Odd dead battery incidents

[SedonaBound]

While installing parking sensors in the rear bumper a month ago, I had the ignition on and the shifter in R because I needed pwr to the back-up lights (LEDs). It was on for 30-40 minutes. Nothing else was on. When I finished and went to start it up I couldn't move the shifter. Dead as a door nail. "Ck Charging System" message. Put it on the charger overnight and its been fine ever since. No warnings. Yesterday, I was laying out a back-up camera w/monitor. Same thing...had the ignition on and in R for a short while, and the battery went dead again. Battery is OK, less than 2 yrs old but still has the OEM terminals. As far I can tell, this shouldn't happen. Any ideas? Is there a lock out in the computer or something?

 

[f5moab]

Check the headlights. I BELIEVE (not sure), when ignition is ON, and trans is in any gear, the headlamps come on and that is a sizable drain.

 

[Best4x4]

I upgraded my H3's to much larger AMP batteries with longer reserve times. My Alpha has a Diehard Platinum Marine Battery since it has a winch, and it's 930AMP vs the OEM 550-650AMP battery. My Adventure 3.7 now has an Optima 1000AMP Red Top. Both are Group 34 Batteries and I just had to trim the lower fins in the battery box, and ditch the lids.

I had to do the same thing with my 08 Ford FX4 SuperCrew!! I was installing new speakers in it so I had the radio on (stock stereo). Got done, and went to move my truck and nada zip nothing... I was shocked at how small of AMP's the OEM battery had!! I had been having a strange compass issue where it never would stay calibrated. I slapped in a Group 65 Diehard Platinum, and the compass issue went away and I could jam out in the parking lot while my wife was shopping for 2hr and the truck still cranked good and strong.

Oh and the Alpha starts much much faster/stronger with the larger battery vs the OEM battery.

 

[alrock]

Not sure where your T lived before N AZ, but in the Phoenix area two years is the standard life expectancy for a battery.

 

[f5moab]

Not sure where your T lived before N AZ, but in the Phoenix area two years is the standard life expectancy for a battery.

Good point. Heat kills batteries.

 

[SedonaBound]

Not sure where your T lived before N AZ, but in the Phoenix area two years is the standard life expectancy for a battery.

It came from the Salt lake City area with a no-name replacement battery. Says "L 11" for size but I can't find a spec for that. Time to shop for a Group 86 battery and to ditch the OEM terminals.

 

[Ghostbuster]

So to upgrade without trimming we should get group 86, and with just a little trimming we can get group 34.. correct?

 

[SedonaBound]

So to upgrade without trimming we should get group 86, and with just a little trimming we can get group 34.. correct?

Grp 86 is the std size listed by several sellers for the V8. I didn't look at the listing for an I5 and I have no need for an oversize battery.

 

[Best4x4]

Group 86 is stock on both H3's, the Group 34 will fit with very minimal trimming of the fins in the lower box (Diehard needed more trimming vs my Red Top Optima). I ditched the OEM lid's and have had zero issues to report and the extreme TX heat hasn't messed with my Alpha's Diehard yet. You can keep the lid if you want to modify it as well, but that's up to you.

On the Alpha I noticed a rather huge improvement over the OEM battery when it came to starting the V8. My OEM battery was fine and I actually gave it to a friend, but with a winch I needed a deep cycle battery for the added drain of using a winch when off road. It starts extremely fast and strong now vs the OEM batteries 550-650AMP's. The extra reserve capacity is also handy to have if you air up tires with the engine off or, listen to the radio at the beach.

I know on both my H3's you'll never see me sticking a 550-650 Group 86 Battery in them ever again. IMHO it's not that the Group 34 is an oversize battery, but more like the Group 86 is an undersize battery.

 

[Bigunit]

The group 34 Odyssey didn't require any trimming to get it to fit my 3T.

 

[Best4x4]

Yeah the Odyssey/Diehard should be darn close as they're the same battery for the most part, but on my Marine Platinum the lower lip was about 1/8 of an inch to fat for the OEM battery box. Since the battery was already out trimming it was a breeze and it probably took me longer to find a sharp blade for my razor knife than it took to actually trim it.

The Red Top 1000AMP Group 34 dropped right in, but I had already tweaked the box from my previous experience lol.