Battery Replacement-Ugh

[CounterMeasure]

Got in my truck yesterday to run an errand, battery was dead. The MM showed 10.2 volts. Said a few choice words about a battery barely making 2.5 years, and jumped it to see if it would start and charge to make sure it wasn't a charging system issue. It started, and went up to 14.4 volts, so I knew the alternator was doing its job, so that's a positive. Didn't want to risk driving it with a bad battery given all the electrical issues people had reported, so canceled my errand for the day.

 

I called the dealer to see if my GM Platinum extended warranty covers it, and if so, tell them to come get it and replace it. Battery is explicitly listed as not covered. Was unhappy about that, mainly because I've seen where the battery is and expected it to be a pain to change. I was right.

 

First you have to remove the cross bar above it, and then the power junction box on top. That requires removing main power cables on the junction plate to be able to move it around enough to be out of the way.

 

The battery has had its handle removed, so you can't just lift it out. You have to get under it back in the corner to lift it out.

And even if it had the handle, you can't just lift it straight up because the cowling is in the way. So your choices are removing that cowling, or make room forward.

Can't lift it out at an angle because it hits on the coolant tank and might spill acid.

Can't unbolt the coolant tank so you can move it forward without removing the air filter box to get to a mounting bolt under the airbox.

I dislike dealing with the airbox because there's that one bolt that's partially blocked by the A/C lines. Which raises another point about lack of easy access to change the air filter, another consumable part.

 

About an hour later, I finally had it changed and everything back together, and once again, gave the finger to the GMC brand on the grille.

 

Looked at the old battery, and it is very swollen. It just sits back there soaking up exhaust heat with no airflow, so no wonder it died.

 

I've had a lot of vehicles, some more exotic than others, and none have ever been such a pain to change a battery in. I am sure there are some out there though.

 

I get why they put it back there for weight distribution, so I given them props on that. But the battery is a consumable part, and its going to be consumed quickly due to heat death, yet they did not make any noticeable effort to make it easy to replace. Just a few inches between it and the coolant tank is all that is needed.

 

If I planned to keep the truck, I would have rerouted the battery to the secondary tray in the front. That would make it much easier to change, and very likely extend its life. But I am just waiting for the new one to make it through build process, trade this one in, and wipe my hands of GM for awhile.

 

All that said, maybe there is some easier way to change it that wasn't obvious to me?

[newdude]

We have many that come in for service still on the original battery, both K2 (some with some higher mileage) and GMT-900 trucks (both have the battery mounted in the same place). Have we put batteries in the K2 trucks? Yep. Only a few though.

 

That said...batteries have gone down in quality somewhat (what hasn't?) and electrical loads have increased quite a bit on vehicles in the past few years.

 

I wouldn't use a battery as a reason to swear off a brand for sometime.

[CounterMeasure]

I wouldn't use a battery as a reason to swear off a brand for sometime.

 

Oh, no, its not the battery. There's a list of other things that had already made the decision before the battery went. Things like vibrations that I had to solve out of pocket, 8 speed clunks, no A/C in the back being a bigger problem in Texas summer than I expected when I bought it, painfully slow head unit, noisy rear suspension.

[It's Tim]

Lotsa places that sell batteries install them free.

[diyer2]

The next vehicle manufacturer you choose will have some issues also.

Good Luck

[O_J_Simpson]

Lotsa places that sell batteries install them free.

K2's are considered battery "interference" vehicles and don't fall under free replacement at most stores. They can't spend an hour trying to pry out the battery and still make money on the sale,

[Lgetz]

I feel you Counter went through same thing last week. Battery is not easy to get at and takes work in order to remove/replace. Your battery lasted a whole 2 months longer than mine which croaked at 2 years 3 months almost to the day. Don't spend time listening to stereo with truck turned off when washing like before so battery quality has gone to -hit! Another friend's 2015 Suburban had the battery go out at 2 years and 2 days.

[bdbake01]

 

I get why they put it back there for weight distribution, so I given them props on that.

 

 

Doesn't change the argument, but it was also moved in order to further isolate it from a frontal impact.

[risk235]

I had to change my battery out recently. I had my truck for almost 2 1/2 years and my truck was struggling to crank. I went to AutoZone to check the battery and sure enough it was bad. It was a pain in the ass to remove the damn thing. To top it off I was getting rained on while I was changing it in the parking lot since it happened during Harvey here in Houston.

[CounterMeasure]

I had to change my battery out recently. I had my truck for almost 2 1/2 years and my battery was struggling to crank. I went to AutoZone to check the battery and sure enough it was bad. It was a pain in the ass to remove the damn thing. To top it off I was getting rained on while I was changing it in the parking lot since it happened during Harvey here in Houston.

 

Ouch. Hopefully that was your biggest issue from the storm, and you and your family are ok.

 

It seems like the common theme from the replies so far is, yes, its a PITA to change, and if you live where its hot, your battery is expected to crap out in about 2 years.

 

My wife's 2012 Charger still has its original battery, but its in the trunk, so stays much cooler. My Tundra's battery was changed at the 8 year mark, not because it was bad, but because I didn't want to risk it anymore. That one was under the hood, but it looked like it was much better ventilated.

[mookdoc6]

Traverses in the back sucked too! It was far easier to buy at Sams Club for 110.00 and walk away and come back in few hours after shopping and hot dog never to touch the damn thing!

[j13smiley]

So, best way to relocate it to the other tray when it dies?

[MonkeyMouth]

My battery went out after 2 years. Maybe 2.3. So I called and asked them about it and they said it was a "wear-and-tear" part so it may not be under warranty. Or they might prorate it. I took it in so they can do the recall work and test the battery. I told them, if the battery fails, and they won't warranty it, to not touch it, I'd take care of the battery,

They later called me saying the battery failed and, to my surprise, they warrantied it. And the truck is ready to be picked up.

Guess I got lucky with the dealership I took it to.

[waumo1]

Not to mention GMs charge management system that only keeps the battery about half charged so you lose a lot of the capacity in the battery you pay for.

[diyer2]

Not to mention GMs charge management system that only keeps the battery about half charged so you lose a lot of the capacity in the battery you pay for.

What?