Battery Time!! THe original battery in my 04 is getting a little slow...
- Thread starter Jeff T
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
glenglen
New member
Kmvreter
New member
Search for the Panasonic battery thread on here. Try checking the fluid level and add distilled water, if necessary, before giving up on it. Worked for me.
I would try to get another Panasonic. I had a 2002 before and the original battery was good for 7-8 years, but I could have kept it going longer but when i went on a long road trip i decided to change it out.
Glock_19
New member
Nuke
New member
I've never heard of a battery getting slow. Gotta use that one sometime...
I think you mean your engine cranks slower than normal. Obviously, even a healthy battery loses capacity in colder temps. As a battery ages, it loses capacity which is magnified in colder weather. 6 years on a stock Panasonic battery is pretty good. I've gotten 8+ years out of 2 of mine and changed them out more from concern since they still tested fine.
Some batteries will fail catastrophically (just fine yesterday; dead as a door nail today) due to plates shorting out or collapsing. Batteries that are constructed well (like the Panasonic) tend to fail more due to loss of capacity (basically old age) then cheaper batteries failing prematurely from either failure mode.
Red Top's are great batteries but truly overkill for general starting applications. IMO, Interstate is the way to go.
I think you mean your engine cranks slower than normal. Obviously, even a healthy battery loses capacity in colder temps. As a battery ages, it loses capacity which is magnified in colder weather. 6 years on a stock Panasonic battery is pretty good. I've gotten 8+ years out of 2 of mine and changed them out more from concern since they still tested fine.
Some batteries will fail catastrophically (just fine yesterday; dead as a door nail today) due to plates shorting out or collapsing. Batteries that are constructed well (like the Panasonic) tend to fail more due to loss of capacity (basically old age) then cheaper batteries failing prematurely from either failure mode.
Red Top's are great batteries but truly overkill for general starting applications. IMO, Interstate is the way to go.
03_4x4Runner
Senior Member
My optima red top is 4 years old and still going strong. also you do not have to worry about acid leaking out as they age and corroding everything. You need a size 34R. It must be a R. That stands for reversed terminals. Toyota reverses the - and + compared to most other brands. Otherwise your cables will not reach. Also dry cell batteries can take much more off road abuse/bumps than lead acid batteries.
2003-4x4runner
New member
:iagree: I check my battery every month and top off with distilled water when needed. 7.5 years later and the battery is still going strong.
I just replaced the OEM battery on my '04 about two weeks ago. Since it is not possible to buy the same Panasonic battery, I looked for an equivalent alternative. I wanted just three things: Same cold cranking amps, same reserve capacity, and the same group size (physical size of the battery itself). Amazingly, the ONLY place you can find this is at your Toyota dealer. No aftermarket batteries are offered anywhere that fit all three of those specifications.
So for $100, I got the Toyota battery from my local dealership. It came with a 7-year warranty, so maybe it will last as long as the OEM Panasonic. BTW, my original battery was still going strong, but I thought it must be living on borrowed time since it was 7 years old.
So for $100, I got the Toyota battery from my local dealership. It came with a 7-year warranty, so maybe it will last as long as the OEM Panasonic. BTW, my original battery was still going strong, but I thought it must be living on borrowed time since it was 7 years old.
>MR2turbo4evr<
New member
My dad's 2005 V8 didn't like the Optima redtop. It would keep discharging when the 4Runner wasn't used for about a week. We ended up replacing with a regular typ battery (slighly lower cold cranking amps than the Optima battery) and there haven't been any issues since. My uncle had a similar issue with a Optima bluetop (Marine) battery. These might be isulated instances, but I'd certainly think twice about buying another one.
Jeff T
Member
Popped the caps off today and added almost a 1/2 gallon of "distilled" water. We'll see what happens!!
Thanks for the comments!!
03_4x4Runner
Senior Member
I hope this helps but that battery is getting old. I hope it does not leave you stranded somewhere. I only changed mine because it was getting at the age where they start to cause problems.
x2. At this point, the original battery on a 2004 vehicle has pretty much served its useful life. Even if it has more life in it, how much more? Maybe another year? That was my reasoning for replacing mine.
Battery
I've read that alot of people are using the Optima Yellow Top which is fine for starting purposes and running equipment like stereos etc
Kmvreter
New member
I know what you mean by "getting slow" because that is what I noticed with my cranking.
Glad you gave it a try. Not sure if you looked at the indicator "eye" on the battery before filling it. I forgot to but don't be surprised if it isn't reading fully charged yet. It took almost a month after adding the water to go back to full charge blue.
I'm planning on "maintaining" my original "maintenance free" Panasonic until it actually dies. I have a second backup battery installed so I won't be stranded.
Glock_19
New member
The yellow top is even more HD than the red. Just an FYI as someone on here was saying the red top was over kill.
Kmvreter
New member
Did you look at the Optima D31 yellow top? I have it as my backup battery and I'm sure it meets all the requirements. It's big but I'm sure it will fit (mainly a height issue.) I may or may not have to extend the cables but I'll use another one as my main replacement if I can.
Similar threads
