Starting Batteries....

[Kirk W]

I have a Dodge 2500 diesel that is a 2003 model, now having about 120k miles.I got to thinking about things as I am preparing for our summer travels and wondered about the pair of batteries it has since I knew that they had to be more than 4 years old as I have owned it for almost that long. I checked the battery tops and each one (Interstate batteries) is marked as put into service in September of 2003. I then checked the door plate and it states that the truck was manufactured in May of 2003. While that seems like a wide spread between manufacture date and battery dates, it would still seem to me that my truck is still running its original batteries! Is it really possible that my truck has never had the batteries replaced? I had been thinking of getting them load tested, but now am considering just replacing both based on exceptional service. 

Any thoughts? Seems really hard to believe but I got it from the widow of the original purchaser and know the history since we moved here in 2011. 

[Darryl&Rita]

They've been replaced at least once. Factory originals should be Mopar branded, not Interstate. They might have seen service prior to being installed in your Dodge. 

On a side note, I  replaced the stock 2004 battery last spring, in our Jeep Wrangler.

[Sehc]

Interstate. New batteries would bring piece of mind. Try a better brand, even Walmart.

[Kirk W]

9 hours ago, Darryl&Rita said:

They've been replaced at least once. Factory originals should be Mopar branded, not Interstate.

 

I had never thought of the Mopar / Interstate issue. The original buyer was an independent owner-operator with 4 tractors operating when he retired and went fulltime. He bought the truck I have several years into the fulltime period and I believe that he still owned one or two tractors that were leased to others. He developed Alzheimer's and began to have symptoms about 3 years after they bought this truck, writing very detailed care & maintenance instructions for the wife which she passed on to me. I'll bet that Jack didn't like Mopar batteries and had them changed out for Interstate soon after he took delivery on the truck, which would explain the 4-month gap between the truck's build date and the service date of the batteries. The truck was pretty lightly used after 2006 as they bought a home-base and traveled less and less. By the time that we moved here, Jack had reached a point of needing full care and was in a nearby home so while I met him, I never knew the man he once was but several of our neighbors did know him and all say that he was meticulous in the care of the trucks that he owned. Jack passed in 2011, shortly after we got to know her and I used to drive her to doctors and such as her health began to slip, starting about 2013 and she always had me use her truck. We became fast friends and I had often admired the truck and its low mileage so when she moved to assisted living, she told me that it was mine if I'd give her wholesale price for it, which I did. I got it in 2014 with just short of 99k miles on it. 

I am thinking of replacing the batteries just because of their age before we hit the road. The truck has started so easily that I had never given the batteries any thought until one really cold day this past winter when it hesitated just a little after the glowplugs had turned off. It has a block heater but we only drive the truck occasionally when not towing so it was not plugged in. I have now put about 20k miles on the truck so I really can't complain much. Any opinions on the Duracel group 65 batteries that Sam's Club sells?

[Chalkie]

1 hour ago, Sehc said:

Interstate. New batteries would bring piece of mind. Try a better brand, even Walmart.

I find this to be somewhat humorous if I am reading it right. 

Interstate batteries owns Johnson Controls which makes over 60% of batteries in the U.S. Johnson Controls makes batteries under the Interstate logo, as well as the batteries for Walmart.

[Kirk W]

24 minutes ago, Chalkie said:

nterstate batteries owns Johnson Controls which makes over 60% of batteries in the U.S. Johnson Controls makes batteries under the Interstate logo, as well as the batteries for Walmart.

Aren't the batteries made for different bands also built to different specifications? People like "Consumer Reports" do not rate them all the same. 

[folivier]

Probably very true Kirk.  Same issue with "made in China".  Factories may produce items for many different companies but each company has different specifications and the factory is more than happy to build either to a price point or a certain quality.  

[bigjim]

Years ago I was working for company that had some machined I started servicing in the break areas and lunch area of what I believe was at that time Gould Batt. manufacturing.  In going through the factory and inventory areas I saw battery cases for many many different battery brands including Die Hard from Sears. Upon doing a little checking I was told that each brand was built to that brands specifications.

[Chalkie]

22 hours ago, Kirk Wood said:

Aren't the batteries made for different bands also built to different specifications? People like "Consumer Reports" do not rate them all the same. 

Very true, but the differences are not all that great.

I will admit this is hearsay but I trust it. I once had a neighbor that  had retired from Johnson Controls. He worked in the flooded cell area so these comments are in that area. He explained to me the differences in the various custom brands were some cosmetic and some actual technical. The cosmetic would include things like the color of the box and top, or it if had a handle or not. The technical would be it had one or two more plates per cell which would effect the Cold Crank Amps and perhaps the durability to a degree. Another aspect would be whether it was maintenance free or not. Beyond that there is not a lot that can be done because the batteries have to meet the size specifications, i.e. Group 24 or 65, etc., and you can only do so much with the space you have and it becomes a balancing act of packing as many plates as you can in the space while still allowing enough acid bath to get it done.

AGM batteries become a whole different story, as do Optima batteries (which are also made by Johnson Controls).

[Ray,IN]

On 5/1/2018 at 8:09 AM, Kirk Wood said:

 

I had never thought of the Mopar / Interstate issue. The original buyer was an independent owner-operator with 4 tractors operating when he retired and went fulltime. He bought the truck I have several years into the fulltime period and I believe that he still owned one or two tractors that were leased to others. He developed Alzheimer's and began to have symptoms about 3 years after they bought this truck, writing very detailed care & maintenance instructions for the wife which she passed on to me. I'll bet that Jack didn't like Mopar batteries and had them changed out for Interstate soon after he took delivery on the truck, which would explain the 4-month gap between the truck's build date and the service date of the batteries. The truck was pretty lightly used after 2006 as they bought a home-base and traveled less and less. By the time that we moved here, Jack had reached a point of needing full care and was in a nearby home so while I met him, I never knew the man he once was but several of our neighbors did know him and all say that he was meticulous in the care of the trucks that he owned. Jack passed in 2011, shortly after we got to know her and I used to drive her to doctors and such as her health began to slip, starting about 2013 and she always had me use her truck. We became fast friends and I had often admired the truck and its low mileage so when she moved to assisted living, she told me that it was mine if I'd give her wholesale price for it, which I did. I got it in 2014 with just short of 99k miles on it. 

I am thinking of replacing the batteries just because of their age before we hit the road. The truck has started so easily that I had never given the batteries any thought until one really cold day this past winter when it hesitated just a little after the glowplugs had turned off. It has a block heater but we only drive the truck occasionally when not towing so it was not plugged in. I have now put about 20k miles on the truck so I really can't complain much. Any opinions on the Duracel group 65 batteries that Sam's Club sells?

Hi Kirk! been a while, anyway,  Cummins diesel engines do not have glow-plugs; they have a 12V grid heater inside the air intake to preheat the air for easier starting. For this reason Cummins  explicitly states to never use ether for starting assist.

I agree, replace the batteries now. Low cranking amps kill a starter rather quickly, and they are spendy.

[Kirk W]

As Paul Harvey used to say, "and now, the rest of the story!"

I took the truck in to get new batteries and discovered that I was reading the date on those batteries wrong. They were not from 9/03 but rather they were installed in 9/13.  That makes a lot of sense so I had them load tested and while they did pass that test they were to the low side and so I had new ones installed anyway.  

Thanks, everyone!

[Sehc]

Good move, Kirk. Almost 5 year old batteries could give you trouble when least expected.