Battery thoughts

[Louisiana Overland]

That is more than likely what I'm going to do.. like i said earlier, if it aint broke, don't fix it. Yes, 5 years old and still cranking like she was brand new, which is pretty good down here in this louisiana heat.

I have a factory battery from my 2017 that I replaced last year with an agm. You can have it if you want. Its currently stored at my fishing camp near Baton Rouge. PM me if you want it. I live in Gonzales so could pick it up next weekend and get it to Gonzales if thats easier.

 

[4FL]

This is a timely thread for me... went to start the 4Runner yesterday and it didn't have enough juice to turn the starter unless I switched the headlights off. Hooked my charger up to the Interstate MT-24F that's in there, and it gives an error which indicates the battery wont even take a charge. Would've liked for it to have lasted longer, but I guess I can't complain being that its nearly 4 years old (the kids also left the interior lights on once or twice and completely discharged it).

Wife is making a Costco run this morning anyway, so I bagged it up for her to just grab a new one there. I don't think you can beat $90, given the return policy! The current battery was still under the Interstate "performance warranty" which would get me 10% off, but that still isn't enough to make it the same price as a Costco Interstate.

It suppose to automatically shut off the lights after a certain time, so the battery not get drained.

 

[Spielightdude]

battery recommendation for vol. first responders

Hi everyone,
This is an interesting thread.
I am a vol. Fire police in the town live in and as such I use my pov to respond.
I have to block roads and direct traffic as well as othet tasks.
I am going to be picking up my 4runner next year as looking at 2019-2020 model year.

For long sitting at time for 4+ hours running led warnig lights fromt back and sides looking at options for batteries that may let me not have to let the car sit and idle for hours.

Should i go lead acid or look at other options?
I do plan on putting on a batter minder that will shut off anything thats pulling juice if it detects its getting close to not being able to start so as to not be 100% stuck or stranded.

Thank you all for your time.
Joe Z

 

[jhguth]

Why would Odyssey show batteries that fit the 4Runner on their web page?

It's just looking up the battery size and showing you batteries in that size (in this case it shows the group 24 which is the stock battery size and group 34 which fits with an adapter).

They know the charging specs for the battery, they know that improper charging reduces the life, and that's why charging with voltage out of spec voids the warranty

 

[Ronin61945]

Very good thread.
It seems that the consensus on forum searches recommends Northstar or Odyssey AGM batteries but if I want to stick to a lead acid battery for my 2017 limited, is there any suggestions for which brand would be "best" for cold weather in the stock 24F size? Cost is not a major worry, but reliability is.

 

[jhguth]

Hi everyone,
This is an interesting thread.
I am a vol. Fire police in the town live in and as such I use my pov to respond.
I have to block roads and direct traffic as well as othet tasks.
I am going to be picking up my 4runner next year as looking at 2019-2020 model year.

For long sitting at time for 4+ hours running led warnig lights fromt back and sides looking at options for batteries that may let me not have to let the car sit and idle for hours.

Should i go lead acid or look at other options?
I do plan on putting on a batter minder that will shut off anything thats pulling juice if it detects its getting close to not being able to start so as to not be 100% stuck or stranded.

Thank you all for your time.
Joe Z

yours may be a good case for an AGM battery depending on the wattage of your warning lights, if you replace your starting battery with an AGM and use a battery minder or low voltage disconnect for your lighting circuits you should be fine. a battery minder on a regular lead acid battery will let you start your vehicle and get home, but cycling it like that will reduce it's life a lot more than cycling an AGM.

 

[Lester Lugnut]

I have no experience with AGM so I can't comment.

Just an FYI for all of the Interstate lead acid fans. The vast majority of their batteries are made by Johnson Control. Don't believe it? Go to their web site and post a question with their customer support.

All lead acid batteries are the luck of the draw. That said, I still use them and will continue to.

 

[KP Texan]

It suppose to automatically shut off the lights after a certain time, so the battery not get drained.

This is not entirely true. You can find a number of instances on here where interior lights have run the battery down if the lights are set in the "on" position. I think in my case, the kids jumped in the back storage area and turned on the hatch lights. Excerpt from owners manual on the feature you're referring to:

 

[KP Texan]

I have no experience with AGM so I can't comment.

Just an FYI for all of the Interstate lead acid fans. The vast majority of their batteries are made by Johnson Control. Don't believe it? Go to their web site and post a question with their customer support.

All lead acid batteries are the luck of the draw. That said, I still use them and will continue to.

Indeed. Almost all lead acid batteries you can buy are either made by Johnson Controls, Exide, or East Penn. I too think battery life is luck of the draw - perhaps it's the way they've been stored or handled that is one factor in their lifespan? I can't say for sure, but I do know that the jump to AGM is not worth it for my personal application.

 

[ROLAND1955]

My update on the battery issue... I had decided that I wanted to try the DEKA 724 fmf... only because I know it's an East Penn Battery... so earlier today I called the only shop in town that I know sells Deka's and asked the guy if they had it in stock.. they did not, so I said can you order it... he was nice about it but he kept wanting to sell me another battery that they had in stock.. Finally I thanked him for his time, got in my 4 runner and drove to the interstate warehouse.. gentleman came out and tested my current MTP 24F... I put this battery in the 4 runner exactly 5 years ago TODAY. ( some coincidence huh? ) The 5 year old battery tested at 587 cranking amps. I believe the oem specs called for 585... so it was getting pretty close and since the battery was 5 years old I replaced it with a new MTP 24f.. I noticed the new version doesn't have quite as much cranking power as the old one.. old one was 800 CCA's and 1000 cranking amps.. new one is 750 Cold cranking amps and 940 cranking amps...still more than enough...

 

[ROLAND1955]

I have a factory battery from my 2017 that I replaced last year with an agm. You can have it if you want. Its currently stored at my fishing camp near Baton Rouge. PM me if you want it. I live in Gonzales so could pick it up next weekend and get it to Gonzales if thats easier.

That is very kind of you but not necessary... Thank you for the offer but I had a new interstate mtp 24f installed just this afternoon.. but again, thanks for the offer.. I appreciate it.

Roland

 

[KP Texan]

My update on the battery issue... I had decided that I wanted to try the DEKA 724 fmf... only because I know it's an East Penn Battery... so earlier today I called the only shop in town that I know sells Deka's and asked the guy if they had it in stock.. they did not, so I said can you order it... he was nice about it but he kept wanting to sell me another battery that they had in stock.. Finally I thanked him for his time, got in my 4 runner and drove to the interstate warehouse.. gentleman came out and tested my current MTP 24F... I put this battery in the 4 runner exactly 5 years ago TODAY. ( some coincidence huh? ) The 5 year old battery tested at 587 cranking amps. I believe the oem specs called for 585... so it was getting pretty close and since the battery was 5 years old I replaced it with a new MTP 24f.. I noticed the new version doesn't have quite as much cranking power as the old one.. old one was 800 CCA's and 1000 cranking amps.. new one is 750 Cold cranking amps and 940 cranking amps...still more than enough...

I think you made a good choice. 5 Years in your region isn't bad life for a battery, and it sounds like your previous MTP 24F served you well. If you calculate your previous cost per year and compare it to the cost of an AGM, you would be looking at a minimum 7 year life on an AGM to break even. I'm not sure I would even trust any battery at that point!

 

[DavidR1]

I don't see a point in changing the battery unless you have done a significant amount of lighting or installed a fridge or something. Factory replacement seems to be the best option for the vast majority of us.

 

[KP Texan]

I don't see a point in changing the battery unless you have done a significant amount of lighting or installed a fridge or something. Factory replacement seems to be the best option for the vast majority of us.

Factory replacement as in importing an actual Panasonic battery from Japan, or do you mean similar style standard lead acid? The Panasonics are legendary for their lifespan, but I've heard they are a small fortune to get here.

 

[ROLAND1955]

Factory replacement as in importing an actual Panasonic battery from Japan, or do you mean similar style standard lead acid? The Panasonics are legendary for their lifespan, but I've heard they are a small fortune to get here.

KP... I bought my car new in Jan. of 2014... but the car was manufactured in June of 2013. it came with the panasonic battery.. I searched and searched for another panasonic.. damn near impossible to get one. so when the panasonic was 4 1/2 years old I had it tested.. car was still cranking fine, no issues.. glad I had it tested.. if memory serves me it was down to 385 CA's.... oem specs call for 585 I believe.. Went with the interstate back then as well.. so now have the mtp-24f in both vehicles..

 

[ROLAND1955]

Factory replacement as in importing an actual Panasonic battery from Japan, or do you mean similar style standard lead acid? The Panasonics are legendary for their lifespan, but I've heard they are a small fortune to get here.

I think you made a good choice. 5 Years in your region isn't bad life for a battery, and it sounds like your previous MTP 24F served you well. If you calculate your previous cost per year and compare it to the cost of an AGM, you would be looking at a minimum 7 year life on an AGM to break even. I'm not sure I would even trust any battery at that point!

KP Texan... I never really considered an AGM.. to me ( personal opinion ) paying an addition 125.00 or more for an agm just doesnt make sense.. 1- most of the agm's that fit my vehicles have less Cranking power than the Interstate wet cell batteries I have now. Also, for the cost of one AGM, I could almost buy 2 wet batteries that I'm sure would end up lasting longer than one agm. Yes that means I would have to replace the wet battery at 4 or 5 years, but heck, I'm retired.. I have the time. lol Plus, keep reading these articles about potential problems with the battery because they are so sensitive to charging rates. Don't know if that's true or not, but I know that's not an issue I need to worry about with a wet cell battery. Like my daddy used to tell me.. son, if it aint broke, don't fix it. Sage advice..

 

[Lester Lugnut]

I inquired with a U. S. rep for Panasonic online a year or so ago. They are made in Japan and not available in the U.S.

From what I gather on the web and from my own experience, Toyota's made in Japan come with the Panasonic. My wife's 2014 4R had one. I do not know if that's still the case with Japanese built Toyota's.

My 2015 Tacoma(San Antonio build) came with a Johnson Control battery - no surprise there.

 

[Spielightdude]

yours may be a good case for an AGM battery depending on the wattage of your warning lights, if you replace your starting battery with an AGM and use a battery minder or low voltage disconnect for your lighting circuits you should be fine. a battery minder on a regular lead acid battery will let you start your vehicle and get home, but cycling it like that will reduce it's life a lot more than cycling an AGM.

Thank you Jhguth I was considering uograding to an AGM as well just to be safe.

 

[TexasTJ]

FYI Batteries + Bulbs has (20% off Automotive batteries), through Feb 28th, 2020. The X2Power SLI24FAGMDP (840CCA) (made by Northstar) is $314.99-$63 (promo: CDP13175) =$270. Plus a $30 mail in rebate valid through Jan 31, for a total of $240 with a 60 month free replacement warranty. Or you can go to Costco for an Interstate 24F (700CCA) for $89.99 and a 3yr(?) free replacement warranty.

I've jumped my 2017 4R (2yr 9mo old and 63k miles) twice recently. Once after leaving the radio and trunk 12V on for about an hour, and once after leaving the radio on for about 40 minutes. I'm working on a big road trip in 2020, so i may just replace it soon and get a Noco battery pack to go with it.

 

[msk2u]

I inquired with a U. S. rep for Panasonic online a year or so ago. They are made in Japan and not available in the U.S.

From what I gather on the web and from my own experience, Toyota's made in Japan come with the Panasonic. My wife's 2014 4R had one. I do not know if that's still the case with Japanese built Toyota's.

My 2015 Tacoma(San Antonio build) came with a Johnson Control battery - no surprise there.

----
Am now sadly having to replace the Panasonic battery that came with my 2016 4Runner. I've tried the same route and also went to check salvage yards to see if they had the batteries from write-offs. No such luck! Any current recommendations on what to get. Is Costco still a good place for batteries ?

Thanks!