Car Battery

[ChevyMan]

I believe in "car maintenance" When I was with the Army in occupied Japan, I was head of the motor pool with some Japanese mechanics under me. At that time, we were mainly taking care of jeeps and weapons carriers and 2 1/2 ton trucks doing "Preventive Maintenance". That said, I also believe in "PM" when taking care of cars I've owned.

Right now, the 5-yr. battery on my '76 Chevy is exactly 5 years old. It still start fine in the morning, but being a "5-yr. old", should I replace it now, or should I do that when it no longer works the way it should? I wouldn't want to come to the point when I'm on the road and find the car won't start, and have to go to all the trouble and hassle to replace the battery, maybe in some parking lot (you know that feeling).

Any comments or advice?

[dom]

What kind of battery?

You are in a pretty stable environment temperature-wise, so you won't have those freezing morning slow cranking issues (all the sudden).

I say keep it for now and replace it when you notice a slower engine cranking at start-up than normal.

I believe in PM too, but get a lot of enjoyment from maximizing the life of my parts.

Keep jumpers in the trunk just in case.

I have a seven year old battery in one of my cars now. -still works

Of course monitor your terminals, connection/s to starter, and water level.

If you are really concerned slide by a parts house and have them toss a battery tester on and see. -should be free

[grouch]

I believe in "car maintenance" When I was with the Army in occupied Japan, I was head of the motor pool with some Japanese mechanics under me. At that time, we were mainly taking care of jeeps and weapons carriers and 2 1/2 ton trucks doing "Preventive Maintenance". That said, I also believe in "PM" when taking care of cars I've owned.

Right now, the 5-yr. battery on my '76 Chevy is exactly 5 years old. It still start fine in the morning, but being a "5-yr. old", should I replace it now, or should I do that when it no longer works the way it should? I wouldn't want to come to the point when I'm on the road and find the car won't start, and have to go to all the trouble and hassle to replace the battery, maybe in some parking lot (you know that feeling).

Any comments or advice?

there are digital battery testers available that will tell you how many cold cranking amps the battery still has. If the battery is still strong, keep using it. If you're down to 50% or less of the original cranking amperage, keep an eye out for a sale. I keep my batteries full of distilled water and keep dielectric grease on the posts and usually get about a year over the advertised life of a battery.

[DonTom]

I believe in "car maintenance" When I was with the Army in occupied Japan, I was head of the motor pool with some Japanese mechanics under me. At that time, we were mainly taking care of jeeps and weapons carriers and 2 1/2 ton trucks doing "Preventive Maintenance". That said, I also believe in "PM" when taking care of cars I've owned.

Right now, the 5-yr. battery on my '76 Chevy is exactly 5 years old. It still start fine in the morning, but being a "5-yr. old", should I replace it now, or should I do that when it no longer works the way it should? I wouldn't want to come to the point when I'm on the road and find the car won't start, and have to go to all the trouble and hassle to replace the battery, maybe in some parking lot (you know that feeling).

Any comments or advice?

I would replace it for age reasons alone. It's rather rare for them to last much longer.

-Don- Reno, NV

[chiph]

I would vote for replacement, too.

While you could possibly get another year or two out of it -- when it does fail, if your luck is anything like mine, it'll be at night, in a rainstorm, in the bad part of town, after the stores have all closed.

Chip H.

[ChevyMan]

Thanks, Chip and Don. Your words convinced me to replace it now. I believe that "a bird in hand is worth two in the bush"

Larry T

[eesquared]

I vote for replacing the battery. Hubby, just yesterday, replaced his 5-year battery on his truck - '07 Silverado - which was only three years old. It's the second battery he has replaced. The battery had a dead cell.

[ducky1776]

I was about to post a similar question. Mine just hit the 5-year point and it's going in for its scheduled PM next Sat. I do keep jumper cables in the car, but it's not like I want to find myself somewhere with a dead battery. Friend's son was having battery issues last weekend so they went to Advanced and got a new one, but his was older than mine.

[dom]

What state do you live in, Ducky?

[Marc]

In a region with cold winters it makes sense to replace the battery before the end of its life expectancy because when a battery fails to start an engine it is usually in the worst possible situation. I'm beginning to think that it might also be wise to carry a spare alternator. One never really knows how long the current one will last and the rebuilt models usually cost far less than batteries.

Small batter maintainer/desulfator systems are now on the market and aren't much more money than maintainers. I don't know the first thing about the chemistry and physics involved or even what the manufacturer's claims are but if they can extend battery life a couple of years on average they might be worth it.

[swamprat]

I vote on replacing it if it is your primary transportation. Do not replace it with an Autozone or similar battery from Wal-Mart. Sears now has the best mass-market batteries going. That wasn't always the case, but I know for a fact that Sears batteries are built by East Penn Manufacturing company the worlds best battery manufacturer and one of the largest suppliers to OEM's.

I put a Deka battery (manufactured by East Penn) in my Saturn and in the Jag as well. I won't put anything else in my vehicles. The one in the Saturn has been in there 4 years and counting.