My O'reilly group 34 batteries have done me well.  Even though they're 1000 CA and 800 CCA, they're date stamped '09 which means about 7 years old.  Old enough that I'm betting I'll be looking for replacements soon.....so why not now instead of in a parking lot or when I need to be to work.  And old batteries add more stress to the charging system so as much as I dont care to spend money, it seems like the right move.

So as a 21st century consumer does, I shopped around the internet and found NAPA to have a pretty good deal on a group 27 (the OEM size) which have 1000 CA and 810 CCA.  They even have a small rebate to boot.  I dropped by my local NAPA to pick up a couple but none were in stock so they had to get them sent down from another location.  I paid for them and came back later to pick them up.  The problem is that when I got there the ratings were not the same but showed a low 940 CA and 750 CCA.  I certainly wasnt happy and said whats the deal with the lower amps but strangely no one had a reasonable answer other than "they'll work fine".  Well fine or not, thats not what I paid for.  Long story short, I tried taking home their group 65's but they didnt fit so by now I was just getting agitated.  And after never getting a reasonable answer as to why their batteries are not rated as advertised, I eventually called enough NAPA personal to figure out that NAPA had the ratings changed a couple years ago by Johnson Control (who makes the battery) but have yet to update their website information.  No one though I talked to (even Johnson Controls) could or would tell me why they changed the amp ratings or how the change was made either.....  I dont like sketchy things like that.

So I got a refund and went shopping around again.  This time I found Costco now sells Interstate batteries for incredible deals whereby I can get a group 34 (27's are hard to find these days) with 1000 CA and 810 CCA for like $90!  Sounds like the way to go.....

But then as I'm shopping around some more I find this place who sells Northstar AGM batteries and they have group 34 AGM with crazy high amp ratings of something like 1500 CA and 950 CCA.  Usually that battery costs around $250 - $350 but they'll sell them to me for $200 each.  Hmmm.....  Should I care enough to spend the extra $210 over what the Costco batteries will cost me or should I go for what appears to be enough cranking amps to start all my vehicles at the same time?  Would be nice in the cold though and I understand AGM batteries last longer.

I figured some of you would care and some of you would say "whatever works".  I just needed some opinions.....

Look on your local Craigslist for someone that sells "blem" batteries.  I have a guy local that sells mis labeled Dekas for %30 of new.  

 

I have gotten 7 or 8 batteries from him for different stuff and they all have been great.

35 minutes ago, notlimah said:

Hey guys, sorry to revive this thread but it seems like my batteries are starting to go south on me. It's been getting a little colder here and the truck is still starting fine, but I can tell that it's turning over slightly slower then it was before. If I understand correctly, group 27, 34 and 65 are all correct matches for OEM specs right? I have the plastic bucket in mine and currently my batteries sit a little crooked in them so I'd like to get slightly smaller ones so they'll fit correctly. I know everyone raves about the WalMart batteries but they get horrible reviews on their site, should I still consider these?

 

27 and 34 will fit fine.  34's tend to have higher CA than 27.  65's are the best of those three as they have not only the best CA but also the best reserve capacity, and higher RC is what makes a battery good.  The only problem is they tend to not fit so good in the OEM battery trays depending on which ones you have.

 

As for where to get them, for anyone who doesnt know, Costco now sells Interstate and they're crazy inexpensive.

Thanks guys, I'll have to ask some friends for their Costco memberships so I can check out the interstates. I'm pretty sure I have 65s currently, but they're all wonky. Did you modify the stock battery box?

Couldn't find any blem batteries on my local CL. I'll keep an eye out though.

I replaced my Les Schawb batteries last year that were in truck when I got it used in 05.  They were still good but doing a battery load test they were at lower end.  So thought it was time.  I don't know how they knew when the batteries were built, but they were built in 03.  They said I was a couple years short from their record at my local store. 

 

Batteries are the only thing Les Schawb is allowed on my stuff anymore.  So not an advertisement for them, but I think their batteries are good.  Not cheap, If I recall right around $120 each.  But over 10 years of service the price worked out good for me.

 

Brother in law in Spokane buys "blems".   If you are near Spokane and want to now where he gets "blems" from let me know, and I'll call him.

2 hours ago, notlimah said:

Thanks guys, I'll have to ask some friends for their Costco memberships so I can check out the interstates. I'm pretty sure I have 65s currently, but they're all wonky. Did you modify the stock battery box?

Couldn't find any blem batteries on my local CL. I'll keep an eye out though.

 

I didnt have to modify the box but I did have to modify the hold down bracket because the 65 is wider that the 27 and 34's which are intended to fit.

Thanks for the update, good batteries= happy driver

If cranking slower than normal, might be your starter

10 hours ago, notlimah said:

Thanks guys, I'll have to ask some friends for their Costco memberships so I can check out the interstates. I'm pretty sure I have 65s currently, but they're all wonky. Did you modify the stock battery box?

Couldn't find any blem batteries on my local CL. I'll keep an eye out though.

Can't go wrong with Interstates.  My truck had 65's when I bought it. They did not clamp very well but worked (b.b. was not modified).  I changed them out to Odyssey group 34's.  Long story short, I had one laying around from my 2010 JKUR that I sold (only had three months of use on it then sat on a float charger).  The factory battery clamps work just fine with the 34's but if my Odyssey's were maybe another 1/8" wider then it would be glove-like fit.  No complaints on running a group 34 sized battery in the second generation.     

Edited October 29, 20168 yr by sooxies

Funny thing is the factory batteries went 10 years on my truck with no issues. When I replaced them in 2012 I bought a set of Walmart batteries which happen to be the very same manufacture as the OEM batteries and just slightly larger CCA (750 vs 810). As for all this talk of the larger sized batteries for reserve capacity and more CCA's it not required nor is it going to change the life of the battery or easy of starting. Even with -30*F starts no issues here with 1620 CCA worth of Walmart batteries. The start only draw roughly a max of 700 Amp on a cold start. By battery design you should draw to maximum 50% CCA of your batteries. So even with stock 750 (1500 CCAs) that only 46% load on the batteries. Even with my 810 (1620 CCAs) Walmart is only 43% cranking load. Still well below the 50% mark. The only thing it might do is give you more cranking time for those days of repriming the VP44 when you run out of fuel. 

 

The biggest link is the cable condition and quality of the terminals. Voltage drop test will tell you that story. As for oversizing the batteries won't do much difference. So you could have the biggest batteries or even 4 batteries and bad cables it will not pass the power to the starter. Kind of like have 200HP injectors with a stock lift pump. If the link between the batteries and the starter are junk no amount of CCAs will change the starter performance.

 

Common sight to see... Even with big batteries it just not going to make a difference with junk cables and terminals.

Edited October 29, 20168 yr by Mopar1973Man

Mike I think bigger batteries may not get charged up to the full mark. End up becoming small batteries that way unless your religious about long charging cycles.

Its not really a topic for debate as there's plenty of information out there stating the facts..... And I really dont care what CA's someone chooses if they feel one is better than the other because the science behind batteries is more complex than a simply forum thread conversation.

But that said, there are only a couple battery manufacturing locations in the US who private label for many many stores and brands.  One being Johnson Controls who I believe manufactures batteries for Interstate, Die Hard, Duralast, Kirkland, Everstart, Prostart, etc...  Although all these batteries are NOT the same merely because they're built in the same factory as every one is manufactured with different proprietary designs for the brand/store which they're made for.  So that means Walmart is NOT the same as Interstate, or any other label.....  Thats not to say that a cheaper battery is going to be junk either.

I try going for the closest supplier with the best warrantee. My idea is using any of them that can handle the job and throwing a charger on them once in awhile to fully top them off because the truck charging often gets shorted for a long last battery.

 

Another aspect is the less quality the more likely it will get you  new ones by going bad before any prorating starts.

That's why I don't worry too much about what type or brand. Also have a battery charger in the truck for back up and maintanence.

Same time the block heater gets plugged in, I will often plug in the charger.

Edited October 29, 20168 yr by JAG1

Well battery cables aren't an issue for me, I replaced every cable in there about 6 months ago. My batteries aren't that old, but I've never felt like they've cranked the cummins over like they should. Having two trucks proves that as my 99 with interstates in it will sit for a few weeks at a time without running and will fire up almost before I have the key fully turned. The 02 which is driven almost daily has a slight delay.

1 hour ago, notlimah said:

The 02 which is driven almost daily has a slight delay.

 

Possibly the starter contacts or starter brushes getting weak or wore out? I would still do a voltage drop test and verify every thing if you can.

 

I'll give that a go when I get a chance Mike!

Like on @Taz truck which was a 1992 Dodge Cummins he had one brush in the starter wore out. So it was only running on 1/2 a starter. Rather weak in starting power. On warm starts it only needs about 300 Amps to turn the engine over but in a sub zero cold start it can be as high as 700 amps. 

Ok, I'm going to revive this thread.

 

My batteries have officially started to go. Started the truck after sitting the weekend and it turned over noticeably slower then it ever has. So it looks like I'm off to Walmart to get some new ones. Can someone verify that these group 27s will fit the factory battery bucket?? I believe these are what you use Mike but just wanted to double check before pulling the trigger.

All group sizes should be relatively the same size universally, so they should fit fine.

Ah ok, well then is a group 27 a good enough battery for our trucks? It states 810 CCAs so that should meet above minimums right? Whatever size I have in there now definitely don't fit in the trays and my ocd is going bonkers hahahah 

Group 27 is probably OEM for your truck.  Group 34 is a little smaller around than 27 but I believe taller.  Group 65 is the best CCA and RC but wont fit under most 2nd gen tray hold down brackets.  I had to modify mine only because I wanted the RC of the group 65.