Basic Battery Question

[Bill S.]

The "free test" at my local auto supply house has determined the battery to be bad (a three year old Delco that even when new cranked slow when hot and each year thereafter got progressively worse)
It's a Delco Freedom 60 - 525 cold cranking amp 24-60.
Now I don't mind taking the "points deduct" as the battery had to be tilted on its side to be removed and those originals seem to be more prone to acid leakage.
So, what is my best bet for size and more of a cranking when hot ability?
Should it be a Sears or Delco or a "discount parts store" brand?
Thanks
Bill




Adirondack NCRS

[Duke W.]

Re: Basic Battery Question

According to my Delco Battery catalog the original battery only had 350 CCA so 525 is more than adequate. I suspect your battery was defective from day one. I've never had a Delco last less than seven years including the original battery in my SWC.

I've always been a firm advocate of Delco batteries, but they are getting expensive and hard to find. I had to replace two Delcos in the last six months. One I use in my Mercedes and MR2, and the other in my Cosworth Vega. I found the best deal at Autozone for 60 to 72 month batteries. They are manufacturered by Johnson Controls, which is one of the major North American battery manufacturers. The Pep Boys battery appeared identical, but was higher priced. Also, the "Kirkland" from Costco appeared identical, but they didn't carry the group size I needed. I'm certain that both the "Pep Boys" and "Kirkland" batteries are the same Johnson Controls models as what Autozone carries with the "Autozone" stick-on label.

Since most modern batteries are packaged in black plastic cases, you just tear off the stick on labels and end up with a plain black battery that doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. I just hate to open a hood and see a "Pep Boys" battery.

The batteries I bought were a group 26R and 75. They both were priced at $39.95 with trade. The group 24 would probably be about ten bucks more.

Duke

[Duke W.]

Re: Basic Battery Question

According to my Delco Battery catalog the original battery only had 350 CCA so 525 is more than adequate. I suspect your battery was defective from day one. I've never had a Delco last less than seven years including the original battery in my SWC.

I've always been a firm advocate of Delco batteries, but they are getting expensive and hard to find. I had to replace two Delcos in the last six months. One I use in my Mercedes and MR2, and the other in my Cosworth Vega. I found the best deal at Autozone for 60 to 72 month batteries. They are manufacturered by Johnson Controls, which is one of the major North American battery manufacturers. The Pep Boys battery appeared identical, but was higher priced. Also, the "Kirkland" from Costco appeared identical, but they didn't carry the group size I needed. I'm certain that both the "Pep Boys" and "Kirkland" batteries are the same Johnson Controls models as what Autozone carries with the "Autozone" stick-on label.

Since most modern batteries are packaged in black plastic cases, you just tear off the stick on labels and end up with a plain black battery that doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. I just hate to open a hood and see a "Pep Boys" battery.

The batteries I bought were a group 26R and 75. They both were priced at $39.95 with trade. The group 24 would probably be about ten bucks more.

Duke

[Craig S.]

Re: Basic Battery Question

Duke - I gave the Optima gel-cel a try at Costco....$99 vs the 189 list, 119 at Pep Boys. 980 CCA and an 80 month warranty...so far so good in my 81 chevy PU....I too was an an advocate of the Delco batteries and had been buying them at Kmart, but, they discontinued them. I did find I could still get them at a local tire center called Jack Furriers, and at Batteries Plus, but they were well of $100 for a lesser rating and warranty than I had paid $75 or so at Kmart, so I decided to try the new Optima line. The desert is really tough on the batteries due to heat and underhood temps, especially in the summer...Time will tell....Craig

[Craig S.]

Re: Basic Battery Question

Duke - I gave the Optima gel-cel a try at Costco....$99 vs the 189 list, 119 at Pep Boys. 980 CCA and an 80 month warranty...so far so good in my 81 chevy PU....I too was an an advocate of the Delco batteries and had been buying them at Kmart, but, they discontinued them. I did find I could still get them at a local tire center called Jack Furriers, and at Batteries Plus, but they were well of $100 for a lesser rating and warranty than I had paid $75 or so at Kmart, so I decided to try the new Optima line. The desert is really tough on the batteries due to heat and underhood temps, especially in the summer...Time will tell....Craig

[Jim T.]

Re: Basic Battery Question

I bought a Delco 10000 for my 68 in OCT 93. This battery sure gave some good service life and it would crank the car every time. The previous battery would not when it came to a hot restart. I had to replace it couple months ago and I bought a Delco Professional Platimum. I bought my battery from a local parts store that has a battery division with one location selling only selling batteries.

[Jim T.]

Re: Basic Battery Question

I bought a Delco 10000 for my 68 in OCT 93. This battery sure gave some good service life and it would crank the car every time. The previous battery would not when it came to a hot restart. I had to replace it couple months ago and I bought a Delco Professional Platimum. I bought my battery from a local parts store that has a battery division with one location selling only selling batteries.