Hot Rods How many years are you guys getting out of your battery?

The battery in my 55 Sunliner lasted two months short of 10 years and the battery in my 37 Chevy p/u almost lasted 8 years,it was still starting the 55 but seemed slow and was starting slow with a rebuilt starter so I knew it was the battery.

 

Depends on what the battery is warranted for? I'm unsure how they do it, but in most cases they seem to fail on me within a couple months of the warranty period. Plus or minus.
I did have one 3 year battery that lasted almost 4 yrs., and thought I was really lucky. I put all of my cars on battery tenders in the winter when they don't get driven much.

 

I've gotten as high as 10 years out of a few Optima batteries. My 40 coupe has an Optima in it but since I bought it with the current battery I am replacing it before we go on a trip. No guarantees the new one will be better, just piece of mind.

 

I got 12 years out of the one in my '96 F-150...

 

I only buy my batteries from one tire store chain (helps with issues on the road) and if I get five years I feel like I got my money's worth.
Over the past 50 years I have come to the conclusion that two things are usually what kill a usable but marginal battery. Extreme cold snap or Extreme heat. If you lived where the temp never got much below 50 or much above 80 your battery would have a happy and most likely long life.
As far as getting 10 years out of one, I'd say that is worth bragging rights down at the coffee club tomorrow morning.

 

Seems average is around 4 years from Wally World batteries. Just replaced battery in wife's limo that was 4 years old, factory battery. That sucker was an AGM and slightly expensive 3 year free replacement from Costco. Momma happy so it was cheap repair no matter cost.

 

Here are two stories involving larceny and battery longevity. In September 1973, a day after my wedding, we went to the movies at the local mall, came out to find the battery in my two-month old new car was stolen. Bought a Die Hard to replace it and it outlasted the car, which I traded in in 1980. Fast forward to last day of August 2000. Our house was burglarized the day before and I came home just in time to catch the two, but had no phone, gun or other weapon and they got away with the usual stuff including a VCR. On Friday we went to the local big box store to replace the VCR. When we returned to the car, the battery was dead, so we walked about an eighth of a mile to the other side of the shopping center to the Auto Zone. The guy behind the counter grabbed a battery, tossed it in the back of his pickup, drove over to my car and installed it. I paid them, gave him a nice tip for going the extra mile. That battery lasted nearly 12 years.

 

next "competition" question - how long do your tires last -"until I can se the air inside"

 

That's why my DD's battery lasted 11+ years when I was commuting 150 miles per day for 16 years. Nothing like a long drive at highway speeds to do a good job of charging and also keeping the oil circulating and the engine warm enough to dissipate moisture.

 

My good friend owns a shop and does mechanical work/ tires/ batteries, etc. He always tells me, " Batteries die in July, but they don't fall over until January." Guess the heat does them in and the first bad cold snap finishes them off.

 

I started using Deltran battery tenders around 20 years ago with great results. Currently, my wife's OT 2008 hobby car has the original OEM battery, 13 years, OT 89 survivor I purchased new currently has a 10 year old Napa battery, OT 2005 survivor hobby car 10 year old OEM battery, all of old hobby cars hobby cars, 7/8 years with 1 exception. Boat battery 10 years, yard equipment 10 years, motorcycles 5/6 years, So................Now I never have battery problems and attribute this to the use of Deltran battery tenders. Before I started using battery tenders their life was short usually shorter than warranty. It seemed I was always buying a battery for something regularly and heard/read about tenders and you're reading my results. I know 1 guy than burned up his cars/garage blaming a cheaper brand so I recommend buying this product, this is my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

How about changing to a smaller pulley.. We used to use the 5" pulley to save horsepower.

If I buy the cheapest battery 6-8 years. If I buy the real good battery 6-8 years.. LOL

I use the N.A.P.A. battery, However, if I can get the Interstate on sale I'll go for that.. I think there are only two battery companies that supply all the batterys..

 

Running an Odyssey PC680 battery in my roadster for ten years. I just put a new one in just because. I am now using the old one I took out in my tractor. Still Good!

 

12+ years from the Motorcrafts in my 99 F-350 diesel. I replaced them with equivalent Interstates only because I thought they were due and was never ever happy with them. They just didn't spin the engine over as fast as the Motorcrafts and this what you need in cold weather with a 7.3 Power stroke.

I have a 850 cca Motorcraft in my 57 Ford. BBF stroker, battery in the trunk, PMGR starter. I have around 5-6 years on it and it still spins the engine over like Jack the Bear.

 

I use one of those SILVER Sharpie markers every time I buy a battery. I write the date and the place of purchase. Then if I have a problem, I immediately know if I need to find the receipt. Saves time trying to figure out if I have the right receipt for the right battery, especially when a lot of the print on the receipt has faded.

 

I loaded up the battery and plan on finding a replacement today, I was looking on line trying to locate a replacement, I'm seeing visions of the spark plug dilemma trying to decode batteries, I guess nothing stays the same.

I have a Deka battery # 534MF/ - 690 CA -32F - 550 CCA,. HRP

 

I have 18 yrs on a Optima in my '41 Caddy. Hard to believe, I know.

 

"Batteries die in July, they just don't keel over till November"

Reserve capacity or ability to supply current gets to be less and less as permanent sulfation chokes off the plates. This is due to short trips and chronic undercharging. (This is where a good battery charger, even a Monkey Wards from 1962, will pay for itself many times over.)

The first cold snap comes along and "Click". The starter current demand in cold weather is maybe double (sludgy frozen oil) but at the same time, increased internal resistance of a cold battery degrades the ability for a battery to actually supply current just when needed most, probably cut in half.

Automobile environment underhood temps etc. is super hard on them, heat and vibration are the big killers. Stationary lead-acid batts routinely last 20 years.

 

How many years?
All of them.....
Put a battery tender on it, my last battery in the Fairlane lasted from 2000 until 2012 when I gave it to my father in law for his old truck it was still going strong for the two years he had the truck.
Put them on a tender.....

 

Longest I've seen 7 years. Average is 3-4 years.

 

The best battery I ever had gave 13 years in an OT German car.. Dated coded to the build date of the car. Only replaced it because I thought it would give up the ghost at an inoportune time. And it's case was white!

 

Years of battery dependence made me a 'voltage cynic'! My first battery (1955) was a Nic-L-Silver.
Interstate was my 'go-to' for 10 years, lasted 5 or 6...
But 5 O.T. 'D/Ds' with WalMart's 'Everstarts' laid down with batt issues after 2,3 months: my local store had a PYRAMID of 24+ batteries, all the same number. (high zoot model, "BMW".)
"An Everstart?" No...Arranged correctly, "A Neverstart." Sounds the same.
My other O.T. car had the same problem within a month of the current BMW. (other is a M.B. 300SL)
900 cranking amps is mandatory. That dictated an Optima, @$265.00... Yikes!
Batteries have dealt me some blows, but I'm getting back up...LOL
Seems like I ascended too fast, finally got "The BENZ!"
...Still have my hot rods, though

 

Seems they cost double & last half the time, but maybe that's just my luck..

 

On my last daily I got 11+. It had a block heater and a battery warming blanket so I never had to make it work hard in the cold.

 

On vehicles that I don't drive very much I use a battery minder with a desulfator cycle. Had batteries last up to 16 years. Great for your antique car or hotrod that doesn't get driven much.

 

I have been getting 10 years out of my Odyssey battery
good thing cos the battery is under the dash and a pain in the butt
to replace

 

I get longer battery life in cars with separate voltage regulator like the GM 10 D.N. charging system.

I'd like to use a tender but I'm a residential electrician and have seen a few fires as a result of the tender shorting out and being back fed with all the amperage of the battery. There's usually a melted box. If you use one make sure you have it on a very sensitive power strip or even better an in line fuse rated slightly over the tenders current rating..
Make sure the alligator clips are on separate lines.

The battery I got from Carquest had caps that came off to reveal the water. I thought it didn't take water, the way the caps were designed, three caps on one square block that was hard to remove.. I brought the very low water level back up with distilled water I bought at the super market. The battery gave up 6-7 months later, it was about five years old. Did I do something wrong?

 

I have an Exide in my Ford, 5 years old. My buddy is a dealer, that one ran me $75. If it sits for longer than a week due to bad roads or weather, I put a tender on it.

My OT Malibu, the OG one lasted 7 or 8 years. That is a vehicle-specific battery. I got a new Champion at Pep Boys, 6 year warranty, 25% off at $100.

 

Like Squirrel & others. 5 years and done. I have been in serious trouble because of a failed battery. Not worth the trouble to see how long a battery lasts or to nurse one on its last legs.

 

I don't have a clue as to the longevity of the battery but before I completely drained it the cranking seemed slow. HRP