Im still using the orig Battery in my 01

F

fido

New member
104K miles

Went on trip to montreal this weekend. Was much colder and left car unstarted for 2 days. Batt died needed a jump. Thought I left a light on or something.

Now everytime i leave for like 2 hours or more it has a hard time starting. But its fine if i leave the car for like 10-45 minutes.

Its prob the battery right?

I'm thinking of going to BJ's wholesale club to change it. Any suggestions on which or where to get a new one. and price? thanks guys!
 
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Yeah, probably the battery. That's some pretty good life you got out of your original battery.

I'm still running the OEM Panasonic battery on my '04 and it still seems strong, but I don't know how much longer I can expect it to last. I tend to watch movies on my navigation screen with the engine off when I'm stuck waiting at a store or something. I've even watched an entire movie without running the engine and this damn battery keeps going strong. Did your '01 come with a Panasonic battery too?
 
The OEM Panasonic on my '99 lasted a little over seven years and 90K miles. It was never even once discharged to the point of needing a charge/jump. When it finally died, it went fast. It took about three days to go from needing a charge/jump one morning, to needing a charge/jump in more than two or three hours. This was in warm weather.

I replaced with an Optima Red Top 34R from BatteriesPlus. Expensive, but very strong and a perfect bolt-in. Three-and a half years on it now--I am curious to see if it outlasts the Panny. The buzz on the Optimas has turned somewhat negative since I bought mine.
 
It would be really cool if we can get Panasonic car batteries here in the states. I believe (but not 100% sure) they use acid in the form of a gel instead of a liquid. This helps them last so long.

For some odd reason we don't get very good batteries. It must be a racket or something. With the exception of a few brands most replacement batteries are horrible and last 3 to 4 years at best. The exceptions are AC Delco and Odyssey batteries. Odyssey batteries are likely the best but they are expensive. AC Delco batteries can be had for a reasonable price though.

Back in the day Interstate batteries used to be good but I believe they switched manufacturing and they are no longer any good. Are they even still in business? I used to see Insterstate battery trucks all over the place but I have not seen any lately...hmm!!!

My 4Runner came with a Autolite battery. So far so good but it was installed in April of 07. So its about 3/4's of the way through its service life. I expect it to die sometime over the next year. I assume it replaced the original battery so roughly 9 years of service for the original battery in my 98.
 
I'm Running an optima yellow top and couldn't be happier. Can run my Radio (1500 watts RMS) for at least 4 hours and it will start right up (thats as long as I have ran it), I have also ran movies on the head unit, and two Headrest screens no problem, all with the key off.

Lately people have been giving Optima a bad rap but I have some pretty amazing stories about those things and have had nothing but good luck, Optima is definately my pick:thumb3:
 
longhaul747 said:
It would be really cool if we can get Panasonic car batteries here in the states. I believe (but not 100% sure) they use acid in the form of a gel instead of a liquid. This helps them last so long.

For some odd reason we don't get very good batteries. It must be a racket or something. With the exception of a few brands most replacement batteries are horrible and last 3 to 4 years at best. The exceptions are AC Delco and Odyssey batteries. Odyssey batteries are likely the best but they are expensive. AC Delco batteries can be had for a reasonable price though.

Back in the day Interstate batteries used to be good but I believe they switched manufacturing and they are no longer any good. Are they even still in business? I used to see Insterstate battery trucks all over the place but I have not seen any lately...hmm!!!

My 4Runner came with a Autolite battery. So far so good but it was installed in April of 07. So its about 3/4's of the way through its service life. I expect it to die sometime over the next year. I assume it replaced the original battery so roughly 9 years of service for the original battery in my 98.
Click to expand...

Brain fart in my original post....I was thinking Optima and not Odyssey. However Odyssey does make batteries. Usually Dry Cell Deep Cycle marine batteries.
 
TheDurk said:
The OEM Panasonic on my '99 lasted a little over seven years and 90K miles. It was never even once discharged to the point of needing a charge/jump. When it finally died, it went fast. It took about three days to go from needing a charge/jump one morning, to needing a charge/jump in more than two or three hours. This was in warm weather.

I replaced with an Optima Red Top 34R from BatteriesPlus. Expensive, but very strong and a perfect bolt-in. Three-and a half years on it now--I am curious to see if it outlasts the Panny. The buzz on the Optimas has turned somewhat negative since I bought mine.
Click to expand...

Yeah my panasonic is dying fast. Now even 1 hour out of the car is enough to stall the start. I'll probably try tomorrow or the Wednesday if it lasts that long.
 
juiceboxer said:
I'm Running an optima yellow top and couldn't be happier. Can run my Radio (1500 watts RMS) for at least 4 hours and it will start right up (thats as long as I have ran it), I have also ran movies on the head unit, and two Headrest screens no problem, all with the key off.

Lately people have been giving Optima a bad rap but I have some pretty amazing stories about those things and have had nothing but good luck, Optima is definately my pick:thumb3:
Click to expand...

I just bought a yellow top last week and tried to install it, but the cables were too short. How'd you get your s to fit?
 
fido,

Rule of thumb...swap out the battery within 5yrs.

It's cheap & it's a preventative maintainence.

Friend installed foglights & battery crapped out after.

I installed an HID for a friend & her battery crapped out after as well.

Both cases...the batteries were already old, so installing the electrical components just triggered it. Didn't mind, because it was an inexpensive fix.
 
You need a D35 Yellowtop part number (8040-218) The terminals are moved back to accomidate for Toyotas short battery cables. Or you can extend cables that you have now, I prefer getting the right battery.
 
My Optima Red 34R just barely fit....I had to remove the factory battery tray, then use the Optima battery tray. I got a hell of a deal on it back in July..Was $115, but then there was a $25 rebate which I finally got yesterday. So all toghter it was $90, Not to bad for a battery that list for $193 on my original sales receipt.
 
K.C. said:
fido,

Rule of thumb...swap out the battery within 5yrs.

It's cheap & it's a preventative maintainence.

Friend installed foglights & battery crapped out after.

I installed an HID for a friend & her battery crapped out after as well.

Both cases...the batteries were already old, so installing the electrical components just triggered it. Didn't mind, because it was an inexpensive fix.
Click to expand...

That may be a good rule of thumb, but it seems a bit excessive unless you live in a really hot climate where batteries tend to die faster. Maybe it's the cheapskate in me, but I really can't see myself tossing a perfectly good battery just because it's 5 years old, especially if I can get another 2 or 3 years out of it.

For those who are truly concerned about their battery dying, well, they can also have a load test performed to see how many amps the battery is capable of supplying. That's probably one of the best indicators of whether or not a batter is nearing the end of it's useful service life.
 
Replaced mine after 8 years of New England seasonal changes and with a 200W amp/sub combo. It just felt tired last winter.
I ended up going with a Kirkland battery from Costco.
Nice warranty (seven years, IIRC?) and pretty inexpensive ($60-65?).
Really, why take a chance of getting stuck. It's affordable piece of mind.
If I could have grabbed an Optima for $90, I would have jumped on that.
 
That's decent life alright. Toyota battery ? I have a 98 and it's still the original battery as well. I'm just noticing now if I leave the stereo on while working outside after a couple hours mine labors to start. Decided to get this one next week >

http://www.interstatebatteries.com/...37&Title=Mega-Tron+Plus+-+85+Months+-+800+CCA

fido said:
104K miles

Went on trip to montreal this weekend. Was much colder and left car unstarted for 2 days. Batt died needed a jump. Thought I left a light on or something.

Now everytime i leave for like 2 hours or more it has a hard time starting. But its fine if i leave the car for like 10-45 minutes.

Its prob the battery right?

I'm thinking of going to BJ's wholesale club to change it. Any suggestions on which or where to get a new one. and price? thanks guys!
Click to expand...
 
fido said:
104K miles

Went on trip to montreal this weekend. Was much colder and left car unstarted for 2 days. Batt died needed a jump. Thought I left a light on or something.

Now everytime i leave for like 2 hours or more it has a hard time starting. But its fine if i leave the car for like 10-45 minutes.

Its prob the battery right?
Click to expand...
This happened to me in March of this year. My wife was playing the stereo with the doors open, while she was working at the garden at our church. She called and said the battery was dead. It started after that, but was never really the same, it was sometimes hard to start. In April I got a new battery for my 2001. I bought it at Autozone for $90, which I guess was a bit on the high side. 8 years I guess is pretty good for a battery.
 
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