<VV> Battery Explosion

[Tony Underwood]

At 02:22 PM 9/27/2009, shortle wrote:
>I think 10 years on a battery sounds EXCESSIVELY FRUGAL. They should 
>be changed periodically as preventative maintenance. I don't look 
>for the cheapest priced battery either as they always seem to fail 
>at the worst possible time (Murphy's Law). Glad you weren't hurt 
>Bill. They are VERY dangerous.
>Timothy Shortle in Durango Colorado
>4 year battery replacement is my rule of thumb




My rule of thumb is when the battery won't crank the car on that 
November Monday morning at 7 AM.   The following morning there will 
be another battery in the box and the old one will be in the recycle 
box at the vender's.

I generally get 4-5 years out of a battery in a 'Vair although there 
have been exceptions.   I bought a nice green Interstate battery that 
cost good money, expecting good service, it lasted two whole years by 
which time it was so wasted it would not start the car if it required 
cranking for more than about 5 seconds.   That, in the black Spyder...


Another Interstate battery (group 24) in the Corsa ragtop behaved 
similarly, worsely, irritatingly, failing in little more than a 
year.   Bought a replacement from Wal-Mart that worked fine for three 
years before the car got parked for three more years without being as 
much as touched... recharged the battery after it had been sitting 
for those three years and not only did it take a good charge it 
cranked the engine nicely and solidly, including later on after 
sitting a week, and still behaves as if it had never been ignored for 
years.   I never thought it would have come back like it did.

Got a number of type 51s in various Vairs here that continue to be 
cycled and replaced as they wear and weaken and eventually 
fail.   Interstate I'm sure has not always made crappy batteries... I 
must have gotten a couple from a bad batch for both to have failed so 
soon in different cars while other brand replacements lasted forever 
in the same vehicles.

...likewise a Bosch battery I expected good things from, which lasted 
less than two years before going belly-up, won't accept enough charge 
to crank the red '60 more than a few seconds.   Wal-Mart again, 51 in 
the box two years now and cranks the car like a champ.




tony..     has a collection of worn out batteries around back