battery ideas

[JackstandJohnny]

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

[WhiteOut]

The battery out of my red one never gave me a problem. Just needs a charge.

[JENSSEN]

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)

[JackstandJohnny]

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!

[w squared]

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  

[BlackYJ]

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

[esi]

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.

[JackstandJohnny]

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

[RckyMtnTJ]

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.

[WagoneerXJ]

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

[JackstandJohnny]

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.

[tubby]

I have a new Optima red top you can borrow if you need it John. You'll have to come pick it up though.

[kitimat Rich]

go see the boys at ATI and get sum battery maintenance units 403-250-2845.

[JackstandJohnny]

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!

[cLAY]

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.