Delco GM Batteries

[zeeya2000]

Just wanted to get this message out to as many as possible. It may get moved to Problems and answer.....

I have had 3 Delco batteries that came on our vehicles replaced. My dealership told me about the problems before i noticed it. My Service rep. and Mechanic do a really great job at taking care of customers and will go the extra step while doing a simple oil change to check items that they know have had some problems.
My mechanic always checks my battery terminals for corrosion and on the 98 bonneville, 2000 Z71, and 2001 yukon have replaced the batteries due to them leaking. They replace the starter cable also. The GMC dealership replaced the one on the 2001 Yukon under warranty no charge at 48,000 miles. They said they were aware of the problem with the batteries and replaced the started cable from the battery to started also, no charge.
Had not thought about it much till co-worker asked me about it due to his wife's 2002 Tahoe's battery busting and leaking onto fenderwell this last weekend and of course they replaced it, even came and towed it in.
Hope no one has experienced it, but if so. My Service rep. says they see this all the time and does not understand why GM does not go with another type.....
Are you listening big brother..........

 

[Wiki]

Thanks for the heads up. Sounds like it might be a good idea after all to get our batteries checked before we do the SuperChips install. Esspecially if GM knows batteries are an issue. Sounds like we found the weak link in the electrical system!!

 

[WS6Y2K]

Have been down that road myself. My 96 Impala, 96 K1500 PU, and my bother 00 Escalade. Same problem ++ side post leaking. Best fix is to go with a Optima Red Top gell battery

 

[AVALANCHE_JIM]

Is a yellow top Optima ok to use also? ?Any pros & cons to the red top?

 

[11H]

Just to contribute:

I've had the same issue on a 96 Z-28, and a 98 Blazer ... (All Delco OEMs) I have found after inspecting the terminal anchors inside the batteries that failed, they were somewhat of a weak design compared to the internals of a Johnson controls battery... Also, what seems to aggravate the weak post issue, is over-tightening the terminal bolts... AutoZone batteries, Costco Batteries, Energizer, Wal-Mart, and all the like made by Johnson Controls, have addressed this weak link in side-post batteries, and have strengthened this area...

BTW, Johnson Controls is the company that manufactures the OPTIMA series of batteries...

If you want a VERY good battery that will out perform any red top OPTIMA in warm climates, an AutoZone Dura-Last 72 Month battery is tops... What you need in the heat is thick plate construction, and reserve capacity... NOT CA's or CCA's ... All of the groups of batteries they sell exceed the minimum oem recommendation for CA's ... For example: The Avalanche comes with a 600 CA battery with 68 minutes of reserve capacity... It has about 660 CCA's ... For $50 you can get a Dura-Last 72 month battery (2 yr free replacement) that has 120 minutes of RC, 875 CA's, and 700 CCA's ... The OPTIMA Group 78 red top battery doesn't even compare to those specs ... Actually the OPTIMA yellow top deep cycle battery has the same 120 minute reserve capacity as the $50 72 month AutoZone battery... ?The optima has 90 minutes of reserve, and less CA's and CCA's for over double the price! ... Reserve capacity is the name of the game when it comes to longer life... The battery is not continuously re-bounding as much with a higher reserve... Now the only draw back to the Dura-Last battery is you can't turn it upside-down ... How many of us really need a starting battery that can be turned upside down? ... This, in my opinion in the ONLY advantage of the OPTIMA; it's multi-position capability ... Otherwise, they are again, in my experience over-rated ... In cold climates, RC is less of a concern because of the extreme low temps... You need high CCA's because the battery loses effeciency in the cold... So the short burst of amperage/voltage is what's needed to turn a cold motor over... Not reserve capacity ... You cannot have both ... Reserve capacity is acheived by thicker plates and more electrolyte, and high CA's or CCA's is acheived by more plates, and less electrolyte ... Basically, you could think of this as: Hot climate = Higher reserve, thicker plates, more electrolyte to cool ... Cold climate: Higher bursts of energy to turn over cold engines with more plates, less electrolyte is ok because of lower temps...

Alot of people think it's ALWAYS better to have a battery with higher CCA's or CA's ... But understand your priorities depend on your climate... In a group 78 battery or any size for that matter, you can only acheive a range of individual outputs given it's physical size ... You need a battery that can withstand extreme heat in AZ, so buy a battery in your group size that has the highest Reserve capacity... It will by default give you better than oem CA's and CCA's ... If you live in MN or WI, buy a battery that has the highest CCA's within your group size, because heat is not an issue... Not to mention, a starter will pull only what it is rated to pull, and just because a battery has say 200 more CA's than the oem, the starter will only spin so fast, and exert so much force dependent on it's design!


Another thing RC benefits is your charging system. If you run alot of accessories, RC is very important... If the battery has a high RC, the batterie's charge will deplete less rapidly, hence your alternator will not work so hard to keep the battery topped-off...

Have you guys ever heard the Bull / Baby Bull story?
The baby bull is the spunky guy who looks down to the pasture, and tells his dad that they should run down and meet a heffer as soon as possible ... And the dad bull says how about we walk down and meet them all son? This is the best analogy I can think of right now, ha ha ... The high CA battery is the spunky boy bull, and the high reserve battery is the daddy bull ...

I think I've really flipped my lid now... Batteries, Bulls, and Electrolyte ... Sheesh

I intended this to be a short post, but I figured some would have questions, so I got a little out of hand!!!

........ Sorry

 

[RJLACK]

I am an Automotive technician and Delco batteries are cr*p they almost all leak and cause cable and cable end corrosion. I replace batteies and cables constantly in our hot Texas weather and have had countless no starts come in on a wrecker only to find (you guessed it Bad connections or batteries). The first thing I did was remove my Delco-rrosion battery and install a Megatron plus MT-78 series battery made by Interstate. Of course these are the batteries we sell and I cant beat the in house price. Ditto on the observation of reserve capacity being important. Also if getting a wet cell battery do not buy a maintenance free one.

 

[11H]

TexAVfan,

Wet cell batts. are definitely a major plus in the hot weather... The "unserviceable" or sealed batts. definitely dry up here in AZ in short order... I also have found that using DeIonized water to top-off the battery is best... De-Ionized water actually is somewhat non-conductive due to not having any trace metals or impurities to conduct electricity... Hence a better cooler... Evacuating the electrolyte every 12-18 mos., and replacing it along with using a trickle charger once a month will keep the corrosion on the plates at bay for a good while... As long as you don't "deep dis-charge" the battery, it should last several years with meticulous care... But then, for $50 who wants to take the time?

~Jeff

 

[Johnny_D]

Sealed batteries are a bad idea as you can't check the water level. If the water level in the cell gets low sulphation occurs faster and can get so thick the plates buckle and short out (it you ever pulled out a battery that busted out of its case this is the cause).

Exide OEMs most of the batteries out there and they're junk. Sears is even using Exide and they have replaced 4 Die Hard Gold batteries at no charge that failed in 2 of our vehicles over the last 5 years. At least the warranty is good.

I don't know who makes Delco's batteries but I have never like the side mounted cables.

 

[Crocostimpy]

In 1994 Sears changed suppliers from Johnson Controls Inc.(JCI) to Exide and immediately experienced warrenty problems with them. I have heard that they were going to sell exide as the lower priced batteries and JCI as the upper end batteries but have never confirmed this.

Chrysler plymouth dodge use exide
Ford uses a combination JCI and Gnb batteries
(all aftermarket motorcraft batteries are JCI)
Delco is made by Douglass manufacturing
Interstate batteries are made by JCI but are expensive
as they only sell to installers

IMHO the best batteries are made by JCI followed by GNB and Delco (ignoring the weak side post issue) and stay away from the Exide batteries as you will be lucky to get more than 2 1/2 to 3 years out of them.

Most sealed batteries have the caps glued on and usually you can pry them off with a screwdriver and refill them like a standard battery.

As far as deep cycle batteries the best out there are made by Trojan.

 

[Johnny_D]

)
Most sealed batteries have the caps glued on and usually you can pry them off with a screwdriver and refill them like a standard battery.

Have you tried to top the top on your AV Delco battery?
I want to check the specific gravity on mine but clips under the top started to brake apart and I had to back off.

Thanks for the info on whom makes which batteries, we agree an Excide.