OEM Battery Life

Do you never go where there's no people?
Do you have AAA?
Do you have friends?
Do you have a cell phone?
Do you have a manual transmission?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, I'd say keep it.
However, if you regularly go out into the middle of nowhere and have an Automatic, then maybe consider replacing the battery as a precaution. Otherwise, I don't see the need to replace it.

 

yep, agree, but it sure was having trouble starting...Toyo service
mook told me they like to see 600+cca?

 

I've drained my OEM battery below the threshold for starting at least 4 times, and below threshold for dome/dash lights at least 3 of those times. Truck is a 2006 with over 120k on it now.

Each time I've drained it I just throw it on my automatic charger for a few hours, or drive 20 miles to work (with the 130 amp tow package alternator). Starts every time after that (until I leave some lights or something on all night again!).

 

600+ is what they generally run, but 400 will do the job IF the voltage is being maintained.

Problem is, if you get a bad cell, you can read 13v under no load, and you can pull 400 out of it, but the voltage will be down to 9v or less.

 

That's impressive it has lasted that long! My 07 OEM battery lasted about 6 years, and only about 36K miles. Which I thought was pretty good from a time standpoint (despite the miles being low). Didn't bother charging it, just went ahead and upgraded when it died.

 

What is a upgrade ? More CCA as long as it's the same size physically ? Thanks Curious George.

 

He's in NY. You are in TX. Heat kills batteries quicker.

 

Ah, yeah, didn't look at his location.

 

Rich is right on and I would add that temperature matters! Heat prematurely kills car batteries due to accelerated plate grid corrosion. That is why most wet car batteries last much longer in colder climates that hot ones. However, cold reduces the batteries ability to produce performance, CCA (Cold Cranking Amps), and capacity, RC (Reserve Capacity) or Ah (Amp hours). This is due to the slowing down the electro chemical reaction in the battery. So 400 CCA might be enough to start an engine at 80 degrees F, but not with 260 amps at 32 degrees F or 160 amps at 0 degrees F.

 

my OEM battery died just about 3 months shy of 3 years... went to AutoZone and just picked up a duralast for $114 and some change... =\

 

You are running on borrowed time, unless you like waking in cold weather. It will die when you won’t have time to screw with it. Change it now at your convenience.

 

Tiger, That's impressive - 7 almost 8 years and living where U do - hope U don't get stuck in the cold this winter. Do U have a plan B ?

 

It's a manual, push start if need be. At home I have another car and the charger that's brought it back each time, at work I have other people in the hospital parking lot, and in between a 20 mile drive for the 130A alternator to charge the battery. I eventually want to do a dual battery setup, but the OEM one is still working fine, no trouble starting, no lights dimming, no real reason to change it right now (now that my heated mirrors have been disconnected, and nothing else is on without the key).

 

Thanks 4 the reply Tiger. I keep forgetting I have a manual so I guess I'll keep my '08 OEM Bat for a while more. I have 2 remember to put jumper cables behind the seat in case I need a good samaritan. I keep reading on this thread about guys with bat's going at 3 years and think WTF maybe I should be nervous and pull the trigger.

 

The *only* times I've ever needed a jump is first thing in the morning when I left something on over-night (heated mirrors, under-hood light). Hood light is gone, and heated mirrors stopped working so I unhooked them.

So really all I needed was a jump to get going, and then drove to work. Truck would start when it was time to go, and when I got home the charger would go on for a few hours just to top it off/desulfinate it. I think my automatic charger does a pulsing charge to help breakup build up on the plates (the desulfinating part) which has kept the battery going all these years.

I have one of these. I love that I can clip it on, hit regular battery, and let it go. It'll charge to 100%, switch to trickle charge, and maintain. Gives the voltage of the battery, and has an alternator test. Hell I use the damn thing to charge my Craftsman 19.2V drill batteries when they drop so low the factory charger thinks they're bad, and won't charge them! I've avoided buying new drill batteries for a few months now (Sear's charger is 2 amp, small battery option on the SC7500A is 2 amp as well, so it works)!

The only thing I might do, is buy a larger model. This has a 75A starting mode, but that's not enough if the lights won't come on! It'll only do the 75A for a few seconds (or 1 start attempt) before going into a 130 second cool-down mode. I think one of the 100A or higher models would be better. At this point though if that doesn't work I hook up to the wife's Rav4.



http://www.batterychargers.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductName=94026890AL

 

Also, I lived with a Corolla with dead starter for a week or two while a junk yard shipped in a used one from another yard for $50 instead of paying the dealer $300 to replace it. So I push started it for at least a week waiting for that.

So really, a dead battery isn't a deal breaker for me. Same car also ran dead in a college parking lot a couple of times due to the fog lights I installed before I re-wired them. I'm used to getting out of that situation, and is also why all my vehicles have jumper cables. Though I've jumped more with the truck than I've had to jump the truck. Probably used the truck a dozen or more times to start other vehicles vs for 2-3 times I've had the jump the truck. The 130A alternator beats damn near any charger I've had friends use to try starting their vehicles. lol They almost always start right up when I hook up even if they've been on the charger for hours without success.

 

Before you disconnected your heated mirrors, were they wired so they were operational with the key off? If so, were they an add-on or from the Toyota factory wired that way?

 

Always on, with a switch. They were add-ons.

 

Took my own advice last weekend after seeing that my battery was original equipment. Replaced after a test. 400 CCA and sagging voltage.

 

Thanks. I wonder how much current that added to the truck's OEM parasitic load and the battery's self discharge?