Is my battery done for?
Record Breaker
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,133
Likes: 18
Thought this was worth mentioning. Apparently, Johnson Controls Inc make Optima batteries as well as Costco brand Kirkland batteries. They also make other well known brands.
http://www.johnsoncontrols.com/publi...kgrounder.html
http://www.johnsoncontrols.com/publi...kgrounder.html
Champion
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,416
Likes: 4
From: Bay Area, CA
From what I've read, there are 7 battery manufacturer's. Oddly enough, Interstate batteries are merely re-badged by a different manufacturer.
Champion
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 2,811
Likes: 2
From: Ft Campbell, KY/TN
It is always prudent to check the connections to make certain there is not a bad ground or corroded connection somewhere. Getting the alternator checked before spending money is also a great idea. I do admit, I am partial to the store brand of battery at Oreily's. I will also share a bit of info that applies only to lead acid batteries. Keep in mind, I am cheaper than tweety bird. The reaction in the battery electrolyte & the lead plates is where all the action is. This is where it takes & gives back the charge required. After time, the lead plates will develop a coating of sulfur. That coating prevents the charge from coming in or going out. If you have a battery that has removable caps, you can usually bring it back to life for very little money. I have kept batteries alive & well beyond 10 years, which is usually when I get rid of something. Get a gallon of distilled water, NOT tap or drinking water. Get some epsom salts. Mix 1/2 cup epsom salt with 1/2 gallon distilled water completely. Find a safe place to dump out the liquid your battery already has in it. The epsom salt & distilled water is how you make battery electrolyte btw. Now, fill it with the new electrolyte you just made & set it aside. You will need a very slow trickle charger or float charger, then trickle charge it for 24-48 hours, this will not only charge it, but knock off the sulfur buildup on the lead plates. Fast charging will do NOTHING to remove sulfur, so remember that the slowest charge possible is IDEAL. It should work flawlessly after this. I got a float charger from my local harbor freight store for $5 and it worked perfectly for the job. The distilled water & salt mixture was less than $3 and this really does work. Hard to go wrong with a new battery, but if you in a pinch before payday, this does work. Good luck!
Record Breaker
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,133
Likes: 18
You're right. Interstate is JCI too. I forget the total number but it's a pretty small handful considering all the brands that are out there.
Legend
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 8,259
Likes: 4
From: Austin, TX
I think there are really only three manufacturers of lead acid batteries in this country. It is all a branding and private label thing. Cheaper batteries have less lead in the plates. gthere used to be a couple of "remanufacturers" in the Dallas area. They cut off the tops, repaired or replaced plates, resealed, and sold for about 1/3 the cost of new. Worked great. It has been years since I bought from them and don;t know if they are still operating, but interesting tour fo their facility one time.
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 331
Likes: 0
Last week I suffered the dreaded no start. I had not had problems, but I went out to go to work and the truck wouldn't turn over. Jumped it with my jump pack and away I went, thinking I left the dome light on or something. Got to work, go to leave and truck won't start. I jump it, hop back in and it dies. I cannot get it to run without leaving the booster back on the battery. I had to keep the idle up as well. I had ordered my battery from a local hardware store, so my wife brought it to me and we put it in in the parking lot at work. Fired right up and ran fine. I like Interstate batteries. I run them in all my cars when the OEMs go T/U.
Grand Champion
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 5,011
Likes: 6
From: Meeker, CO
There are several, but Exide, Johnson Controls, and Interstate are the big three doing automotive lead-acid starting batteries and one of them is almost certainly behind any store brand you might encounter. I'm partial to Exide but irrationally so: Their big industrial batteries were the best available back when I cared about those things, but I've got no real data to indicate whether or not their automotive starting batteries rank so highly. I just buy the top of the NAPA line (made by Exide) and go away happy for many years, and as long as that keeps happening I've no reason to change my ways.