Batteries

BARRIE, ONTARIO

Batteries

51 Styline · NIAGARA FALLS, ONT

I don't know about a battery for a diesel but before I closed my shop in 2002 I bought a Delco deep cycle battery for my boat. I went fishing last spring and the dam thing still worked perfectly. I don't know if its normal or I got lucky but I had it load tested before I went and took a spare battery with me just in case. Had no problems. Theres good and bad in every make .

Beaumont67SD · ST THOMAS, ONT

I've been replacing all my lead acid batteries with AMG gels, for 15 years now...however OPTIMA moved production from USA and went to Mexico.
- the new ones don't last 9-10 years, like the old ones
- still very expensive with a sh*t warranty now
I stopped buying OPTIMA, and switched to Canadian Tire blue tops (a lot cheaper & USA made)...just purchased 2 batteries in the last few months. (John Deere garden tractor and 1998 Chev. Silverado 3/4 ton 4x4...couldn't be happier)

The old battery on my John Deere 318 garden tractor (with a model 49 one stage blower), finally gave up.
So I removed the dead battery & headed to Canadian Tire for a new Motomaster AMG Ultra #10-3520-G battery.
$189.99-$20 core return = $169.99 + HST

L35 case size - L34 n/a:
www.canadiantire.ca/en/automotive/batteries-accessories/batteries/batteries-auto/motomaster-eliminator-ultra-flat-plate-agm-automotive-battery-0102420p.html

- Ultra Flat Plate AGM Automotive Battery has more power, more performance and more protection
- Features the latest advancement in automotive batteries, absorbed glass mat (AGM) technology
- Originally developed for military aircraft where performance and reliability are paramount, AGM technology provides extra energy to run all the power hungry electronics in today's vehicles
- Ideal for starting in the coldest temperatures, vehicles with large electrical loads (DVD players, GPS devices, heated seats, etc) and vehicles used for frequent short trips or stop-n-go traffic
- Has 2x longer life compared to conventional flooded batteries
- Exceptional ability to bounce back from accidental discharges
- Clean, safe, non-spill construction
- 5-year free replacement warranty
- Includes 5-year Power Assist roadside boost assistance

Got battery changed over, the old Onan fired up and blew out the driveway - I'll put it on the charger & top it up (if needed), tomorrow.

-- Edited by Beaumont67SD on Sunday 15th of February 2015 05:42:03 PM

meester_jamie · GALT, ONT

well,, it is hard to compare MFGrs any more.. ACDelco has 3 levels of quality... with the consumer ,, the dealer,, and now they have another line...
Motomaster label is stuck on someone elses battery anyway,, it may be ACDelco for all I know..

but if you compare the Group size,,, across levels.. then you can tell what you need to what you want to pay for.

recently My daughter went into TSC ,, and started to compare batteries with the same dimensions,, similar post arrangements ... and the clerk tried to school her ,,, the battery she had picked out would NOT fit her car...
so,, she showed him the iPhone pick of the battery in her car as she walked into the store...

Oh... he said.. so he let her keep picking batteries off the shelf that looked "the same" ... she narrowed it down to 3 batteries.. one was GOLD,, 2 were bronze.... one of the bronze batteries had more CCA, more RC and was cheaper!!

she sent the photo of the finalists to me.. and I confirmed she had an excellent battery for the dollars..

once you know the dimensions.. and post arrangements ,, you can look for the most CCA and RC

I usually call the dealer to find out the outrages price,, and sometimes they are the best place , price and quality.. sometimes ,, it is worth to pay a little more for the quality....

I think you need a BCI group H7 / 94 R which should be a 10.25"x7"x7.4" box,, with about 770 CCA and RC about 115min..

A group 48 is 11"x6.875"x7.50" .. so it is a little bigger Box... and has just slightly more CCA and RC ... I don't know if the posts fit the same..

you could compare those ,, price wise ,, and size.. and get a place to start to decide what to buy

What info do you know from the old motomaster battery,, does it have a label

meester_jamie · GALT, ONT

BTW , I had a 2yr old Interstate group 34 .. pretty std battery... it went bad,,, interstate wanted prorata $135 to buy their $230 replacement.. so I said no...
I went to Costco,, and got one for $100 with 25 percent off sale... my cost $75 +hst and the box really looked like the exact same interstate battery ,, with a costco label. the specs were exact,, and was my cheaper buy,, so I hoped it was the best value

I tried to buy a similar battery at CanTire... when they asked,, year ,, make, model, engine size etc.... they told me it didn't fit........... so I asked if I could buy that same battery for my "go kart"... and they told me it didn't fit!
lol.... so the manager finally allowed me to buy it ,, but wrote VOID all over the warrentee papers.... luckily I had them load test it before I walked out the door.. as it was dead.... so we found one on the shelf that was in really good shape.

slim · DUNDAS, ONT

I'm further south then you and my daily was slow cranking today .... stupid cold.... Plug it in till it warms back up cheaper then a new battery.

meester_jamie · GALT, ONT

oh, oh, oh,, I am not trying to sell these things,, but I was at the motorcycle show in Toronto in Jan.. and a bunch of vendors had these mini lithium battery JUMP STARTERS ,, booster batteries.,,,
Ok,, so there were 2 friends standing there that have them already, and use them,,, they can start a diesel cold , and run it.. without the actually battery in place,,,,?? WHAT ?? I don't believe it.

they paid a LOT of money for them... the vendors at the show wanted around $200.. he was told by one vendor he could get 6 of them for $150... so he was tempted to take the 6,, cause he knew 5 guys who would pay the $200 !!

well... he just point out they are in the Princess Auto flyer,, pg 8 ,, for $90 !

here is the BS on them.. www.cnet.com/news/pocket-sized-jump-starters/
I say BS cause anything that is that far from the normal.. makes my BS meter go off.. but lately wonders never cease to amaze me!

jumpr-1_large.jpg?v=1415748273

-- Edited by meester_jamie on Sunday 15th of February 2015 07:18:49 PM

parklane · St THOMAS, ONT

77 wrote:
kinda off topic of the forum , but deals with my tow vehicle which tows my drag car and hot rods .I have an 07 Grand Cherokee with 3 litre benzino diesel m has a 2 month old motomaster battery in it , and wouldn,t start this morning , not plugged in . My diesel tech buddy says get an a c delco battery for it .. are they any good , or what battery do you have in your diesel hauler .
He says it should have started even with out plugged in , just wouldn,t crank fast enuff to catch , they use 5 w 30 synthetic oil .. thanks ..77.

My 06 Dodge 2500 with a cummins never refused to start without plugging it in. I used 0W40 synthetic Mobil oil, and was very happy with it. My truck has 2 batteries, and I changed them in '14, but 8 years on original batteries is fine by me

BARRIE, ONTARIO

My diesel tech buddy is the diesel guy at a larger Toronto mopar dealer . He said the factory batteries are ok , but that the quality tween what comes in the vehicle an what the dealer sells as a replacement is quite a bit .
Moto master batteries are exide . He said don,t use one .
his recommendation was ac delco .
I just bought the truck two weeks ago , the previous owner put a motomaster in because he had been told he had a bad battery . but in fact had a weak alternator . which he also replaced with a dealer item .
he also recommended not to worry about plugging in until temps hit below minus 20 , it can,t hurt , but with right battery it should start fine even at lower temps .
So , under stand this truck is just new to me , and I,m curious if any diesel guys out there have a brand of battery they found to be good . I,m leaving on a 2.5 hr road trip at 8 tomorrow and I,ll plug it in for an hour or so before we leave .
I,d rather just replace the moto battery if its marginal for this situation . ..77.

jarvis1 · COBBLE HILL, BC

There are only two or three battery manufacturers.
Johnson Controls. They own or make Interstate, Optima, SRV.
Delphi makes AC Delco.
There may be one more.

studeshaker · BUCKHORN, ONT

i've found that dealing with a place that specializes in batteries to be my best bet. i deal with peterborough batteries and am satisfied with their recommendations and product.

427CARL · CLINTON, ONT

I have a Matco mini jump and charger it will start a diesel with 2 dead batteries...

CTC is advertising their new winter batteries They always started the "Ice Truck" 6.0L we built for them

shag766 · FOXBORO, ONT

77 wrote:
kinda off topic of the forum , but deals with my tow vehicle which tows my drag car and hot rods .I have an 07 Grand Cherokee with 3 litre benzino diesel m has a 2 month old motomaster battery in it , and wouldn,t start this morning , not plugged in . My diesel tech buddy says get an a c delco battery for it .. are they any good , or what battery do you have in your diesel hauler .
He says it should have started even with out plugged in , just wouldn,t crank fast enuff to catch , they use 5 w 30 synthetic oil .. thanks ..77.

with the temps we have had for the last week or so you are not helping any diesels that aren't plugged in for a least a couple of hours or so before starting. you might want to check your glow plugs also. i know if i went out and ran the dually threw the pre-heat 2 or 3 times it would probably start but it is hard on them. plugging them in warms the block up which in turn warms the oil up quicker.

-

- .02 cents--been driving diesels for 40yrs.

sasquatch · NORTH BAY, ONT

Agree with Shag, Block heater for two hours, then get the battery load tested also. (Also, check to see if the Block heater is working!)

BARRIE, ONTARIO

block heater works good , plugged in for ah hour an cranked right up . I think I,ll change out the battery . I just hate the thought of being caught some where,s on a cold night .
I,ll look up the matco boost pack ..777.

Fordy Acres Car Farm · DORCHESTER, ONT

I just looked into a group 65 Battery for Theo's car. Costco was $110 for 850 CCA and a Delco with 850 CCA was $210. I think I'll take a chance on the Costco unit - like a few have stated above, they're likely made by the same manufacturer with a different label.

58Chev · ETOBICOKE, ONT

I've been running Costco in my vehicles for a number of years now. Can't beat the price/quality.

There are less than a handful of battery manufactures left.