Best battery for diesel?

[loubapache]

I think I need a new battery for my diesel. This morning the starter turned very slow in the Michigan winter. I then hooked up an automatic trickle charger and it says the battery is fully charged. Very strange but I had this happen on a tractor battery as well.. Some how a dead battery still measures 12 plus n=volts but has no capacity.

What is the best battery I can buy? The sources I have here are Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Autozone, Advanced Auto parts. I think there is a small shop that sells Interstate but I am not sure.

TIA.

I would get the largest battery (cold cranking amps) that will fit. From what I have been told there are only a few battery manufacturers that everybody buys from and has them labeled. I have a 950 CCA 60 month in my car. Also make sure your alternator belt is tight. A loose belt can result in a lower charge rate. I had similar problems to yours with a new battery.

1)Pull and clean plug on top of alternator
2) Tighten belt
3) With car running you should get about 14V across the battery.

Auto zone will test your battery for you right out in the parking lot. They are sometimes confused as thier tester does not have a setting for 5 cylinders!

[dieseldaddy]

loubapache,

When I bought my '81 300TD about a month ago, it had a battery with 750 CA and 550 CCA. The P.O. thought that there may be starter troubles, as he had problems starting on occasion.
Well, I had some "whirring" as well when starting on occasion, then the battery died a few days later.

After doing a search on battery size, I opted to purchase an acid-free battery (NO maintenance and 7 year unconditional warranty) from Batteries Plus here in GR. The label read 950CA and 750CCA, but when he tested it, the CCA read 1065!!

Cost $124.

My 300TD now starts better than my '92 Grand Am.
I have NOT had any of the starter problems since. Matter of fact, it has been suggested to me that too small a battery may have been the problem as it may not be enough to turn the diesel starters anyway.

That's my opinion only... talking from experience.

Pep Boys (up on Alpine) sell a good Mercedes-sized battery. It has their brand name but I believe it is made by Johnson (who make batteries for Sears + lots of others).

Also, the Industrial Battery Warehouse down on Chicago Drive sells good batteries. Their house brand is "Wolverine" (which may also be made by Johnson--not sure about that).

As long as you get the right size (I think it's Group 49 maybe?), the battery power will be about comparable.

If you want to pay more money, the Optima brand is a good battery, but sealed AGM. Will probably last a little longer (though costs enough more that it's probably not cost effective). I think West Michigan Battery will order one for you (don't think they carry them in stock).

[loubapache]

Thank you all.

I had to buy the one from Auto Zone. Group 49 (850 CCA).

They tested the alternator as well and the results were kind of interesting.

It outputs 13.66 V but 135 A. The tester said the diode is OK. But to me 13.66 is a bit low. The Auto Zone guy said yes it is a bit low, but it is OK.

I am thinking the voltage regulator might be a bit old.

[Jim Anderson]

I used to put Sears Marine/RV batterys in my diesels with good results.

[tripacer]

i would have to respectfully disagree with scape-goat about wal-mart battery. they have a 3 year free replacement warranty, cost $59, are readily available. if and when it does go bad they don't give you any hassle, they just exchange it over the counter. i guess you would install it yourself,(but even at that they have free installation) because you're in this forum. it gives you a chance to clean the terminals and battery area really good. i always check the date code on the battery case and get a fresh one, they use the number for the year and the letter for the month, that way even if i lost my receipt they can scan the bar code and pro-rate the exchange. as you can see by my signature i have 6 cars so some tend to sit for awhile, that's a killer for batteries. even if i had to replace it at 3 years it's nice to know i now have a new battery, plus it was time to service the cables and box again anyway. i tend to keep my cars forever (that's why i'm looking for a m-b diesel) and have been using wal-mart for a long time with good results. this sounds like an ad for wal-mart but i don't have any affiliation with them. like the others said look at cranking amps. compare cranking amps to ca , cold cranking amps to cca or ca at 32 deg. good luck

[DieselHead]

I had to change my battery about a year ago and had my mechanic put in an Interstate. I know I know, I should have done it myself but didn't have enough time. Since it's only a year old, problems haven't really exposed themselves, but I've heard pretty good things about Interstate and they've been around for a long time. I don't know how much it cost though since I signed the charge slip without really looking. I would guess though that it was more than a Wal-mart or Autozone battery.

In my other cars I have Sears batteries and they are all great. None of them are diesels though so they don't require the high cranking amperage. I think the Sears batteries are great and I appreciate how Sears stands by all their products.


Alex

Originally posted by loubapache
Thank you all.

I had to buy the one from Auto Zone. Group 49 (850 CCA).

They tested the alternator as well and the results were kind of interesting.

It outputs 13.66 V but 135 A. The tester said the diode is OK. But to me 13.66 is a bit low. The Auto Zone guy said yes it is a bit low, but it is OK.

I am thinking the voltage regulator might be a bit old.

I had similar resultes. tightened belt and cleaned alt plug. I now have the full 14.2V

[loubapache]

Thanks, Steve019. Mine (W124 diesel) has the single belt that is automatically adjusted.

I will run on this new battery for a few days to see if it stays charged. Otherwise will take off the voltage regulator and see.

[diesel don]

Bo:

I think you're on the right path. When "dieseldaddy" came over to my garage, we tested his battery at 12.6 or 7 and 13.8 when running. So everything appeared fine. But the cold cranking amps rating was the problem as he stated earlier. I just wanted to add that even though his former battery tested well, it just didn't have what it took to turn the engine well.

Don

[loubapache]

Don:

Thanks for the confirmation. I searched the whole forum and it appears my 13.66 V with engine running is normal. I am putting the new battery on my auto trickle charge tonight to make sure it is fully charged. Then I can see if the charging system's condition is OK.

Interestingly enough, Auto Zone has two of these Group 49 batteries in stock and both were discharged (11.3 V). Enough for the head lights to turn on but not enough to turn the starter. So I had to wait a while for them to charge that battery a bit. The manager assumed me that it won't affect the performance of the battery.

The battery has a full 2 year replacement and then 7 year pro-rated warranty. The physical size of its battery is exactly the same as the MB nattery. 1000 CA and 850 CCA. I checked the record and the old battery was installed in 1995.

I cannot wait to see your new baby.

[Ken300D]

When one of my 300D batteries finally goes bad I'll be getting a Sears International replacement. It will be expensive, but I'll be getting a lot of lead for the money!

And I might have to use an engine crane to avoid personal injury!



Ken300D

[Robert W. Roe]

I put a red top Optima in my SD a couple years ago, and it's been working fine. Lots of reserve, even close to 0 deg F. Perhaps its unusual construction is what drew me to it; it's spiral wrapped rather than plates in a bath of acid. It can be turned upside down without any leakage. I think it cost about $130, but I've seem them online for around $100 (not including shipping, which might be close to $30 for a 37 lb battery...). I did have to "stretch" one of the battery cables by removing it from one of the underhood tie wraps.

[can-do]

Greetings All,

I'd have to second a few posts made in regard to battery brands as 75% of them are made by a nation wide company called Johnson Controls. I don't care if it says Sears, Everstart, Cold Crank, or Super Start on it. Chances are they are all made at Johnson Control and it all depends on how much you want to spend on a battery within the proper group for your car. All retailers have opening price point batteries to draw you in, but a Mercedes group battery is a 49 regardless of what brand. They all give at least a 24 month warranty on this battery as well, so the Diehard isn't any better or designed any differently than the one from Wal-Mart for $12.00 less, they simply make less on the battery to have your business. Any auto parts store or auto shop will charge you more for any of these batteries simply because they won't do any volume on them like the large retailers that can sell at a 9-10% profit margin, (they're hoping you'll buy other stuff while you're in the store) So if you like wasting your money, buy that Diehard battery, but if you're smarter buy it elsewhere. If you have concerns, talk to the Johnson Control truck driver, and laugh with him when he tells you the label is the only difference between the batteries. Trust me, I laughed pretty hard after speaking with him. It's all a matter of brand loyalty and packaging.


Charles