Are all truck batteries created equal?

I called and spoke to them. They do not have the exact replacement battery, but I talked to a woman who clearly knew what she was talking about. She told me that I need at least 615 CCA rating and that I need to measure my battery box dimensions and see if I can get an Optima battery that fits and matches the CCA rating.

They have batteries that are rated for starting and deep cycle duty, which is what I need. I will try to figure it out today, if possible.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus14196
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ditto. if you haven't got 14.2 to 14.4 at a decent rpm, your charging system has a problem. That would kill battery life.

Karl

Reply to
Karl Townsend

You can usually get an extra two/three inches of depth in truck boxes.

Why do you desire a deep-cycle battery in an automotive environment, Ig? They're recharged every time you start the engine.

-- Experience is a good teacher, but she send in terrific bills. -- Minna Thomas Antrim

Reply to
Larry Jaques

He's a tech addict with a lot of auxiliary loads :)

Reply to
Pete C.

First of all, what kind of truck? What sized battery? There are cheap junk batteries, expensive junk batteries, reasonably priced good batteries, expensive good batteries, all the way up to insanely expensive very good batteries.

The cheap and expensive junk batteries are the easiest to find.

Reply to
clare

My experience with the Interstate MegaTron batteries has been excellent.

Reply to
clare

Red Optima. You won't go wrong, but your wallet will feet the pinch.

Reply to
clare

I recently diagnosed the charging system on my car. The manuals and such (I have a few) weren't much help beyond what-wire-connects-where, but there were some very odd indications.

You can charge a battery, give it a known discharge, and see if it is holding enough energy. My battery was OK.

You can monitor the charge voltage to see if the normal operation causes the correct charging voltages (in the

13 to 14.5 range). This, was inconsistent. Tightening wires and replacing one cable seemed to fix it.

But almost nothing else; there was no easy way to test the generator ex-situ, or any clear indications what the voltage regulator was doing except as part of the full assembly of components.

So, there was no clear determination of what to replace. The generator came with a helpful little pamphlet that said 'replace the voltage regulator at the same time', and it's a common recommendation to replace the battery after any charging problems. So, I'm thinking a 'professional' would replace battery, regulator, generator all at the same time. Whether they need it or not. Without ever diagnosing to the individual faulty part.

That's just bad engineering.

My problem was an intermittent short inside the generator, which clobbered the battery charge four times in the space of a year (but usually worked when the meter was attached).

Reply to
whit3rd

Blue top is the combination if I remember correctly. Yellow is deep cycle.

Reply to
clare

Fine. Add an aux battery, also non-deep-cycle. It'll be recharged daily, too. ;)

-- Experience is a good teacher, but she send in terrific bills. -- Minna Thomas Antrim

Reply to
Larry Jaques

Gel cell batteries are just lead-acid batteries that have the electrolyte gelled by adding silica-gel (I think). As they are sealed batteries they should be charged at a lower voltage to avoid over heating which could cause excessive gassing and high pressure inside the sealed case.

Trojan Batteries recommends a maximum charging voltage of 2.35 - 2.40 per cell or 14.1 - 14.4 volts for a 12 volt battery..

While I cannot quote references, my experience is that few, if any, common automobile alternators will produce a higher voltage then is safe for a gel-cell.

As an aside - a gel cell's real advantage is that if you turn them upside down they don't leak acid all over your new levis.

Reply to
john B.

I would not really trust the dash gauge too much when a couple tenths of a volt is critical.

John

Reply to
John

Err ... Actually battery manufacturers recommendations are:

Lead-Acid Maximum charging voltage 2.45 - 2.7 VDC/Cell or

14.7 - 16.2 VDC/12 volt Battery

Gel-Cell Max Recommended voltage 2.35 - 2.4 or 14.1 - 14.4

AGM Max Recommended 2.35 - 2.45 of 14.1 - 14.2

My own experience is that few, if any, automobile systems will put out a voltage high enough to be of danger to any of the three batteries and that gel-cells, at least, can be a direct substitution for lead-acid with no problems, and I certainly know people that installed AGM batteries in their boats and didn't report any difficulties.

It is useful to note that the only advantage that Gel-Cell or AGM have over lead-acid is that they don't spill if you turn them over.

Reply to
john B.

Run a deep cycle in a car and you will kill it in short order. They are not designed for the high current output required by the starter. It warps the plates and shorts them out. The combination units will handle your typical outboard engine. They don't work well in vehicles with large engines though, for the same reason. If you have a vehicle with constant draw requirements you're better off installing dual batteries with an isolator.

Reply to
Steve W.

Sounds like your regulator points are sticking or welding shut once in a while draining the battery back through the generator. The contacts on the regulator close when the output of the generator reaches about 12 volts, below that they should be open. You could put a heavy current diode in series with the generator to prevent this back current flow. New technology combined with old. :)

John

Reply to
John

Not the ONLY advantage. They also do not gas under normal charge or discharge.

In aircraft use a "wet" battery needs to be in an enclosed and vented battery box, while AGM and Gel batteries can just be strapped down anywhere. Gel and AGM batteries are not considered hazardous cargo either (which is mostly due to not being spillable) but there are valved spill-proof wet batteries as well - which are NOT non -hazardous.

Reply to
clare

I have a laptop and sometimes I forget to turn off the inverter for it. If I had extra capacity, I would be better off with that.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus14196

I thought that those optima batteries were designed for cars!

Reply to
Ignoramus14196

They are. Trucks too.

Reply to
John R. Carroll

There are at least three different versions of the Optima spiral cell AGM batteries designed for different applications.

Reply to
Pete C.

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