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Battery?!

23K views 55 replies 32 participants last post by  kdilly 
#1 ·
I know this topic has been done to death. But which battery would you use in your jeep if you were 100miles from anyone? If you absolutely, positivelly, need to know your jeep would start when you turned the key...what battery would you choose?
 
#39 ·
I use Costco Kirkland car batteries. They are the regular flooded type, but they are cheap and they have a 3 year un-prorated warranty. So what I do, since I am hard on my battery, I take in my battery when it is 2.9 years old and replace it under warranty every time. Doesn't cost me anything and I have a fresh battery. It's still good after 2.9 years but I do it anyway so I never have to worry about a worn out battery.

I think they are made by Johnson Controls but I'm not positive
 
#41 ·
Johnson Controls is right. I have a buddy that works for them and even with the discount he gets on the Optimas he will still not run them. Since they moved production to Mexico they went downhill fast. I had a new looking Optima Yellow Top in my Jeep when I got it (PO put it in there) and it flat out died on me in the middle of nowhere. I now run the Sears Diehard Platinum and that is the only battery I will run.
 
#40 ·
Thank you. I am getting close to battery replacement and definitel y want AGM. I did not know about the issues with Optimas. I will look at the DieHard. Sears stores are almost always somewhat nearby if there is an issue.
 
#43 ·
I can tell you what not to get. Optima batteries. Especially red tops. Went through three in my big truck before I gave up and switched. Anytime it goes dead and you have to jump it the battery is ruined
 
#45 ·
So far as I know, those are good batteries if you are ok with a conventional 'wet' design that has liquid acid inside. Such batteries are fine for the street but won't hold up as well to the shocks, jars, & vibrations associated with off road use like a solid AGM design battery will.
 
#46 ·
I know I have read it in the past, but why does it seem that Optima is really one of the only battery companies that I see talking about using their batteries with multiple accessories?? If you run a lot of accessories, people always toss around the Optima name. Is there really any reason that they are superior in this situation than other companies such as DieHard?? I myself prefer DieHard, but you don't hear them "zoning" in on the accessory aspect when you read on their batteries.
 
#50 ·
Be aware there are two commonly used model identifiers for the dual post Diehard Platinum, the P4 and 34/78DT. And so far as I know, the P4 and 34/78DT is the same exact battery.

The first time I bought one, I told the guy I wanted a 34/78DT & that's what I got. When I most recently wanted another for my replacement Jeep, I got a look of puzzlement from the Sears salesguy & ended up being given the P4 when he couldn't find the 34/78DT in his online catalog. I don't see any difference & I can't find a P4 in their online catalog. I do know many others have ended up with the P4 when they asked for a 34/78DT.
 
#51 ·
I go for anything over 700cca. (cold cranking amps). My Chevy Van has a battery w/850cca. I can let that thing sit for two months, breath on the key and she fires up everytime.

Most important is to not let it get dirty on top. They will short out and drain the battery. Here is a little test for you guys, you'll crap your pants to see this. Take a volt meter (set to DCv) out there, open the hood and touch the red to the + of the battery. Touch the - to the plastic in the center of the battery top. Any voltage??? Surprisingly, I've seen a seemingly clean battery have 9v bridged across the plastic!!! That will drain it in a hurry and you won't get near the life out of it.

At least with every oil change you should clean the battery with baking soda and water. Sprinkle baking soda on it, then spray or drip some water. Scrub w/an old toothbrush and rinse away.

Then do the voltage test. You should get a null reading or 0.00v. Absolutely no voltage should go across a battery + to -. Even the slightest amount of residue on top will cause a short.
 
#53 · (Edited)
My battery's side terminals are used for my winch connections, nothing else. A couple small short bolts (I don't recall the thread size) with lock washers hold the connections in place and there's enough room for that kind of a connection.

If you need multiple power connections like for radios, amplifiers, etc., a terminal strip with individually fused connections works well. My terminal strip is connected to the 12v lug at the rear of the Power Distribution Center, under that small snap-on cover. :)
 
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