be fixed; my jeeps battery isn't holding a charge. went to drive it to work this morning and it turned over twice before click, click, click. been happening for a while; it won't hold a charge. alt. works fine as after i boost it, she'll start like a champ etc. but after it sits for a few days, she goes dead.
so wondering, what should i run for a battery next? i'd like a gel cell, but with christmas around the corner (flights to Victoria ain't cheap this time of year) i'm more than strapped for cash. but i'm not cheaping out on a battery. so whats a good, cost effective solution?
cheers
-
The battery out of my red one never gave me a problem. Just needs a charge.
-
have you tested you system to see if there a drain? XJ's have a "anti-corrosion" system on them that sometimes fails and causes a battery drain,... amongst other things. PYP also has good batts for $20.00 + core ($7.00)
-
not a fan of gremlins; eating food after midnight and become all mean and stuff ;)
chearging system seems really good. after runnin it last week i played the radio off it for hours and she started right up, and took it for another spin. but then today, dead. click click click.
only other thing i can think of is i have a slow drain on it from something not turning off. doubt it though.
pat, how do you check the battery 'really' well. an volt meter or what not tells me she's pushing 12 volts but then doesn't have the juice to fire up the jeep!
-
Sounds kinda like there's something draining your battery gradually. I had a (company) F-350 diesel with dual batteries. If it sat for anything more than two days, the batteries would be dead when I went to start it.
Turned out that the problem was that the negligible "power off" power drain from the 12 volt goodies that I had added in the cab (sat radio, GPS, cell phone docking unit, wilson booster for the cell phone) added up if they were left plugged in. Solution? Unplug all the extra 12 volt stuff if I'm going to park it for more than 24 hours.
I don't know what you've got in your rig in terms of add-ons, but even if you're not using them they seem to be power vampires.
Or I might be completely out to lunch and the only thing that you can do is replace that dud battery with a pair of Yellow tops and a dual battery kit :P
-
so wondering, what should i run for a battery next? i'd like a gel cell, but with christmas around the corner (flights to Victoria ain't cheap this time of year) i'm more than strapped for cash. but i'm not cheaping out on a battery. so whats a good, cost effective solution?
If you want a good reasonable solution. Go to Canadian Tire and get one of their Eliminator batteries. I bought one of their 875 CCA batteries about 3 years ago and it has been great and it only cost about $100. It has LOTS of amps for winching and the side posts for accessory stuff, plus it has the 9 year total warranty on it
-
60% of batteries that are junked are still good. The thing is that they need to be put on a low trickle charge for a day or two. This cleans the plates off and makes them work again.
-
thanks Dale. i'll try that first. most cost effective solution; also oging to look for a slow drain todd; nothings plugged in but could be a short somewhere
Scott, the eliminator sounds feasible for sure. thanks for the headsup
-
One question to ask is, how old is your present battery. Mine just gave up the ghost after 7 years. I found the best bang for my buck was a 1000 cc battery from the local Lethbridge battery shop, Alltra Battery. It was$92 everthing in. Canadian Tire and Costco were more for a lesser battery.
-
I've had awesome luck with Optima batteries. I have a red and Yellow. They are a little pricey, but my store has the red ones on sale for $165 which helps out :)
-
thanks for the essay Pat ;)
i'm gonna try the full charge tonight. i'll charge it right up. i haven't really driven the jeep much in the last 3 months so who knows. last time i used it i blew up the front end and the time before that i killed the battery/winch on Valley trail (yay me)
full charge might be the key.
-
I have a new Optima red top you can borrow if you need it John. You'll have to come pick it up though.
-
go see the boys at ATI and get sum battery maintenance units 403-250-2845.
-
well i gave it a good charge and it seems to be holding up a bit better. i still think this battery is on its last legs, but more than adequate for the upcoming run!
-
If you are looking for an upgrade I've been trying out the the spiral cell eliminators from Canadian Tire. Had good luck with my Optima(same technology) but since I live in Cochrane it was more convient for me to pick up an Eliminator locally than run around the city looking for an Optima.
So far its working fine and I just picked up a second for my dual battery setup. Was $169 and comes with a 7/10 year warranty replacement. 7 year full replacement and then 3 years prorated. And since its from CT as long as I have my receipt I can exchange it at any location.
-
A simple fix to a slow drain is to put in a battery cut out switch somewhere. Bandaid fix but works.
-
dumb question but have you checked the waters on the battery? or can you even remove the top to look. Try unhooking your positive post then when reconnecting it see how big of draw y0u are getting. (how many sparks are flyin)
-
thanks for the ideas clay.
waterlevels fine, she sparks lots ;)
we'll see how she starts up tonight after sitting in the garage for 4 days. if it fires right up maybe she still has some life left in her!
-
correct me if i'm wrong, but lots of sparks indicates draw doesn't it? and also at canadian tire i think it is they have a limitor so your battery can only get down to a certain voltage, and then the limitor cuts the power.
-
My '93 sparks a lot too when hooked up, its the factory alarm system.
-
Another vote for canadian tire, and a warning o avoid optimas. Two reasons,
1, optimas are hit and miss. I have been through 5 in 4 years between 3 vehicles. Of 7 yellowtops I have only had 2 of them last more then 2 years. The only ones to last have been the ones that didnt see severe winching duty.
2. My beleif is that no battaries are actually up to the task of severe winching, regardless of what they claim. I've killed way to many to think otherwise. That said, crappy tire has the longest warrenty there is on batteries. 3 years full replacement, and pro rated for the rest of eternity after that. Just keep your receipt.
I've treid to warranty an optima before that died in less then a year. I dropped it off at national a year and half ago with a promise from the counter guy that he would take care of it..................................
If it were a crappy tire battery, I would have walked out with a new one that day.
Thats my experience with batteries.
hth
-
Has anyone tried Oddyssey Batteries? They seem to be very popular with the "expedition" types...I'm just not sure if they'll provide the same sort of service if used for winching.
-
My red top sat dead for a year in backyard. Jump started fine and been strong since, bout another year since, tested last week @ 1000 CCA. Know I change out alot of CT batteries at work, but winching is real tough on batteries. High load for long time. Not what automotive or deep cycle are made for... Good luck.
-
I've had similar experience as "Bnine" with Optimas.
Some are great and have seen them in use for 10 years - slow trickle charge is often the way to bring them back from the dead. Seen this done frequently also.
I had problems with mine especially in the cold(underground parking garage) in my SiR. They also seem to break down with heavy vibration(poly eng mounts). Slow charge wouldn't do anything. Wound up going through several in a 2 year period because they couldn't hold up. Purchased at Partsource while they still sold them. I had it in the truck and it was a bit better but if left sitting for awhile it would drain easily. Exchanged batteries with a regular GRP 58 from the Mustang that was a year old and problems went away. No other change - batt clamps were always clean.
In the end i've learned to buy CT batteries for the same reasons mentioned above - there are lots of them out there so when it dies you can easily get a replacement. I know Costco sells Optimas if you're interested but again if it dies...