Record for a battery?

[Skip Lackie]

The Delco battery in my 64 Daytona just died. I was POd until I looked up the purchase date: September 1995. I guess I can't complain about a battery that lasted 11 years and 11 months. Interestingly, that's exactly as long as the OEM Delco battery in my 62 Chevy lasted. Anybody had even better luck with a battery?

BTW, I understand that Delphi recently sold off their Delco battery division to cover red ink. I've always had good luck with Delco batteries, but am now uncertain about their quality in the future.

Skip Lackie
Washington DC

[Jeff_H]

My folks bought a '78 ford fairmont wagon new in the spring of '78. The original battery lasted until late '89, 11 yrs. I bought a used '87 ranger pickup in '94 that still had the original battery (near as I could tell). I finally had to replace it around '99 or so (fuzzy memory now). That would be 12yrs. Both of those would have been OEM motorcraft batteries. 1998 I bought a beater thunderbird from the city impound lot auction. It had a new-ish looking diehard in it with no date sticker. That battery seemed to have nine lives. I use that car for winter road salt duty so it sits most of the summer months. Go to start the car in the fall and its stone dead after sitting for months. I'd charge it and go. The last time that happened, it wouldn't take a charge, but I left the charger on for the heck of it. I came back a couple hours later and it was charging! Got another winter out of it. I finally had to replace the battery last fall so I got a good 8yrs out of it. Other than that I have generally not had good luck with batteries, usually only get maybe 5-6 yrs out of them. Worst was 2 store brand ones from a auto parts store that would not even make 3yrs each. There is a website I have seen that lists the actual mfg of batteries with the labeled brand. My recollection is that all the batteries out there are actually made by only 3 or 4 companies.


Jeff in ND

'53 Champion Hardtop

[Transtar60]

Not better but close, the OEM battery in my Dads '96 Ford Ranger lasted until October '06. The truck was built in August '95.


3E38
4E2
4E28
5E13
7E7
8E7
8E12
8E28
4E2
59 Lark
etc

[41 Frank]

I have had the best luck with Delco batteries in my Studebakers, up to 7 years, considering they are idle about 4 months out of the year that is real good as batteries tend to desulfate faster when not in use. I have now purchased battery charge maintainers to use on them when not in use which should give the battery a better chance at a long service life.

[Neal in NM]

I don't know if this counts but when I bought my truck two years ago the battery had a date stamp from the late seventies. The battery still had about one volt showing on my meter. I charged it up for about three days and it was able to crank the engine over. I never started the engine with the battery because it was six volts and I converted the truck to twelve. Neal

[John Kirchhoff]

I can't substantiate this, but somewhere I read that OEM batteries are made from brand new materials while many after market jobs are made from recycled materials (the old batteries you return). Not sure, but I "believe" it also said that Interstate was about the only aftermarket brand that wasn't made from recycled materials. I don't know if any of this is true, but I do know that it seems OEM batteries always last longer than their replacements.

As far as battery life goes, a lot is determined by use and battery construction. Every time the battery is depleated and recharged, a little bit of lead is shed from the plates which then settles out at the bottom of the battery. A few deep recharges shed more lead than do a lot of light ones. Important is how much space there is between the bottom of the battery case and the bottom of the plates. Keeping the electrolyte level over the plates is also vital. Lead sulfate forms on dry exposed areas which then prevents the exchange of electrons. Those areas are then pretty much null and void and the result is the loss of battery power.

Motorcycle batteries are notorious for having a lot of plate stuck in a small area. That means there's a low electrolyte to plate ratio plus very little free space at the bottom of the plates. Recharging creates water vapor that is then vented into the atmosphere (most bike batteries are vented) and since there is so little electrolyte, pretty soon the plates are exposed. In addition, it takes very little lead residue at the bottom to reach the bottom of the plates which then shorts them out. Keep a small bike battery charged through the winter and ride the bike regularly in the summer and the battery will last 4-5 years. Fellows who don't do that buy a new battery every spring...or at least before their first ride. A lot of those wimps want the weather to be perfect and it might be May or the first of June before they get the bike out. Big sissies!

[Guido]

IN the early '80's I hunted with a fellow that had a '55 Willy's 4x4 pickup. As such it was a 6 volt system and the battery was older than dirt. I distinctly remember that on the outside of the case that it showed it to be a replacement for Allstate's and Henry J's!

I will second what John says about motorcycle batteries. I think have have put more batteries in my 4 wheeler than tanks of gas.

[53k]

quote:Originally posted by Skip Lackie

The Delco battery in my 64 Daytona just died. I was POd until I looked up the purchase date: September 1995. I guess I can't complain about a battery that lasted 11 years and 11 months. Interestingly, that's exactly as long as the OEM Delco battery in my 62 Chevy lasted. Anybody had even better luck with a battery? ...

I can't beat that, but I have had a couple batteries last ten years. I just replaced the six-volt in my '53 a couple weeks ago at seven years. I kept a battery maintainer on it, but a couple winters ago it got unplugged and the clock ran the battery completely dead. With very careful, slow charging I got it back, but it was never the same. I had started the car ok a few days earlier, but when I got in it, the courtesy light was dim then went out- battery was completely dead.
It seems like OEM batteries go out at three year to the day (including the Willard in my '64 Wagonaire). That one was replaced by purchasing a Montgomery-Ward battery that served me for nearly 30 years (not the same battery though). We were coming across country in '67- went to Mesa Verde Park in Colorado. When we got back in the car the battery was dead. We were 45 miles from the nearest town. Fortunately we were able to roll the car and got it started (thanks for a stick tranny). I drove the 45 miles to Durango and one of the first things I saw was a sign in the window of the Wards catalog store that said "Lifetime Battery- $24.95". I finally lost the papers some time in the 90s so I couldn't get another free replacement[V].


[img=right]http://www.frontiernet.net/~thejohnsons/Forum%20signature%20pix/R-4.JPG[/img=right][img=right]http://www.frontiernet.net/~thejohnsons/Forum%20signature%20pix/64L.JPG[/img=right][img=right]http://www.frontiernet.net/~thejohnsons/Forum%20signature%20pix/64P.jpg[/img=right][img=right]http://www.frontiernet.net/~thejohnsons/Forum%20signature%20pix/53K.jpg[/img=right]Paul Johnson
'53 Commander Starliner (since 1966)
'64 Daytona Wagonaire (original owner)
'64 Daytona Convertible (2006)
Museum R-4 engine

[Swifster]

I can't beat the age, but the battery in my Ranger was just replaced in February and the truck was built in April of '01 (almost 6 years). Big deal you say? Well it lasted all the starts and stops over the course of 168,000 miles. I live with that .

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Tom - Valrico, FL

1964 Studebaker Daytona - 289 4V, 4-Speed

[Blue 15G]

Not as good as yours, but in '89 I bought a '55 Plymouth Savoy that had an old Delco battery in it, and when the battery finally died I noticed that it was almost 10 years old. On my Studes and other old cars I've owned, I only seem to get 3 or 4 years out of them, if I'm lucky.

Dave Bonn
'54 Champion Starliner

[hank63]

You guys are lucky. In a warm climate (like in Queensland), any battery life after 3 years is a bonus !
/H

[Skip Lackie]

quote:Originally posted by 53k
It seems like OEM batteries go out at three year to the day (including the Willard in my '64 Wagonaire). That one was replaced by purchasing a Montgomery-Ward battery that served me for nearly 30 years (not the same battery though). We were coming across country in '67- went to Mesa Verde Park in Colorado. When we got back in the car the battery was dead. We were 45 miles from the nearest town. Fortunately we were able to roll the car and got it started (thanks for a stick tranny). I drove the 45 miles to Durango and one of the first things I saw was a sign in the window of the Wards catalog store that said "Lifetime Battery- $24.95". I finally lost the papers some time in the 90s so I couldn't get another free replacement[V].

Paul raises a related issue -- so-called lifetime batteries. These were offered by a number of companies. In reality, it was an ordinary battery, but carried a free replacement warranty -- but only if the battery was still in the same car and had the same owner. It was a calculated gamble, based on the assumption that very few people keep their cars long enough to take advantage of the deal. I bought an Atlas lifetime battery in the early 70s, and the local Amoco station replaced it twice at no charge over a period of about 20 years. I still have the paperwork and the car, but Atlas no longer makes batteries. The "lifetime" warranty didn't cover that circumstance.

Skip Lackie
Washington DC

[wally]

I still have the OEM Bosch battery in my 1997 Fxxd. It has a plastic blanket of sorts around it, which may have(?)been a factor in its' longevity. Having bought quite a few slightly USED batteries from salvage yards over the years for my various other cars, it is my opinion that the ones with the shortest life span are the replacements marketed by a certain "major" department store, and so I avoid buying them. I definitely agree with previous posters who've essentially pointed out that infrequent charging and useage (and deep discharging) will greatly shorten a batteries' useful life span.

[53k]

quote:Originally posted by wally

I still have the OEM Bosch battery in my 1997 Fxxd. It has a plastic blanket of sorts around it, which may have(?)been a factor in its' longevity. Having bought quite a few slightly USED batteries from salvage yards over the years for my various other cars, it is my opinion that the ones with the shortest life span are the replacements marketed by a certain "major" department store, and so I avoid buying them. I definitely agree with previous posters who've essentially pointed out that infrequent charging and useage (and deep discharging) will greatly shorten a batteries' useful life span.

My '01 Olds Bravada had an insulating material all around its OEM battery- still failed at three years almost to the day. And, when it went I lost all my presets[V]- takes a while to reset everything. But that's nothing compared to an experience with my Acura MDX. I took it in to the local Goodyear shop to get an oil and filter change, a tire rotation and a state inspection. When I got it back some two hours later and started off, my nav system was dead as was my radio. Both would only ask for codes. Turned out- the dummy who did the inspection left the ignition on for the two hours and killed the battery. He put a jumper on it to start it and back it out. I immediately went back and they ran a battery check and charging system check- all in good shape. It was kind of neat. The guy put a hand-held tool on the battery and, after a few seconds it gave him a printout of the battery load capacity, charging rate, etc. They offered to reprogram everything for me, but I was in a hurry. I did find the codes in the owners manual pouch and finally figured out how to enter them and all was well.

[img=right]http://www.frontiernet.net/~thejohnsons/Forum%20signature%20pix/R-4.JPG[/img=right][img=right]http://www.frontiernet.net/~thejohnsons/Forum%20signature%20pix/64L.JPG[/img=right][img=right]http://www.frontiernet.net/~thejohnsons/Forum%20signature%20pix/64P.jpg[/img=right][img=right]http://www.frontiernet.net/~thejohnsons/Forum%20signature%20pix/53K.jpg[/img=right]Paul Johnson
'53 Commander Starliner (since 1966)
'64 Daytona Wagonaire (original owner)
'64 Daytona Convertible (2006)
Museum R-4 engine

[rusty nut garage]

I'm with Hank, here in the heat of AZ (but its a dry heat )
anything over 2-3 yrs is a bonus. I keep track of my batteries and between the 2-3 mark I have them replaced.
Russ

quote:Originally posted by hank63

You guys are lucky. In a warm climate (like in Queensland), any battery life after 3 years is a bonus !
/H

Russ Shop Foreman "Rusty Nut Garage"
57 SH (project)
60 Lark VIII 2dr sd (driver)