'07 Battery Llife
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derekjmiller913
New member
I've been asking myself the same kinds of preventative maintenance questions as I prepare for this summer, but I am reminded of two schools of thought:
1. You can rarely ever predict what will go bad, but if it can go bad it will. Only you know YOUR truck and how the battery works day in/day out. Your battery is testing as "good", so your answer of if it should be replaced is already answered. However.... *peace of mind*. I understand this too. I also struggle with wanting a bulletproof truck that will NEVER fail, but this is the very nature of working with man made products.. they always can/will fail.
2. Replacing it now is one less thing to do later. Eventually you WILL NEED a new battery... If you CAN do it now and other mods aren't being prioritized before it, then why not? Again, peace of mind. Do it now, do it later, don't do it at all... either way your truck has to get you there and back.
To most people I'd say "Flip a coin, and whichever outcome you're hoping for as the coin is in the air, that's your answer... just do it!" I hope my mindless ranting helps you in some way.
Safe Travels.
I would do it now for peace of mind. Keep the old one as backup.
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YotaDriver
New member
You'll know your battery is going bad when your rear wiper makes a single swipe across the window upon startup even though you've got it switched off.
Bumbo
New member
If that is the original I would absolutely change it... starting issues are no fun...
From experience I have noticed that sometimes when a battery decides to die, it might not give you early warning signs. One day you go to crank and all you get is tick tick tick...
Its rare that I would keep a car battery for longer than 5 years even if it still cranks. I actually try to change them before the data code / warranty code for preventative maintenance especially before a big trip or something like that.
I have had really good luck with Costco Interstate cells and the Walmart EverStart Maxx 5 year cells which are made by Johnson Controls. Both appear to be well made batteries.
From experience I have noticed that sometimes when a battery decides to die, it might not give you early warning signs. One day you go to crank and all you get is tick tick tick...
Its rare that I would keep a car battery for longer than 5 years even if it still cranks. I actually try to change them before the data code / warranty code for preventative maintenance especially before a big trip or something like that.
I have had really good luck with Costco Interstate cells and the Walmart EverStart Maxx 5 year cells which are made by Johnson Controls. Both appear to be well made batteries.
Any time you get past 6 years or so on a battery you're living on borrowed time. I'd replace it before I made any long/mission critical trips.
The problem is a battery test only tests the electrical capacity of the battery, not its mechanical integrity. It can still test fine electrically, but the plates keep getting thinner and more fragile, with honeycombs in them, and eventually one of the plates will simply break and catastrophically fail. There's no external test that will tell you when that's about to happen, but time is a pretty good indicator of probability.
Higher quality batteries last longer because of better plate support, but at 10 years no battery should be trusted in a mobile application.
The problem is a battery test only tests the electrical capacity of the battery, not its mechanical integrity. It can still test fine electrically, but the plates keep getting thinner and more fragile, with honeycombs in them, and eventually one of the plates will simply break and catastrophically fail. There's no external test that will tell you when that's about to happen, but time is a pretty good indicator of probability.
Higher quality batteries last longer because of better plate support, but at 10 years no battery should be trusted in a mobile application.
alaskaman
Senior Member
Thanks for the analysis
alaskaman
Senior Member
Amazing. That just started to happen. Thank you!!
07V8
Member
Not worth risking it. Agree on going for replacement.
I'm relocating to Alaska for work in June! Be there next week to look at houses!
DEF4Runner
New member
Gotta love those Panasonic batteries! I changed the one out of my '08 about a year and a half ago, about 6.5 years. Went with a Toyota True Start. No issues yet.
I remember Eagle River...lived out there for a couple of years when I was stationed at Elmendorf in the mid 90s. There was an old restaurant there in town...can't remember the name...damn good breakfast.
I remember Eagle River...lived out there for a couple of years when I was stationed at Elmendorf in the mid 90s. There was an old restaurant there in town...can't remember the name...damn good breakfast.
Rodtheviking
New member
I just replaced mine too, 2005 with the original Panasonic. I went with the Oreilly Super Start Platinum AGM 34R. Its just a re-labeled Deka Intimidator with a three year "limited" warranty. And has better reserve capacity than the red top Optima for a lot less.
Deka Intimidator AGM Batteries
Deka Intimidator AGM Batteries
alaskaman
Senior Member
you'll be coming up on a pretty time of year there. Not much in Eagle River has changed. little if no crime, beautiful any season and occasionally challenging to drive to Anchorage...but hey that's why we have the Runners.
My 2007 is still on the original Panasonic battery, and it has 105,000 miles on it. I haven't seen the rear wiper swipe, but I can tell the battery doesn't have long to live. A couple weeks ago it took a really long time to start in ~0 degree weather. Since then I've been putting it on my trickle charger and monitoring the voltage occasionally, and it's not holding a charge. We've had warmer weather, but the voltage is lower than it should be. I've seen 12.2V with everything off a couple times, and one time when I turned the key to "on" while measuring it quickly dropped to 11.5V (measured in the cigarette lighter plug) and kept dropping (the brake booster pump is a big load). I started it when I saw 11.5 because I know it won't start much lower than that. According to the FSM, standard voltage for the battery with everything turned off is 12.5-12.9V.
To squeeze more life out of it I turned off the dome lights, and I plan to take the bulbs out of the running boards (I never liked those anyway). I'm also considering replacing all the interior lights with LEDs, which would save about 20W and decrease the risk of draining it if I leave the doors open or go camping or something.
The alternator seems to be working normally to charge it, and the voltage regulator is actually more sophisticated than I expected. I've seen it put out 14.3V even at idle (though it was probable cold fast idle) after starting when the battery needs a charge, and it drops down to maybe 13.6-13.8 after driving for a while. The voltage barely changes with engine RPM most of the time I've been watching it, though there are some cases where if I have the blower fan on high the fan strength varies at idle vs when I'm driving.
My trickle charger is quite small, 1A max, but if I let it work for a couple days it looks like it fully charges the battery. Then after about a day and two short trips it's back to 12.2V.
My driving pattern has been roughly the same for the 2.5 years I've had the 4runner, so that's not the problem, even though it is not an ideal driving pattern for the battery. My commute to work is about 2 miles if I drive, but a lot of the time I will bike so the 4runner sits for days at a time without being driven. I often drive longer distances on the weekends. The only time I've ever had to jumpstart it is shortly after I bought it since it had probably been sitting for a few months before I bought it.
Anyway, I'm planning on going backpacking in Utah soon, and I think I will replace the battery before then. I'll be parking a few miles from the nearest "major" dirt road that might get a dozen cars a day, and it will be parked for a few days. I don't want to risk getting stuck there, and I don't want to buy a jumpstarter since those will eventually suffer from the same problems as the starter battery.
I considered an AGM battery, but I don't think the alternator puts out quite enough voltage to charge it properly. So I think I'll go with a regular flooded battery. I'll probably get one made by Johnson Controls since there are really only three companies that make flooded batteries as far as I can tell.
The following appear to be identical:
Toyota Truestart 27F (2 year free replacement)
Duralast Gold 27F (3 year free replacement)
Autocraft Silver 27F (2 year free replacement)
Advance Auto Parts has $40 off $100 or more for Speed Perks members (membership is free) if you use the code trt41. So the Autocraft Silver 27F will be $86 (plus tax and a $22 core charge). Normally I'd go with the Duralast for the longer warranty, but the nearest Autozone is 20 minutes away, and I can't find any significant discounts on that one ($116). My local Toyota dealer wants about $122 for the Truestart 27F. My Costco doesn't have the 27F size. There are some other manufacturers with higher CCA and lower reserve capacity, but that combination sounds less durable.
For the same price as a fancy AGM starter battery, I can get a normal flooded starter battery plus an inexpensive AGM battery for camping things. Universal Battery makes a 100AH battery, ub121000, that sells for about $170 on Amazon.
It will be sad to retire the Panasonic battery. These are unusually good batteries.
To squeeze more life out of it I turned off the dome lights, and I plan to take the bulbs out of the running boards (I never liked those anyway). I'm also considering replacing all the interior lights with LEDs, which would save about 20W and decrease the risk of draining it if I leave the doors open or go camping or something.
The alternator seems to be working normally to charge it, and the voltage regulator is actually more sophisticated than I expected. I've seen it put out 14.3V even at idle (though it was probable cold fast idle) after starting when the battery needs a charge, and it drops down to maybe 13.6-13.8 after driving for a while. The voltage barely changes with engine RPM most of the time I've been watching it, though there are some cases where if I have the blower fan on high the fan strength varies at idle vs when I'm driving.
My trickle charger is quite small, 1A max, but if I let it work for a couple days it looks like it fully charges the battery. Then after about a day and two short trips it's back to 12.2V.
My driving pattern has been roughly the same for the 2.5 years I've had the 4runner, so that's not the problem, even though it is not an ideal driving pattern for the battery. My commute to work is about 2 miles if I drive, but a lot of the time I will bike so the 4runner sits for days at a time without being driven. I often drive longer distances on the weekends. The only time I've ever had to jumpstart it is shortly after I bought it since it had probably been sitting for a few months before I bought it.
Anyway, I'm planning on going backpacking in Utah soon, and I think I will replace the battery before then. I'll be parking a few miles from the nearest "major" dirt road that might get a dozen cars a day, and it will be parked for a few days. I don't want to risk getting stuck there, and I don't want to buy a jumpstarter since those will eventually suffer from the same problems as the starter battery.
I considered an AGM battery, but I don't think the alternator puts out quite enough voltage to charge it properly. So I think I'll go with a regular flooded battery. I'll probably get one made by Johnson Controls since there are really only three companies that make flooded batteries as far as I can tell.
The following appear to be identical:
Toyota Truestart 27F (2 year free replacement)
Duralast Gold 27F (3 year free replacement)
Autocraft Silver 27F (2 year free replacement)
Advance Auto Parts has $40 off $100 or more for Speed Perks members (membership is free) if you use the code trt41. So the Autocraft Silver 27F will be $86 (plus tax and a $22 core charge). Normally I'd go with the Duralast for the longer warranty, but the nearest Autozone is 20 minutes away, and I can't find any significant discounts on that one ($116). My local Toyota dealer wants about $122 for the Truestart 27F. My Costco doesn't have the 27F size. There are some other manufacturers with higher CCA and lower reserve capacity, but that combination sounds less durable.
For the same price as a fancy AGM starter battery, I can get a normal flooded starter battery plus an inexpensive AGM battery for camping things. Universal Battery makes a 100AH battery, ub121000, that sells for about $170 on Amazon.
It will be sad to retire the Panasonic battery. These are unusually good batteries.
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Bumbo
New member
[MENTION=113611]m85476585[/MENTION]
This is what you want... 5 Year / Johnson Control made.. Perhaps it also aligns with some of the other 27F batts you researched.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/EverStart-Maxx-27-Lead-Acid-Automotive-Battery/28275658
This is what you want... 5 Year / Johnson Control made.. Perhaps it also aligns with some of the other 27F batts you researched.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/EverStart-Maxx-27-Lead-Acid-Automotive-Battery/28275658
That one has more CCA (810 vs 710) and less reserve capacity (140 vs 165) than the other three Johnson Control batteries I listed. I suspect that means it's built with thinner plates and as a result would be less durable. Does anyone know if that's true?
The warranty on the Everstart is 3 year free replacement and then 2 year pro-rated, so it's the same warranty as the Duralast Gold. I only listed the free replacement period above since pro-rated replacement is not that useful.
Bumbo
New member
Personally I think its more of an application thing.
Thinner plates doesn't mean that its not less durable, you can still build them robust, it just means its cable of more discharge current.
Thicker the plates, the better they resist sulfation when you cycle deep, and because of that it will have less CCA.
Both types of batteries can be build well for their respected applications... if this is going to be a starter battery, you could lean towards more CCA.
I still look at the pro-rate warranty because I have actually got back $30 ish before in addition to the core charge after 3 years... Not bad if you decide to change a little early.
