Battery replacement

[AE1M]

On 9/19/2020 at 12:36 PM, 2018GMC said:

I’m not excited to replace mine when the time comes.

I will prob go for a Walmart / sams AGM. Maybe north star if I feel like spending that much.

Has optima improved since the mid 2000’s? I know when they moved production out of the USA people complained the batteries weren’t as good and didn’t last as long.

What model and brand of replacement battery did you install?

Any odd behavior with dying battery or it just wouldn’t start?

I replaced my Toyota 4R with a Red Optimal in 2012 and my 2003 Corvette with a Red Optima and have had 0 problems.  Since I dont drive the vette a lot, the old batts would drain down a lot,.  Both have been great.

Edited September 23, 2020 by AE1M
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[midwestdenaliguy]

30 miles from home on our first date night in months after having our firstborn, factory battery decided it didn't want my wife and I to get home. No warning, no sluggish starts or previous jumps. Went from no issues to completely dead. Fortunately my father-in-law was free and drove me to Autozone where I picked up an Odyssey 48-720T (AGM). Went with an Odyssey in my 1997 Wrangler and had zero issues in 6 years with it, figured I'd go with something I can trust. Got 4 years out of the factory battery. Was a pain to do it in the dark by the time we waited for him to pick us up, run me to Autozone, grab my tools, then get back to the truck...but it wasn't crazy hard to do. Helps I'm 6'4" though and could reach everything, would have had to stand on the tire otherwise. I've heard people say they put all the bars in the way to prevent theft, are stolen batteries still a thing?!?

[Colossus]

not that I am aware of..

[Rossum Possum]

On 9/19/2020 at 12:36 PM, 2018GMC said:

I’m not excited to replace mine when the time comes.

I will prob go for a Walmart / sams AGM. Maybe north star if I feel like spending that much.

Has optima improved since the mid 2000’s? I know when they moved production out of the USA people complained the batteries weren’t as good and didn’t last as long.

What model and brand of replacement battery did you install?

Any odd behavior with dying battery or it just wouldn’t start?

So, I used whatever Napa had.  I paid $147 out the door for an AGM.  Keep in mind I get a good guy discount since I used to work for a Cadillac dealer, so we used them a lot.  As far as Optima batteries go, I have heard the same complaints you are hearing.  I didn’t want to spend the ridiculous money for a Chinese battery.  I was having AC issues with my old battery.  My driver’s side wasn’t cooling as well as my passenger side.  I had an active body code for low voltage to the HVAV system, so after about 2 years of that battery, I felt it was time to replace it.  Slapped the new one in, cleared the body codes, and I’m back cool again.  My buddy at Cadillac swears up and down that I didn’t have to remove the coolant tank, but I did it anyway.  It made the job easier.

[2018GMC]

So, I used whatever Napa had.  I paid $147 out the door for an AGM.  Keep in mind I get a good guy discount since I used to work for a Cadillac dealer, so we used them a lot.  As far as Optima batteries go, I have heard the same complaints you are hearing.  I didn’t want to spend the ridiculous money for a Chinese battery.  I was having AC issues with my old battery.  My driver’s side wasn’t cooling as well as my passenger side.  I had an active body code for low voltage to the HVAV system, so after about 2 years of that battery, I felt it was time to replace it.  Slapped the new one in, cleared the body codes, and I’m back cool again.  My buddy at Cadillac swears up and down that I didn’t have to remove the coolant tank, but I did it anyway.  It made the job easier.

Thanks for the detailed reply.

Crazy what issues can creep up with a weak battery on these trucks.

[BSherrod]

Changed my  battery last night at Advanced and my power steering went out. Had to get a tow to the dealer, little frustrating. 

[djw88]

I've never had much luck with factory batteries, not sue why. I've had them last 2, 3, and 4 years. all the replacements from sams club or advance auto have lasted a minimum of 7 years. The one I have in my beater is from farm and fleet and is 9 years old.

[AE1M]

17 hours ago, BSherrod said:

Changed my  battery last night at Advanced and my power steering went out. Had to get a tow to the dealer, little frustrating. 

Did you find the cause?  Hard to imagine a batt change would cause that

[AE1M]

On 9/19/2020 at 12:05 PM, Rossum Possum said:

For those DIYers...I know join the club of those who have replaced the old flooded cell battery.  I also believe the engineers at GM to be sadistic.  I’ve never had to remove so much crap just to be able to remove a battery, for Fox Creek...On the bright side, I did spring for an AGM, and it is smaller in size    

Do you lose any settings in the truck after disconnecting battery?  Radio stations, memories, etc...  Window sync etc?

[AE1M]

On 9/19/2020 at 12:05 PM, Rossum Possum said:

For those DIYers...I know join the club of those who have replaced the old flooded cell battery.  I also believe the engineers at GM to be sadistic.  I’ve never had to remove so much crap just to be able to remove a battery, for Fox Creek...On the bright side, I did spring for an AGM, and it is smaller in size    

I did this today and installed an H7 Diehard AGM from Advanced, about $200.  I hunt in way northern NH and need a reliable batt when I need to start in really cold temps in a field in the woods!  The best video I found was here for the job.  My only difference was to remove the bracket center support instead of fighting with it.  The hardest part was removing the back bolt holding down the coolant reservoir.   It looked like too much to fight with a 50lb battery, used a bungie cord to hold it out of the way to remove and install. Total time was about 40mins including cleaning the tray etc...  No settings at all were lost, compass came on with the CAL message but it cleared itself after about 5 mins of driving.  Waiting for the temperature display to catch up, started with 32 deg when it was about 70 out.  The old batt might still be enough to start the truck, so I may mount it in the tray on the drivers side and just charge it occasionally to jump start myself.  Need to see what accessory I need, the existing empty tray doesn't have provision for the hold down clamp or I may just strap it there.

 

[BSherrod]

19 hours ago, AE1M said:

Did you find the cause?  Hard to imagine a batt change would cause that

Turns out the kid at Advanced blew a fuse putting the battery in, $345 later I’m back on the road . 

[Rossum Possum]

On 9/28/2020 at 8:25 PM, AE1M said:

Do you lose any settings in the truck after disconnecting battery?  Radio stations, memories, etc...  Window sync etc?

I did not.  The only thing that had to reset was the external temperature.  It showed 32 at first, but then it caught up.

[Dick Lichon]

There is a design issue on these vehicles with the amount of stress the negative battery cable places on the post. I got 4 years out of the original and replaced with a AGM just over 1 year ago. Again same negative battery post failure. The bending moment on the post induced by the negative cable fatigue cracks the post inside the battery. The plastic housing holds everything together and you will pull your hair out when temps and moisture cause the air gap in the cracked post to create resistance build up losing voltage and amp draw. Both times mine exhibited starting issues given the amount of amps you need to turn the motor over. Easy way to tell if your post has failed internally is to put a 10mm socket and wrench on the nut of the negative cable and tighten the nut only placing a small amount of torque on the post while someone is trying to start the engine. The post will generally fail on the right side and propagate toward the driver side given the bending moment of the unsupported cable length. There is a hole in the trough above the cable that I used to use a zip tie to support the cable and reduce the stress on the post. You guys may want to do that first chance you get. Hope this helps those experiencing electrical issues that tend to come and go until it finally cracks far enough to put you dead in the water. Regards!

[Dick Lichon]

Also the battery can be removed without taking the coolant tank out. Remove the fender brace and the lower support that mounts to the battery tray. Then rotate the front of the battery toward the driver side and lift it out. Pretty straight forward. The first time I swapped batteries I removed the tank. Then tried it this way the 2nd time without much issue. However, YMMV.

[15 Z71]

On 9/29/2020 at 12:34 PM, BSherrod said:

Turns out the kid at Advanced blew a fuse putting the battery in, $345 later I’m back on the road . 

I bought my battery at Advanced and they told me it comes up on their computer that they are not allowed to replace them. Guy told me it requires "professional" to install it on these trucks. Lol