Hi Guys!

Well, I had a little trouble over the weekend with the "Big Truck."

I got up friday morning - it was cold - for here, and I went to start the truck and just got a "Thud." The starter definately threw out and engaged the ring but then just stopped. There was no clicking of the solenoid or anything.

So, I figured it was about time for the battery to be going bad (it's 6 years old). I threw the charger on it for about 20 minutes and then sat there in the truck pushing the starter button repeatedly knowing (in typical female fashion) that if I did it enough times it had to eventually start. And, it turned over very slowly and started.

Ok so now I'm late for work and not thinking clearly. But I figured I would stop at the NAPA by work and pick up a new battery so when I got home, if the battery was dead again, I could just swap it out.

And sure enough. That evening, I got back and got in it pushed the button and "THUD." Push/thud, push/thud, push/thud push/thud, explactive, thud thud.

So, I gloated: "Ok stupid truck, HA! I win I have a NEW battery in the bed." So I swapped the batteries pushed the starter button and Thud THUD Explactive explactive explactive.

So I got a ride home.

Next day I drove down and took a new starter and solenoid and of course it was the starter that was bad - thing started right up.

So now I have this $110 brand new Interstate battery that I need to store for 6 months or a year until the one I have dies, and I'm not sure what the best way is to do that.

Can you guys fill me in?

Thanks!

 

1. On the kitchen counter next to the toaster oven or;

2. Warm and dry on wood with an optional;

3. Battery Tender Jr.

 

YEA, what old f-1 said. When you go to make toast you know thatyou are sitting on ga. B0b

 

sorry that was go not ga.

 

Storing the battery on wood will not hurt anything but the belief that the electricity will run out of a battery and into the floor is an old wives tale. Electricty will not flow out of the posative post unless it can get to the negative post.

When people store batteries they let the top of the battery get dirty and then electricity will flow through the dirt/moisture to the other post and the battery slowly looses its charge plus there are parasitic losses internally. Keep the top of the battery clean and dry and you shouldn't have any problems

The lead plates and seperators inside the battery will deteriorate over time. There is nothing you can do about that so you couldn't store the battery for years but for a few weeks it will do fine in a warm dry place preferably covered in a non conducting material.

We have learned so much from you Julie in the past. Thank You and I hope we can help you today.

The following is probably more than you wanted to know.

Batteries naturally self-discharge 1% to 60% per month (depending on the battery type and temperature) while not in use. Sulfation will begin occurring whenever the Depth-of-Discharge (DoD) increases above 0% in other words, when the battery is not fully charged. Please see Section 16 for more information on sulfation. Cold will slow the process down and heat will increase it up. Storing batteries under 250 AH on concrete floors will not normally cause them to naturally self-discharge faster. Please see Section 14.1 for more information on this myth. Below are six simple steps while your batteries are not in use to protect them from permanent sulfation and premature failure.

13.2.1. Physically inspect for leakage or damaged cases, remove any corrosion, clean and dry the tops of the batteries to remove possible discharge paths from dried battery electrolyte, and clean the terminals. If the battery is in a vehicle, remove the negative connection from the battery to eliminate the additional parasitic (key off) discharge.

13.2.2. If the battery has filler caps, check the electrolyte (battery acid) level in each cell. If required, add only distilled, deionized or demineralized water to the recommended level, but do not overfill.

13.2.3. Fully charge and equalize wet (flooded) batteries, if required, using the procedures in Section 9 and recheck the electrolyte levels when the battery cools.

13.2.4. Store in a cold dry place, but not so that it will freeze, and where it can be easily recharged. The freezing point of a battery is determined by the SoC and the higher it is, the lower the freezing temperature. Please see the Electrolyte Freeze Points Table in Section 4.4.1. Based on the battery type you are using, connect a "smart", microprocessor based three-stage, four-stage charger or a voltage regulated float charger to continuously "float" charge your battery. Do not use a cheap, unregulated "trickle" charger or a manual two-stage charger which was not designed for "float" charging or you will overcharge your battery. A less desirable alternative to float charging would be to periodically test the State-of-Charge using the procedure in Section 4. When it is 80% or below, recharge using the procedures in Section 9. The frequency of testing and recharging will depend on the ambient storage temperature.

 

Hi Julie,
I am new on here but am an old timer. If your battery is six years old I would ditch it, put the new one in.As batteries deteriate the lose cell voltage, lower voltage means higher amp draw. You would be giving your new starter a gift for longer life.Just my 2 cents worth.

 

fixnair, thanks for the info..that's good stuff, I like to (read:"need"..) to refresh my memory at least once a year on battery maintenance and construction,..so I won't overlook the sometimes obvious...LoL!

Julie, I would also recommend the 'Battery-Tender', these units keep the battery in a full-charge state, then maintain that charge "automatically" (and who dosen't like that?)..allowing the battery to live a longer life,..this will keep your new battery within the maintenance guidelines fixnair provided.

Keeping the top of the battery clean to prevent discharge from the B+ to the B- terminals is "very" important as already stated,and can actually be measured with a digital voltmeter set to the mv scale..red lead to the B+ terminal and the black lead anywhere across the top of a dirty battery..try it, it surprised me,...and added another maint chore to the daily driver fleet...LoL! Thank's Folk's!

 

What he said. I won't drive my truck with a battery over 5 years old in it. If I get that much service out of it I figure I've got my money's worth. Ditch the 6 year old battery and run the new one.

 

Just get rid of the old battery and enjoy the new one. How many times have we bought a bushel of apples or peaches and kept looking for the ones going bad to eat before they got bad enough to throw away. Like that you never get to eat a real good one. Throw the bad ones away and eat the good ones.

 

Thanks for the great info guys and especially fixnair.

When ever I see a new subject I always try to add as much info as possible for the next few folks that come along, or in case we repost the thread later. Collecting all this info and cataloging it so we can reuse it is what makes this site such a valuable resource - super job...Love points sent.

Battery tender - Super idea - thanks Mertz!

 

I had one of those " battery tenders" on one of my batterys for about two months in the winter. When I went to start it, the battery exploded. It was an allmost new battery. NAPA replaced it , no extra cost, but they said my charger never shut off and over charged it. So as soon as i pulled a load out of it , it blew. I don't know it was new information to me. I just don't leave it on more than a couple of days at a time now. I just switch batterys around from one vehical to the other if they will fit to keep them charged up in the ones I drive the most . It's odd though , I can leave my old tractor sit for weeks at a time and it will start on the third revolution it turns any time winter or summer.

 

Julie, I agree with most,,,, You have spent the money for a new Battery, Don't take the chance of it sitting for an extended period of time and going bad (especially when you would need it at a critical time), put the new one in and store the older one for a back up.

Vern

 

Julie, I can store it for you in my wife's 5 year old Jeep Liberty.

 

JULIE, Just put the new one in,dont take chances

 

For a little more info on chargers check out this site. On my own batterys I use battery minder from Amazon or northern tools.
http://www.batterylifesaver.com/articles/understand.htm