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Old 02-09-2018, 03:47 PM   #1
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When to replace Chassis Battery?

I have a 2012 with the original chassis battery. Traditionally for my cars I expect a battery to last 5-6 years. So far the battery has shown no signs of problems.

When do most of you change the battery?
Are you proactive and swap it out or wait till it has issues?
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Old 02-09-2018, 04:19 PM   #2
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I wait until it cranks slow or not at all. Got the house battery to boost it with if on the road.
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Old 02-09-2018, 04:33 PM   #3
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I wait for issues to arise. for me the wait is never too long
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Old 02-09-2018, 04:38 PM   #4
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I usually get 10+ years out of mine. As long as the engine still cranks good , I wouldn't bother replacing them. With that said , I have had batteries totally fail in as little as 3 yrs .
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Old 02-09-2018, 04:53 PM   #5
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I am a believer in the 10 year rule for the chassis (start) battery(s). I just replaced mine after 11 years on my DP; my 2007 car is still going strong (my bad) on the original battery.

I have had very good luck with start batteries on numerous vehicles lasting more than 10 years. If you have a boost switch on your coach, you can chance it a little longer.
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Old 02-09-2018, 05:21 PM   #6
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At the first sign of trouble that can be attributed to the battery..
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Old 02-10-2018, 07:03 AM   #7
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Thanks all for the input. I didn't think about the house batter boost being available. I think I'll let it ride for now.
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Old 02-10-2018, 07:39 AM   #8
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I used to agree with those that say "replace it when it starts showing signs of trouble". However having said that I replaced the battery in our 20014 Jeep in 2014 and it was still going strong. I replaced the battery in our 2008 Buick in 2016 and it was still going strong.

BUT I had to replace the battery in our 2010 Ford truck last month when it wouldn't start. It started fine in the garage. I backed it out and shut it off. Half an hour later I went to start it to run some errands and it wouldn't even turn over.

My point is you never really know the exact time to replace it. If you feel it's time then go for it. I wasn't willing to take the chance my wife would get caught out somewhere with a dead battery in her car. On the other hand I knew it was getting time to think about replacing the battery in the truck. I guess I just procrastinated one day too long.
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Old 02-10-2018, 09:27 AM   #9
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There's your answer. Regular vehicles don't have a house battery boost switch. I used mine (with the generator running) to complete the last 200 miles of a trip after the MH engine alternator failed.

Quote:
Originally Posted by twinboat View Post
I wait until it cranks slow or not at all. Got the house battery to boost it with if on the road.
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Old 02-10-2018, 11:46 AM   #10
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Here's something else to think about. Batteries are less efficient when the temps drop close to freezing and the efficiency drops even more as the temps continue to decrease. There are charts related to how the efficiency is effected by temps. A fully functioning new battery at 50 degrees may be down as low as 60% efficiency at zero degrees.

Those charts are set up using new fully charged battery's. Battery charging and discharging takes place at molecular level. All battery's new and old are effected by lower temps. That's just information to always keep in mind for future reference.

Battery shops are usually lined up with customers on those first days when the temps dropped into the 20's and teens. Now you know why. The older weaker battery can do it's job when it's 70 but not when it's at 10 degrees.

One hot summer day I went to the shop to get ready for school. I had no issues or slow cranking with my truck battery. Got in the truck 4 hours later and completely dead. No a single crank. It was a 6 year battery and it was on month 71.

You can perform a good cranking voltage test to determine if your battery is still capable of cranking the engine well enough to start it. This is the same as a load test except you use the engines cranking motor to load the battery. Typically a starter motor requires 100 to 150 amps to crank it. This is a good test because the battery has to provide a lot of current over those 15 seconds. It is a battery LOAD test without an expensive LOAD tester which does the same thing.

Disable the engine either by fulling the fuel pump fuse or the ignition. Now it can be cranked without starting. Measure the battery voltage while cranking the engine for 15 seconds.

At the end of 15 seconds of cranking the battery voltage should still be above 10.6 volts. If it falls below it failed the test. Interpreting the test results is key to this test.

How would I interpret those test results??

1. What is my alternator output?? If it's 14.2 V or about in that range the alternator is providing enough output. My battery may be becoming sulfated and may not be accepting the charge. I'd pull the battery, check the water levels and charge it on a work bench at 2-4 amps for 24 to 48 hours. Then re-test it or take it to a battery shop so they can perform a load test.

Never take a battery to a shop without charging it for 24 to 48 hours at a slow charge rate. If the battery is weak and they run some tests it will fail. You have to determine if it will accept any charge and charging it slowly for a long time is the best way.

2. How old is my battery?? If it's closing in on its expected life span it may be time to replace it. I might also perform the series of items listed above. What if it's a 5 year battery and it's got 4 years on it already. Maybe it will last another year or maybe even more.
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Old 02-10-2018, 12:29 PM   #11
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3-4 years spend the 100 bucks and have pease of mind . Especially if you are planning a trip out of town.
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Old 02-10-2018, 03:47 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by techdad55 View Post
Are you proactive and swap it out or wait till it has issues?
Oh, I definitely wait till it has issues. There's nothing like having a major failure that totally disrupts our plans. When that happens, I turn it into kind of a race contest to see if I can get it all fixed and still not cause any issues with our reservations, backing up traffic at gas stations and the like. I've kinda of made it a fun game of mine.
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Old 02-11-2018, 09:45 AM   #13
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Replace mine normally around 5 years. I use the first cold weather as the test. Any sign of a slower turn over when the cold weather hits, it gets replaced. Now I will say most of the time in this colder weather(hunting season) I am off the beaten path, do have a towed, but I have never been stuck without start in 54 years of driving.

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Old 02-12-2018, 12:05 AM   #14
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If you take weekly (or even just monthly) hydrometer readings, there is a guideline that says if the "difference in cells readings is greater than x" (I cannot recall without looking up), the battery cell is failing on the low cell); a low battery or charged battery should have almost exact same reading across all cells. The real test of a charged battery is voltage drop under LOAD, and they make inexpensive testers for this also. If you have 4+ batteries in your driveway, not a bad investment to get a little test equipment.
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