Battery question?

[Bolt]

I put batteries in two of my cars lately, My 2001 Grand Am GT and my 98 Viper and I'm having the same problem with both. I put the titanium best battery from advanced Auto in both cars. Both cars the charging systems are working great. Both cars the batterys check out great. But I can drive both cars a long distance and you my think the batteries should be fully charged but no they are not. These batteries are not taking a charge and holding a charge like they should. Hence the Grand an security light will not go off due to the low voltage, (It's not the paslock or the ignition barrel) Been there! The Viper runs rough at idle and sometime stubbles when pulling out. I can throw both batteries on a charger and fully charge them and the symptoms both go away. Now how I found this. I drove each car 200 miles and then put the charger on the battery and the charger was up at 3 amps for about 1 minute then it dropped to 1/2 amp. (Bad battery) but it does not test out this way.

Now to my question???? What is the best battery on the market to buy for taking and holding a good charge for these vehicles which are sensitive to voltage and amperage???

BATTERY TENDERS SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BE USED

 

[GTS Bruce]

Everytime I run my Viper I put the charger on it afterward.It starts out at a few amps and quickly tapers down.Never a starting or battery problem even when left sitting for up to 4 weeks without running or charging.I have an optima red top.Garage is locked and has a security system so the car is never alarmed. GTS Bruce

 

[DWR46]

GTS BRUCE is exactly correct. I always charge the battery in our Vipers AFTER a drive. You would be amazed how long a battery tender will take to bring up what you thought should be a fully charged battery. The electrical loads are so great in today's vehicles that the batteries rarely are fully charged, even after a fairly long drive.

 

[joe117]

If your car will not charge the battery when you are driving, something is wrong with the car or the battery.
Since you said you replaced two batteries at the same time in two different cars, I suspect the batteries are faulty.

A small charger, battery tender, kind of thing isn't going to hurt the battery.
But you don't need to use one.

There is no reason why a battery can't sit for a few months and be expected to start the car properly.

I've had my Viper for four years, I don't know when the battery was last changed. I never run a battery tender and in the winter I don't use the car much at all.
I never have any trouble starting.

I have three boats that sit, layed up for the winter, with no battery tender.
Never a problem starting.
How long will a new car sit on a dealer's lot before it's sold?

If you use a battery tender all the time, you may mask a problem. Then when you go on a weekend trip, you may find a dead battery in the morning.

I don't know where guys got the idea that a battery tender should be used on a regular basis.

 

[plumcrazy]

i've put over 35K miles on mine and only charge it in the winter if im not gonna be driving it for a real long time.

joe is right. there's no reason to be charging a battery that often.

 

[joe117]

"The electrical loads are so great in today's vehicles that the batteries rarely are fully charged, even after a fairly long drive."

If you drive with your lights on and your giant aftermarket stereo blasting, that might be true, but I'm not even sure that would use up all the alternator capacity.

But normal driving? You should have no problems. Every car sold today has an alternator that will charge the battery while you are running all the loads.

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

I agree that there shouldn't be a reason to charge - at all. Isn't it a 100 amp alternator?

I run an underdrive pulley, so the alternator runs slower. The car is never inside and I'm north of New York City, so it gets cold. I maybe drive to the post office (3 minutes) one day and out of state (2 hours) on other days; totally random use. I use the heater and AC as needed. This time of year it's lights + defrost(AC) + fogs + city driving (brake lights) and it dims at idle, but runs fine. What really make it dim is the plow blade headlights.... just kidding. It has sat for three weeks at a time when it snows. The battery is actually one size smaller than OEM because it fits easier and weighs less. I think it's four years old now....

 

[grcforce327]

Red Optima,underdrive pulley,short drives!!! No charger and no issues here!!!

 

[cayman]

If your car will not charge the battery when you are driving, something is wrong with the car or the battery. ........

If you use a battery tender all the time, you may mask a problem. Then when you go on a weekend trip, you may find a dead battery in the morning..........

I don't know where guys got the idea that a battery tender should be used on a regular basis.

I agree. I just swapped out the battery in my '98 RT yesterday. It had an Interstate Megatron battery that would be 5 years old this month. It was still going strong when I pulled it out but I decided not to push my luck. Never had to charge the battery since I've had it and neither did the previous owner. The car has 13,000 miles on it so it sits quite a bit. I replaced it with another Interstate Megatron Plus.

 

[Bolt]

Thank you all for your replies. I'm glad you all agree with me on this. I think I just got some bad batteries. I removed my alternator and had it professionally tested and they said it was putting out 145 amps.

Bolt

 

[KERS-VPR]

venoms96 was also having battery problems and his door lock lights were staying on and discharging the battery. Come to find out on Friday we were playing around with my 99' and if the hood switch is not closed (he would go for a run and open the hood after to let the heat out) the door lock lights will stay on.

 

[RoadiJeff]

I replaced the original 7+ year old battery on mine several months ago. The previous owner never said anything about a battery charger and I only replaced it because I figured it would not last forever.

A Sears Diehard is in there now and I have no plans to get a Battery Tender, even if I leave it sit for a month or more. The longest I've left it sit has been about 3 weeks and it fires right up.

 

[DAMN YANKEE]

i live in snow country.

Sears Diehard, new every four years whether you need it or not (always good to check out the battery compartment every now and then).

I use this as the underpad to save and drips from crapping out the tray.

http://www.batterymart.com/battery.mv?p=ACC-BATMAT

then I have an easy battery charger hook-up that allows me to plug the battery in without opening the hood, etc. Cheap and excellent.

http://cgi.ebay.com/12-Volt-Battery-Tric...7QQcmdZViewItem

I have zero issues, works well on to the next problem for me....

 

[AviP]

Get this little tool. It's only $20 but is worth the money especially in winter.
http://www.iequus.com/product_info.php?product_id=3721&category_id=1_40

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Mine reads about 12.0V in winter and 12.4V in summer if I don't run my Viper for a week. I never run a battery charger.

While driving the value should fluctuate between 13.8V and 14.2V. If it doesn't your alternator or belt could be a problem.

With the ignition on but the engine off, you can turn on various electrical components (headlights, foglights, heater) and see how they drain the battery.

This is not a battery load tester, just a convenient voltmeter. The LEDs are useless as far as I am concerned.

Enjoy!

 

[98viperGTS]

What store sells Interstate Megatron battery?