New Battery Time I'm Thinking

My current set of batteries has been in service for approx 5 years and this is the only set I have purchased since the truck was new which will be 10 years next month. I can't complain I suppose, but I'm thinking I'm about due for another set.

I am currently hosting at a state park in Florida and drive my truck about once a week to go to town. 2-3 days ago I started it and when I looked at the DIC it was telling me to change my oil and the oil % left was zero. I changed the oil an reset the DIC at that time 1,500 miles ago. So I reset it again just to keep the message from popping up. I change my oil/filter every 5,000 miles anyway so it being reset now doesn't bother me. Then I noticed the radio wasn't on the correct band so I reset that. Then I noticed the clock was wrong so I reset that.

Now yesterday I started it and it didn't seem like the starter was as robust as it should be and it took a second or so longer for the engine to start.

Would low voltage/tired batteries during starting cause the radio and DIC issues described? I'm pretty sure about the starting issue because I know this truck pretty well after 10 years. I know I could have the batteries load tested which I will do before replacing them, but just curious from the experts here.

Update: I just checked the DIC again and the engine hours has been reset to zero again also. This happened about 5 years ago too. So let me see, 150,000 miles in 4 hours? This truck is definitely fast.

Thanks.

Ed

It sounds like a battery, or both. 5 years is typical. The batteries in mine are 11 years old (Optima yellow tops), and one went south a couple months ago, while the other is still performing 100% (it seems). It was easy to identify, so I disconnected the bad battery. It's warmer now, so I will run on one battery for a while and replace the set at my convenience. Being in FL, you should be able to do the same, if it's only one battery that left you. Mine starts well, even after an overnight low of 40F. Disconnect one battery ground and wait overnight (or two). If it doesn't start well, switch batteries (connect, then disconnect to prevent losing volatile settings), and try again. If it starts well, you've identified the bad battery, and it should be OK until you replace the set (leave the bad battery disconnected). If it doesn't start, both need to be replaced. You already have the best equipment for load testing, and most stores that do it get it wrong, most of the time.

Yeah, that's pretty fast. You could drive to the moon in less than 7 hours at that speed. NASA can't do that.

I just changed the original batteries in my 07 (produced in 06 of course) in 2014. Not bad getting 8 yrs service from the OE Delco's.

If your cranking is slow it's probably not a bad idea to replace. Weak batteries cause the charging system to work double time which can lead to alternator failure and low voltage cranking can be hard on the starter etc..

I had a similar problem with a company Ford 3/4 ton.

Every time a certain laborer barrowed my truck on the job I would get in it and the radio would be all messed up. Reset to all Spanish stations, volume cranked all the way up. Wipers would be on, seat would be changed, anything that could be changed was. But he was a damn good worker.

I don't think it was batteries though . . . .

Thanks for the response everyone.

Maverick,

I had a set of Red Top Optima batteries in my '98 6.5 that were still going strong when I sold it to my son in law. When I had to replace my OE Delco's a few years back I was in a small town and had to have something quick so I ended up with a pair of NAPA's. I just looked at the date codes on them and they are 4 years old.....so no more of those.

I notice you said you have the Optima yellow top. Isn't the CCA of 620 a bit low? I know the Red Top's are 800CCA.

I tow a 35' fifth wheel every few weeks since I full time in it, but I wonder if the yellow top would serve me better in this application? I towed nothing but a 4,000 lb boat trailer with the 6.5 I had so the Red Top's never saw much of a load other than starting.

I'm not against spending a few bucks on the Optima's since my past experience with them was excellent, I just don't know if the Yellow Top is the right one.

Thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks.

just a thought:

Have you cleaned and tightened up all 4 battery terminals? Every now and then my truck cranks slow. Paying some attention to the terminals fixes it every time.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by EdHale

Thanks for the response everyone.

Maverick,

I had a set of Red Top Optima batteries in my '98 6.5 that were still going strong when I sold it to my son in law. When I had to replace my OE Delco's a few years back I was in a small town and had to have something quick so I ended up with a pair of NAPA's. I just looked at the date codes on them and they are 4 years old.....so no more of those.

I notice you said you have the Optima yellow top. Isn't the CCA of 620 a bit low? I know the Red Top's are 800CCA.

I tow a 35' fifth wheel every few weeks since I full time in it, but I wonder if the yellow top would serve me better in this application? I towed nothing but a 4,000 lb boat trailer with the 6.5 I had so the Red Top's never saw much of a load other than starting.

I'm not against spending a few bucks on the Optima's since my past experience with them was excellent, I just don't know if the Yellow Top is the right one.

Thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks.

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The yellow tops I have in it now state 870/750 (CA/CCA, 2004 mfg). I don't know what the newer models state, but I don't give it much weight. I've used these for all they're worth, in about every extreme I could put them in. A few years ago, I had an opportunity to put cold weather to the test, cold-soak starting well below 0F, with and without glow plugs enabled (for testing purposes). It didn't seem to make any difference, as it started no different than I would expect (a little rough for a few seconds w/o GP's). 100F+ summers are typical, no problems there, either.

My reason for choosing the yellow tops is our camping habits. Mostly extended desert trips, with no generator. The RV (32' Mountaineer 5'er) has 2 blue tops. The blue tops, IMO, were not the best choice. I think they are much better suited for marine/trolling and the like. A topic for another discussion. Anyway, with no generator (by choice), using the 2 blue tops in the RV, and the 2 yellow tops in the truck, 1 or 2 charging cycles a day of about 20-30 minutes each was enough to keep all the electricals working, which includes entertainment/gaming systems, occasional power tools (including air compressor), hair dryer, etc. (integrated inverter). Yellow top voltage never dropped below 11V, and even then, 20-30 minutes of disconnect would bounce them back up above 12V. They never failed to start the truck, even after the most draining periods. Fuel consumption to keep up the charge factors out to about 1/10 the gas of the generator. The other upside to opting out of the generator is weight. They're heavy, and displace a LOT of cargo/water capacity. No A/C, but that was the only real compromise. The 275 amp purpose built alternator was/is up to anything I could throw at it (more output at idle than the OEM at high RPM, single or dual), and the idling truck is more quiet than the quietest RV generator. We've been doing it this way over 10 years, and I have no regrets.

I guess my final take on the whole CCA argument is, these 750 CCA yellow tops out-perform any previous 1000+ CCA batteries I've used before, but they're 2X+ the price, and usually have a much lesser warranty. I don't know, exactly, how they rate them, other than construction, but the numbers don't add up in the real world. Numbers are appealing, but mean little in my experience. You can buy high CA/CCA el-cheapo batteries at WM or the chain parts stores. They don't last. None of them. If you don't mind R/R-ing them, spend the money on replacement warranties, and R/R every couple years at 1/2 the price.

I too camp a lot since I do it full time, but I do have a generator that I use daily to top off my house batteries when boondocking. More often than not I don't have to specifically run the generator daily for battery needs, but for grandchildren's need to watch TV. The battery topping off just goes along for the ride. I do have two 6v Trojan T-105's in my RV (I have the same opinion as you on the Blue Top Optimas). The Trojans are 5 years old and still perform perfectly. I do top them off with distilled water twice a year, once in the spring then again in the fall.

Now back to the Optima's. Based on previous experience with Optima Red Tops I am a big fan, I just don't have personal experience with the Yellow Tops. I am inclined to go with the Yellow Tops this time. If for no other reason than Sam's Club has them for $13.00 less than the Red Tops. Per Optima's web site:

620 CCA / 770 CA

My truck does have 2 OEM alternators, but other than they seem to last a lot longer (so far anyway) than GM's alternators used to, I don't know what advantage they give me. I do have a lot more lights running when I'm towing my 5th wheel and there is some load on them when stopped and the trailer is still connected (I think I remember the trailer lead is hot all the time, but I forget). I don't leave it connected overnight when traveling anyway.

Now off to Sam's later today and spend some cash.

All terminals are clean and tight rapidoxidationman. I'm a bit anal about that, but thanks for the tip. We know how things creep on us all at times.

It is always amazing to me how much better new batteries start an engine. The new Yellow Top Optimas are amazing compared to the old NAPA's. I'm sure I thought the same thing when the NAPA's were new compared to the worn out Delco's, but plan on the Yellow Tops lasting much longer. The Red Tops I had in my '98 6.5 lasted and lasted and lasted.