I've noticed starting my '06 it has been dragging a little. Think it's time.

 

What do you guys with relatively new batteries see on your voltmeter when the truck is warmed up/no a/c on?

 

On my last truck, a '98 12v, I replaced them at 8 years because I felt sorry for them and didn't want to be stranded at a rest stop in the middle of Montana. They were going strong and had no indications of weakening.
Good luck John

 

Listen to the poster about replacing them at the sametime.

Coming back from a friends bachelor party in Reno, I dropped him off in Sac, and was heading home, stopped at a truck stop just North of where 505 comes into I5. Filled up my then truck (99 powerstroke) went inside to get something. Came back out and the effing pickup would not even turn over. Tried jumping it, pull starting it, NOTHING. This started at 1730hrs, I didnt get home until 0300 hrs, and had a $400 tow bill on top of it, for a 70 mile tow.

Went and bought two new batteries, no problems since.

This whole thing was caused, because 2 years earlier I was having battery problems, and being cheap and broke, only bought one battery.

 

FYI....I did quite a bit of research before putting dual batteries and an inverter on my boat. The big thing that wears down a battery is the drain on the battery at each cycle. The cycles with deep drain will wear down batteries faster. I'm sure the starter & grid heater really tax the batteries but people like me have a garage and plug the truck in from November to March.

You normally don't want to drain a battery more than 50%. When one battery starts dying it fights against the good one. That probably explains why some have longer lasting batteries and why you need to just keep an eye on them.

You probably new this but I thought I would add it in the mix in case you didn't.

 

I don't think that battery life/maintenance is really an issue in my case anyway - 8 years out of the batteries and 168k miles I think is pretty good life.

Foxborough, hard to say on the boat battery issue. My boat has 3 full size batteries, and all are on a built in charger 24/7/365 when the boat is not in use. The individual engine batteries have never faltered, yet the 'house' battery dies almost every year. Being that they all are constantly charged, I'm starting to wonder if HOW they are used affects their life, regardless of charge state. But I get off topic..

 

Still have originals in early '04.

 

Cool deal...mine were still working great too. If I were still living in FL, I would just run them until they crapped out....there is an auto parts store every three blocks and the weather is always nice... It's just my luck I'll be out ice fishing this winter, coming off the lake in the dark, only to find my truck dead at 0F, oh and of course I used the whole cell phone battery out on the lake that day

 

My dual battery is set up a little different I have a 2k inverter with an engine battery and a house battery. I need the inverter to run the boat lift, it draws about 10 amps @120v for about a minute and a half. The boat is a 1997 searay cuddy 24' w/7.4L (fun sleeper that loves gas). The lift is one of those floating lifts and has a blower to float the pontoons, pretty cool.

It would really drain the house battery down (below that 50% charge) so I switched to both batteries to lift the boat. The only charging is from the alternator on the boat. The boat dock has no electricity. I put in the two marine batteries in spring 2007 and they still checked good this year, both test the same. The charger on you house battery must be really cooking to tear up the battery in a year. I also fear having a bad battery on the truck or boat so I do the truck in the winter and boat in the spring. It's an excuse to clean the terminals and miss some "yellage" from the wifey. It works for me. My 0.02.

Sorry if I am off topic.

 

Sounds like a really nice ride! You may want to look into one of these..they keep my jetskis charged all season long even in ohio cloudy weather, and I have the small one. Not sure it's a full solution but may help. http://batterytender.com/solar.html

 

My 05' is still on original batteries also. Been contemplating the Platinums.. where did you guys get the discount code???

 

Go to sears.com and type in your zip code .then go to batteries and see if they are on sale there.$30 off each here.

 

They are $189 here...not sure if that's 30 bux off or not..but I got an additional 35 off with a visa promo.

http://usa.visa.com/personal/discoun...d=3&pageId=197

 

Mine has been sluggish on starting, so it's time.
The Platinum 2 Diehards are $190 a copy.
I started researching today and found most batteries in size 65 are made by Johnson Controls. Duralast, Interstate, Napa, and the low end Die Hards are all Johnson Controls. Are they any different? I don't know, you could check the weight to be sure. If there's more plates or bracing the weight will be different.

The WalMart MAXX 65N sells for $90. They have a 3 year warranty. A guy could swap them out every two years for free. WalMart employees just hand you new ones.

I have used the deep cycle Interstate and they are some amazing batteries. I have put mine through all kinds of destruction from boiling them out and freezing them solid and they always come back. But the Interstate starter batteries are different animals.

At this point I'm deciding between the Sears Platinum 2's at $400 a pair and the WalMart at $190 a pair. While some may swear there's a difference between Wally's MAXX and a Napa Legend, I just don't buy it. And being able to get a pair of new batteries every two years or so would put my mind at ease....

 

Im still running the stockers on my 04.5. I had them load tested a couple weeks ago when the snow tires went on. Guy said they tested same as new ones.
I do have a trick up my sleeve though. I have a Pulse tech world charger that I stick on all of my batteries a couple times a year to desulfate them. I haven't had to buy a new batter for any of my vehicles since I got that charger in 2005.