Ok, with all these issues going on about batteries, I decided to post an
e-mail about batteries. First thing, don't get a maintenance free battery!
All batteries vent water vapor as a natural process. Even though they say
maintenance free, they still have vent holes. yes, their vapor release is
lower than other batteries, they still lose vapor. And if they fall low
enough, they expose the active material in the battery which then dries,
flakes off and falls into the cell. The result is a shorted cell within the
battery. My suggestion, even though it is a little more of a hassle (ok, 3
minutes every month, during your oil change), get a non-sealed battery
(Champion 4x4, etc...) and check the liquid level often. Be sure to only
fill the battery with distilled water as any other type will contain
chemicals and minerals that will react with the plates in the battery and
cuase a loss of power. Also, those "battery quick jumps" in a bottle are a
joke. Don't waste your money on them as they con't perform their claimed
job. The only thing they can do is change the ph and specific gravity of the
acid/water mix in the battery. This will harm the battery internally and
could cuase a severe react that could lead to the battery exploding. And yes
I have had to deal with a battery that had done that, needless to say, it was
very bad. Now for the second subject of the lecture (Damn, I feel like a
professor saying that, sheesh!). Have you ever noticed how two batteries the
same size can have a huge variance in power? First thing that will give you
and idea of why, pick the two up. You will notice the lower power battery
weighs less. The reason for this is what is inside. In order to get more
power from a battery that is the same size, you have to add more surface area
to the plates inside. The way battery manufacturers do this is to add more
lead and other metals to the plates. This gives you thicker plates, which
look like a grid that has active material and a barrier sandwiched between it
another layer of active material and another plate. The thicker plates give
more power, but also displace more liquid inside the battery. To put it
short, the more power a battery has, the heavier and thicker the plates are
and the less liquid there is inside. So that means that if you do have the
higher power batteries, you need to check the liquid more often than usual.
Now this idea doesn't include Gel batteries. There is a whole different
science to them! Heck, when was the last time you tried to mount a liquid
battery upside down? Didn't work to well did it? hehehe Anyway....... I
will say this, are the higher power batteries better? Depends upon you
application. For your riding mower, not really. All you need for them is
100 cranking amps. So why would you spend mega bucks for a 1000 ca battery
for your mower? Unless you have a small block for your engine, there is no
point. But, in your standard truck, a 1000 cranking amp battery will be
fine. It will make it easier on your battery in the winter and the extreme
heat under the hood during the summer (think it don't get hot under there?
Take the temp after you get it to normal operating temp and then park it for
about 20 minutes. It is hot under that hood!) as well as give you the extra
reserve needed when jump starting someone. If you have a stereo, lights or a
perfromance motor, then I would definately recommend the biggest battery you
can fit and afford. Another thing, if you ever get confronted by an idiot
who says you have to keep your reciept to return a battery, tell him he is
stupid and show him this. On GNB batteries, the month and the last digit of
the year it was made imprinted on the side of the battery. For an AC Delco (
don't know why you would have one, but hey!) battery, you will find an
imprint that has a letter a number and a letter. The first letter is the
month ( a=1, b=2, c=3. d=4 e=5 f=6, g=7 h =8 j=9, etc.. skip i) and the
digit is the last number of the year made. The last letter is the plant at
which it was made. I hope this helps in making a better decision about
batteries in the future. I forgot to talk about pro-ration, it essentially
means that if in a certain amount of time the battery goes bad, you only have
to pay a percentage of the original value of the battery. Some even have two
years free replacement! Also remember that the average life of a battery is
4 years. So if you have an expensive battery that has a good pro-rating, in
four years you could be paying only 30 - 40% of the original price. So lets
do the math, spen 50 bucks on a battery and four years later, spen only ~$30
to replace it. Ok, buy the on sale $30 battery, proration is gone after two
years, in three years, spend more money. Batteries are a case of you get
what you pay for. Like I said, get all the power your battery size and
wallet will let you. My fingers are tired. More later.... hehehehe.....God
I hope not!!!! d;o)
Will
96 Paxton huffed NOS intercooled 408 Dakado
89 Shelby Dakota
69 Dodge Charger
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