I am looking for opinions on my existing batteries, and potential replacements before winter hits.

My truck has two Motorcraft batteries installed. They are not the exact same type - one has a sight on top with a green LED in it, and the other does not. I need to check the stickers but it could be that one (or both?) are original.

I have not had any problems with starting or charging. But, I have noticed the positive post / cable connector on the passenger side battery has A LOT of corrosion on it.

Am I correct in thinking this is a sign the battery is dying a slow death? Should I try cleaning it up, and if so with what? Or should I just move forward with replacements?

What is the minimum CCA rating I should look for in replacements? Is any specific brand or type recommended? Should the replacements be identical, or no?

Is there any special sequence to follow, or gotchas to watch out for, when disconnecting and re-connecting both batteries?

Thanks for your input!

 

First, that's not an LED. It's just a clear piece of plexiglass rod the dips down into one cell's electrolyte. It's pointed at the other end. It gives an indication of low "water", that's all. The light you see is just ambient light through a "light pipe". Look at that spot in darkness and compare.

The corrosion on the post is caused by electrolyte leaking around the terminal "seals" where the lead passes through the plastic.

If a LOT of the acid has leaked, and you've topped it off many times, that cell will have a weaker electrolyte concentration. It will, in fact, be weaker electrically. How much? Depends.... If it's a "maintenance-free" battery, you haven't topped off at all.

I like to run a very-thin bead of RTV or wheel-bearing grease around that transition when the batteries are brand new, and I rarely have terminal corrosion on my cables.

I still have them off about every six months for inspection and battery equalization charging, however.

Tip: Remove NEGATIVE terminals from the batteries first!

I use the Costco batteries spec'd for our trucks. Good value and decent quality. Keep an eye on electrolyte levels, use only distilled water to top off, and maintain it at (at least) an eighty-percent state of charge (SOC), and they will last a long time.

Pop

 

Thanks for the detailed reply, Pop.

What is your take on wet batteries vs. glass mat or gel?

 

The difference in Batteries are insignificant so long as they both are the same service. Both should be 850 CCA (1,000 CCA @ 32*F). You should load test each individually to determine if they are within 5% Voltage and 10% CCA. 12.4 is the absolute minimum for voltage. 12.6 is good. I believe the Batteries are Group #65 for your truck. The Cells should also be tested for their Specific Gravity. This may not be possible with the maintenance free battery as access is sealed.


Corrosion is cause by several things. Primarily being the difference in metallic ores. Most often being the bolt and the terminal itself as one is primarily lead and the other steel. If the terminal is not leaking adding to the corrosion they should be cleaned free of corrosion and Dialectric Grease used to minimize the amount of oxygen on the metals. Spraying with a mixture of Baking Soda and Water periodically will also help prevent the formation.

Hope this provides some insight.

Tom

 

Ive got interstate. Batteries in mine by choice of the previous owner. I've never had any problems with them even when my electrical system wasn't charging well.

But after that I had them load tested at Interstate. I went inside to also buy an RV battery for one that had been stolen out of my trailer. By the time I had come out side again both were being replaced for free no questions asked. They were ONLY holding 90% charge. I guess 90% isn't good enough for the guys at interstate.

So because of that I like interstate. Customer service goes a LONG way with me.

 

I like that tip! Reps if I could Marv, but I just hit you not too long ago so I'm in rep jail.

Stewart

 

Thats good info. I'll hit him for you Stewart.

 

I prefer serviceable wet-cell batteries over AGM or gel. I can maintain them and check individual cell electrolyte specific gravity.

HOWEVER, my travel trailer has AGMs in it. I have to confess, I got them cheap, and might not spend the money to replace them with another round when the time comes.

The AGMs should last longer than wet cells if you keep them top-charged, and they don't seem to mind being routinely deep-cycled, so long as you don't drag them down too low. But, of course, they're sealed and you can't do too much testing of their true health other than to observe reserve capacity. They usually have more capacity for a given volume (size), however.

I don't know much about gel batteries, except I just wired one into the tongue of a trailer today to act as a brake system break-away power source. The size I'm using is relatively cheap, and I'll consider it "throw-away-and-replace-often". It's also used for a computer system's un-interruptable power supply (UPS), and alarm systems battery back-up.

Are gels commonly available in the sizes we need for our trucks?

Pop

 

Here is a picture I took this morning.



As you can see it is only 750 CCA. I could not find any kind of date on the sticker, not sure if it's been rubbed off or what. So now I need to take the cover off the driver's side and check it out.

How much is an electrolyte tester? All I've ever known to do is add distilled water if the level is low.

I am considering going to a set of AGM batteries. Maintenance free / no mess is appealing to me. I could not find any Group 65 gel batteries, just a lot of people calling AGM batteries gel.

If I got an Optima it would be the Red Top. The part number their website gave me is 8002-002 34, which has 800 CCA and a 3 year free replacement warranty.

Interstate has an AGM (part number MT7-65) rated at 770 CCA with a 4 year free replacement warranty. Their wet battery (MTP-65) has 850 CCA with a 2.5 year free replacement warranty.

Sears has a DieHard Platinum (part number 50065) that is AGM and rated at 930 CCA and has a 4 year free replacement warranty. This is the one I'm leaning towards as it has the best combination of AGM, CCA and warranty with a competitive price.

Thanks for all the input. Any more opinions?

 

Does anybody know the scoop on Super Start batteries?

The 65EXTN is 850 CCA with a 3 year free replacement warranty. It says "maintenance free" but no other real detail. I assume AGM?

 

like pop, i use costco batteries in everything. hte ones in my 02 just started giving me problems on monday, they are 6 years old.

whenever i see corrosion like that on a battery, i make a solution of 1 quart HOT water and 3 tablespoons baking soda. mix well, and slowly pour some over the terminal. when it stops bubbling, pour some more on it, and some more when it stops bubbling. i do this until it no longer bubbles. then i remove the terminal and clean it and the battery post before putting it back together and top it off with 2-3 coats of battery terminal sealer.

as a side note, once it do this treatment on someones car, they never have corrosion problems again.

 

get a hydrometer,fully charged should be at leist 1250 on the hydrometer reading. also a load tester. batteries release hydrogen gases when charging. looks like water boiling slowly. when the bubbles pop the cause a fine mist which can come out the breathers on the caps, corroding the terminals, overfilling or bad cap seals will cause leaking. coat terminals with grease or vasoline or battery terminal coating spray. i deal with this everyday at work.

 

Don't get anything less than 850 CCA. I have a couple Die-Hard 880s and have had no issues so far, very happy with them.

 

I believe the Interstate MTP-65 are 850 CA and 1000 CCA. I've used them before and got over six years and no problems. They were even completely discharged three times on the road because of alternator failure.

 

Been a while but I have a good excuse. Since my initial post my wife gave birth to our first child. Vivian Paige and mom Sara are doing great! Anyway back on topic...

Today I took a good look at everything and did some clean up and quick voltage tests.

First, the driver's side battery is the same part number as the passenger side (BXT-65-750). I am happy they match but still curious why they look so different.

The driver side battery was clean as a whistle:



I used two pint glasses worth of baking soda water cleaning up the post and terminal on the passenger side. I dripped it on with the terminal still connected, then separated them and cleaned each separately some more:



When everything was disconnected I checked the voltage. 12.70 on the driver side and 12.71 on the passenger.

Then I connected the cables and got 12.69 volts on both sides, probing back on each cable terminal.

Then I made a quick "test drive" to the grocery store to get diapers and stuff for dinner tonight. When I got back I tested the voltage at idle on both sides and saw 13.93 volts.

I put some red wheel bearing grease under the edges of the cell caps. I also used plenty of the purple battery post gel after I put the cables back on.

One question I had on the gel was if I should slather the post and then install the cable, or install the cable dry and then put the gel on the top of the post and terminal? I did the latter but not sure if it's the correct method.

Another, I am also not sure why the driver's side says "maintenance free" even though the caps come off just like any other wet cell??

Thanks for all the help. Does it seem like I should get a hydrometer and / or have them bench tested? They seem fine, I am just worried because of their potential age. I would also like more CCAs but don't want to replace batteries that don't need to be replaced.