Battery going bad for second time in a row.

[JDG2000]

Hey y'all,

I just replaced my battery for the second time in four years. It's an everstart from walmart. Replaced it in 2020 and it just went bad last week so i replaced it again. Seems strange that two batteries would go bad even before their warranty is up. They've got a three year warranty sticker on them from the manufacturer. Is it possible i just got a couple bad batteries or is it this brand? Or is there something in the car causing the battery to die prematurely.

I'm not very worried about this i just thought i'd ask and see what people say.

 

[jgue467]

I use those also, depending on how hot the area they operate in, their lives can be in the 3 yr or less range.

I've heard and experienced Interstate to last longer. Bought a used Sequandra 4 yrs ago, its Interstate was already 2 yrs old, so now 6 and going strong.

I have too many autos, 4, so I rotate a Noco genius 1 among them for a few days at a time. It helps alot.

I think you just got unlucky yet extreme weather is brutal on batteries.

With Wally mart, good batt or bad, you can take it in just before the warranty expires and you'll get another, its just a one time exchange but not bad for the money.

 

[Brian.]

Failing charging systems can/will drag a battery to an early death... so check that. I'm sure poor connections could be part of that, wouldn't hurt to check those (and do an upgrade if you haven't yet).

I'm also in a house with 2 drivers and 5 vehicles, and only ~12 driving days a month. Every vehicle has a pigtail for my charger (also a Noco Genius), one night a month is more than enough to keep them all going strong. Even here in Georgia, where 100 degree days aren't uncommon, and Wyoming where -40 wasn't uncommon, I expect 7~10 years out of a battery (except that VW diesel, 4 years like clockwork, but ONLY if I bought the OEM battery, otherwise it was 2 years).

 

[Devbot]

+1 for interstate. Great batteries with great warranties, I don't know anyone that's been let down by them. And they're usually stocked to the gills, when I called and asked my local store if they had a certain 34/78 in stock they went "yeah I think we have a little over 800 left, how many were you needing?"
I would personally chalk it up to being Walmart brand but some might wanna argue otherwise. You could check your vehicle for overcharging - though I think it'd be unlikely. Wouldn't hurt though

 

[Jakeepoo3]

Check your charging system. With multi meter check for good alternator voltage output. You also need to test the alternators rectifier. Even though you show good voltage output from the alternator there could be a problem with the rectifier which converts alternating current to direct current. To test this switch your multi meter to AC voltage and test at the battery posts. Anything over half a volt means your feeding alternating current back into your charging system causing short term battery life.

 

[nissanh]

It's the battery. I buy Maxx Ever Start from Walmart for all my vehicles and always lasts minimum 5 years without a single hiccup. I am sure I can use 5+ years but as a custom, I get a new battery every 5 years.

 

[Brian.]

+1 for interstate. Great batteries with great warranties, I don't know anyone that's been let down by them.

Well then, now you do. That'd be the one that died on me in just under 2 years and sent me back to buying OEM... reliability was more important than cost when my wife was using the car to travel around Wyoming for work (traveling pharmacist). Didn't even matter that the closest dealer was a 6 hour round trip drive and I could get the Interstate less than a mile from the house.

Warranty doesn't help much when you're stuck/stranded at a Wyoming rest stop that only sees 1 or 2 vehicles over a couple hours, with no cell signal. Portable boosters didn't really exist back then, now days it doesn't really matter when every vehicle has a lithium jump pack.

 

[ArthurKotb]

Hey y'all,

I just replaced my battery for the second time in four years. It's an everstart from walmart. Replaced it in 2020 and it just went bad last week so i replaced it again.

When buying a battery for your car always check the manufacture date. It will be on the battery, sometimes stamped, sometimes a sticker. The newer the better but never over 6 months old. I look for them no older than 3 months.

Everstart code:
1. Inspect the battery to locate the date code. It will be stamped on the battery case or on the label that is on the battery. Look for a code that begins with one of the letters of the alphabet (A through L) and is followed by a number.

2. Determine the month in which the battery was manufactured by the letter in the code. The letter "A" is the code for January, the letter "B" is the code for February and so on with "L" being December.

3. Determine the year in which the battery was manufactured by the number(s) that follow the letter. The number(s) indicates the year. For example, a "0" means the battery was manufactured in the year 2000, a "1" means it was made in 2001 and a "9" means it was made in 2009.

Put the month and year of manufacture together, and you have deciphered the Everstart battery code.

 

[Colorado buff]

This may be Stupid advice but make sure you use the right size battery. For 5 years i used underpowered batteries and they died twice. The car would need a boost. Really annoying. Then I got the right size one and haven’t had problems in years.

Also, make sure the connections are tight.

Once you eliminated these definitely move on to the other posters advice

 

[19963.4lsr5]

Hey y'all,

I just replaced my battery for the second time in four years. It's an everstart from walmart. Replaced it in 2020 and it just went bad last week so i replaced it again. Seems strange that two batteries would go bad even before their warranty is up. They've got a three year warranty sticker on them from the manufacturer. Is it possible i just got a couple bad batteries or is it this brand? Or is there something in the car causing the battery to die prematurely.

I'm not very worried about this i just thought i'd ask and see what people say.

How often do you drive it?

Does it ever go dead between driving?

If you don’t keep the battery above 80% charge by driving it at least 20 miles one day a week, or keep a tender on it. Your battery is doomed to fail.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is what I have on all my rigs.

 

[JDG2000]

How often do you drive it?

Does it ever go dead between driving?

If you don’t keep the battery above 80% charge by driving it at least 20 miles one day a week, or keep a tender on it. Your battery is doomed to fail.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is what I have on all my rigs.

It's my daily so i don't think its a problem of keeping it charged.

 

[JDG2000]

This may be Stupid advice but make sure you use the right size battery. For 5 years i used underpowered batteries and they died twice. The car would need a boost. Really annoying. Then I got the right size one and haven’t had problems in years.

Also, make sure the connections are tight.

Once you eliminated these definitely move on to the other posters advice

It's a Group 35 with 640cca. Seems large enough for me. I dont have any extras except a double din touch screen.

It's the battery. I buy Maxx Ever Start from Walmart for all my vehicles and always lasts minimum 5 years without a single hiccup. I am sure I can use 5+ years but as a custom, I get a new battery every 5 years.

So i got two bad batteries?? I've heard that a few companies manufacture most of the batteries on the market so i'm sure the wally mart batteries work fine usually like you've experienced.

Check your charging system. With multi meter check for good alternator voltage output. You also need to test the alternators rectifier. Even though you show good voltage output from the alternator there could be a problem with the rectifier which converts alternating current to direct current. To test this switch your multi meter to AC voltage and test at the battery posts. Anything over half a volt means your feeding alternating current back into your charging system causing short term battery life.

Thanks! I'll check this this weekend after I get my taxes done!

+1 for interstate. Great batteries with great warranties, I don't know anyone that's been let down by them. And they're usually stocked to the gills, when I called and asked my local store if they had a certain 34/78 in stock they went "yeah I think we have a little over 800 left, how many were you needing?"
I would personally chalk it up to being Walmart brand but some might wanna argue otherwise. You could check your vehicle for overcharging - though I think it'd be unlikely. Wouldn't hurt though

Great to know about interstate. I'll be switching brands after this battery unless i find something wrong with my charging system.

 

[Mendoncyclesmith]

Possibly off the mark, but my '96 got to a point where it ate batteries if it sat for a month or so unused.

I usually drive it enough that whatever short is causing it (I suspect an aftermarket remote for the locks that I disabled a while back) doesn't impact things.

Battery quick disconnect was the best quick fix and I'm 4 years plus on the same battery now....

 

[brillo_76]

Possibly off the mark, but my '96 got to a point where it ate batteries if it sat for a month or so unused.



I usually drive it enough that whatever short is causing it (I suspect an aftermarket remote for the locks that I disabled a while back) doesn't impact things.



Battery quick disconnect was the best quick fix and I'm 4 years plus on the same battery now....

Mostly likely the rig had a parasitic drain from shorted breaking wires or a device failing. Easy to check that with an Amp meter after everything goes to deep sleep about 5 min or so after shut off. I forgot off the top of my head the ma draw on 3rd gens. It's militants. If the draw is over that millamp rating there is an issue somewhere. I get the battery disconnect option. As a fix as well.

Sent from my SM-A505U using Tapatalk

 

[octanejunkie]

Battery disconnect means ECU reset and fuel map erase, radio station loss, etc.
Not my first choice for a long term solution.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

 

[19963.4lsr5]

Battery disconnect means ECU reset and fuel map erase, radio station loss, etc.
Not my first choice for a long term solution.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

My Build and Repair thread shows how to do the parasitic draw test without killing power and dumping the adaptive’s.

I had 20ma which meant my battery was toast.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[DAW89446]

I just replaced my battery for the second time in four years. It's an everstart from walmart. Replaced it in 2020 and it just went bad last week so i replaced it again. Seems strange that two batteries would go bad even before their warranty is up.

Over the decades, I’ve had batteries last over a decade, and I’ve had them last weeks. The shortest lived batteries were OEM in new cars. The longest lived battery was an OEM in a new car. In general, I get between five and ten years between batteries.

I spent my last working decade before retirement in automotive parts stores and handled a lot of warranty replacements. In my last years warranty periods changed and became shorter. Battery life seemed to change for the worse as well. My thinking is that is due to two factors - quality going down on the part of manufactures to boost profit margins; more and more high drain electronics on all vehicles.

My practice has always been to replace my batteries with OEM size and capacity. When I retired, I’ve been given employee discounts, so still purchase from the store I retired at. My last battery purchase was for my ‘12 Subaru Outback. One and a half years later, that battery prematurely died and was replaced under warranty. The replacement has been in the car for three years. My ‘18 T4R still has it’s OEM battery.

I have lived all my life in rural areas, so all my driving is extended and not start and stop as would be the case for city dwellers. But temperature swings are the norm - 100º+ in summer, subzero in winter (as low as -29º where I currently live, record low -39º).

I carry a jumper box in each vehicle. I’ve used them more often on others, but have used them on my own when batteries failed. They’re also handy for other stuff, like charging electronics when camping, inflating tires.

 

[Mendoncyclesmith]

Battery disconnect means ECU reset and fuel map erase, radio station loss, etc.
Not my first choice for a long term solution.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

Fair point. My schedule makes it a non issue, since I only disconnect for storage, and then have a month or more of time left in the Spring before it's due for inspection, so all I contend with is resetting the clock.