Trailblazer 251 need battery help

[Aeronca41]

All true. There are very few battery makers any more. Found this link the other day. Not sure if the guy really knows, but he sounds legit.

http://jgdarden.com/batteryfaq/batbrand.htm

And he even states that Johnson Controls is now Clario--probably part of the Mexican connection. It is truly sad what has happened to manufacturing in America. Beancounters!!!!!

[MMW]

Just had my trailblazer battery crap out today. No warning, started fine on Monday and today nothing. Checked it when I got home today, 9 weak volts. Auto Craft silver series from Advance auto. 4 years old. Luckily the job I was on had 120v from a residence and I was able to just cut and fit everything. New battery tomorrow.

[walker]

Well I wish I had a better solution than just buy another crap battery, but I don’t.

[showme]

If you have a NAPA around, I'd try them. Their battery has been in my '51 Chevy truck (my daily driver) for almost 8 years now. Seems they wanted half of what Interstate wanted for the same cca/

[walker]

FWIW, the battery I replaced in April went bad again yesterday after driving on my 27 mile dirt road again. Worked great every day up there, drive home and nothing. Sure, it’s free to exchange, I’m just getting tired of doing it.

[Bushytails]

Replace it with an AGM this time...

[Dmaxer]

Replace it with an AGM this time...

I second Bushytails suggestion, AGM is the way to go if you can. AGM batteries were first developed for aviation use by Optima because of the need for a powerful, leakproof, vibration resistant, use-in-any-position battery. I used to buy the Optima red top batteries for my diesel pickup at Sam's Club warehouse until about four years ago when Optima prices went up sharply and they stopped carrying them. The first Optima AGMs were warrantied for I think four years but lasted seven before they started to fade. AGM batteries, in my experience, don't quit like standard wet-cell sometimes do, but they just crank the engine a bit slower and give warning it's time to replace. I bought Optima AGM's at the local auto parts store after that for an exorbitant price, but I just had to have them. Since then, I've noticed Sam's carries another brand of AGM batteries, I seem to remember the name Duracell. I bought one for my daughter's Honda sedan in which batteries never seemed to last, and have heard no complaints from her in over a year now. A few months ago I put one in the wife's 2012 Lexus and all is good so far. Good luck!

[lars66]

Well another Interstate battery in the pickup, got 7 months out of that one. i have been doing business with the same tire shop and people for 40 years but not sure they will want to see me again.

[Bushytails]

I've had good luck with Odyssey batteries, but they ain't cheap... all mine have been bought used.

[ryanjones2150]

I had two optima AGMs in my RV and they went bad in less than a year. But it’s my guess that I had a bad batch since they both quit at the same time. I’ve been using interstate batteries for years. The one in my tractor is 7 years old and shows no signs of death. But overall, across all my vehicles, I’ve been getting about 3 years out of them. It’s terrible.

[Bushytails]

Optimas seem easier to kill through improper charging than many other batteries, even though they have a long life when treated well... You might want to check your charge settings (if your charger doesn't have settings, you probably shouldn't be using it on any AGM batteries), and especially make sure they're not chronically undercharged, such as by improper charger settings or long high-resistance wire runs.

[ryanjones2150]

You’re probably right. The original charging system is well known to be inconsistent and has a tendency to overcharge. That’s what you get stock from the RV manufacturers though. So taking your information into account, it makes complete sense. Maybe I’ll try optima AGMs again next time I replace my RV house batts.

[G-ManBart]

There are manufacturers other than Johnson controls, but admittedly JC does make about 1/3 of the batteries in the industry. Even though they've moved the manufacture of the Optima line to Mexico they're still a good battery...maybe not as good as they used to be, but still good.

East Penn makes the Deka line of batteries in Pennsylvania and they are very good. I'm not sure where Lifeline batteries are made, but their HQ is in California, and the batteries are marked as made in the USA. They are another solid choice. Odyssey batteries are also made in the U.S. and they're hard to beat. I've had good experiences with all three of those brands in pretty severe use...really draining them time and again. I mostly use NOCO Genius chargers, but have a few other brands as well.

Almost every other battery brand is simply a sticker on top. Pick most any vendor and they're going to offer various levels of quality. Often their batteries aren't all made by the same company, or at least in the same facility. Some vendors will list who the manufacturer actually is. As an example, NAPA shows East Penn as the manufacturer for many, if not most/all, of their batteries so that fits with the USA labeling I've seen on them.

Batteries from places Costco are going to be bottom tier in almost every case. In a pinch I put a "Energizer" battery in my mower two years ago...it lasted one year. In the off season I disconnected it and would put it on the trickle charger once a month and it still died. That's what you get with crap batteries.

It's actually possible to get codes off the side of batteries and find out who made them, but that's more work than I'm interested in doing. Exide, Interstate, Die Hard, Ever Start, etc, etc...just stickers now for the most part.

[Bushytails]

There's an east/west coast split... I'm guessing you're on the east coast? Pretty sure napa is JC like everyone else here on the west coast.

[walker]

I suspect you guys are right, I need to go to an a GM battery. The Odessa batteries look interesting. The battery that replaces my group 58 is only about 6.5 inches in height, width, and depth. It is about $200. I’m sure it will go out again this year, as I am going up to my cabin a fair amount for the next few months.