Brand New Battery But It Died Again

Guest daddydise

My corolla has 106,000 miles on it. Its a 2007. About a month ago my car died so i changed the battery and then it worked again. Today I tried to start it but its dead. Wont crank up or anything. I had someone give me a jump and left it connected for about 5 minutes. After I detached the jumper and turned it off, I tried to start it again, but it wouldn't start. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas what the problem could be? Tomorrow Im taking the battery back to the store to return it. so i'll start there.

It could be a parasitic battery drain from excess amperage draw when ignition is off. You can check with a multimeter connected in series with the battery. You can then measure with one fuse disconnected at a time to help isolate cause of current draw,

http://www.batterystuff.com/kb/articles/charging-articles/testing-your-battery-for-parasitic-load.html

You can also measure your charging voltage at battery terminals while idling and at higer revs.

K_Watson

Sounds like the alternator.

Do you get any noises when you try and start it? Does it make a clicking noise, buzzing, do the lights work? Did you check the fuse panel - see if something popped.

If the battery checks out OK, and none of the fuses are popped - could be an ECM issue. Certain vintages of Corolla have a sudden no-start condition - which they've narrowed down to poor solder traces in the ECM on certan batches of ECM. Usually manifests after 60k miles. But can be earlier or later.

My battery is so weak, that if an interior light is left on for more than four hours, it requires a jump. I visited a local chain (http://www.meijer.com) and found a Meijer battery for $75 with two-year free replacement warranty.

Sound like a viable replacement?

What batteries are users using?

http://www.pepboys.com/product/details/9073717/

Too pricey

http://www.walmart.com/ip/EverStart-Maxx-35S-Battery/16795236

http://www.walmart.com/ip/EverStart-35-3N-Automotive-Battery/16795244

Had an Everstart battery from Walmart - replaced the OEM battery in my 8th gen Corolla. Worked fine, lasted about 5 years before it completely died (suddenly died, no warning). Just picked up an Interstate Mega-Tron II battery - found a good deal through a shop - usually retails for about $115+, got it for about $85. Group 35 battery, 550CCA, 2 year replacement, 5 year performance.

Batteries - you do get what you pay for, ones with lower warranties or lower CCA - might not hold up as long as a pricier battery. But much of battery life depends on how the car is driven, its ambient climate, etc. Example - the Interstate Mega-Tron II battery is not as powerful or have as nice a warranty as the pricier Interstate Mega-Tron Plus battery - but in a hotter climate, the MTII will out live its more expensive stablemate. That gets flipped around if it is in a colder climate - MT+ will outlast a MTII battery.

If you live in a temperate climate, drive pretty regularly on the highway, not run too many high electrical loads at lower engine speeds - a cheap economy battery will probably suffice. In the company truck - we replaced the OEM battery with a cheap Advance Silver battery 600CCA, 2 year replacement, 3 year warranty - truck is garaged, taken out atleast once a week, doesn't see extreme temperatures - fast forward 5 years later - battery is still strong enough to crank the truck's V8 engine over.

At http://www.meijer.com (they're located in five states in the Midwest), they have a Pro Cell battery for $75 with two-year replacement. I read a lot of reviews, not just on the Walmart site, but independent sites and EverStart generates a lot of negativity.

There is a Batteries Plus store nearby. I think it used to be an Interstate battery store.

I've used DieHard for a few years, and I've had a couple issues. Then when I brought it to Sears claiming it was defective (or something), it was an uphill battle. So, not going through Sears in the future. (Any of you had a bad experience with Sears?)

I do mostly highway driving and do not run heavy loads. And, in the summer, I use the A/C sparingly.

Also, found this thread from Bob is the Oil Guy: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1884616

I'll be replacing the battery when it gets cold out (get as much as I can out of this one -- I'm cheap).

Still haven't ordered the Toyota Red antifreeze. Need to get around to it.

ALSO: I can get this battery for 83.99 with a coupon code of $40 off (What do you think?): http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_battery-group-size-26r-575-cca-autocraft-silver_2040174-p?navigationPath=L1*14920%7CL2*15000%7CL3*15597

That's a pretty good deal - just make sure it fits. I had a heck of a time getting a 26R battery to sit square on my OEM battery tray - ended up going back to the group 35 battery. The 26R will fit without the spacer, but rocks around a bit, due to the shape of the OEM tray and the supporting bracket underneath.

Same brand we have in the truck - we haven't run into any issues yet. I was a fan of those AGM gel batteries back in the past. Great power density, maintenance free, unbelievably heavy. Paid between $150-$200 for those batteries - great battery, but what they cost, they didn't have that many advantages over the cheaper batteries for just a starter battery. Once you get into some specialized tasks - where you might benefit from a deep cycle or even multiple batteries, it is a matter of diminishing returns, IMO.

Yeah, Diehard - they were a decent battery, made originally by Johnson Control Sytems then by Champion labs (Exide Labs) - but some people found out later than Exide was binning the batteries, the better ones they sold under their premium brand name, the seconds or lightly defective ones were sold to Sears (hence that rash of batteries that died very quickly). After that debacle - they switched back to Johnson Control System - which also makes the following: Duralast, Interstate, Diehard, Everstart, Prostart, Kirkland, Advance Auto Silver - also happened to be the OEM for Ford, Chrysler, Honda, Nissan, Isuzu and even Toyota TrueStart batteries. Doesn't mean that all are the same quality - many of the requirements are set by the end vendor - so an Autozone Duralast battery has different specs than an Advance Autoparts Silver battery. Interstate Mega-Trons will have different plate to electrolyte ratios compared to a Walmart Everstart Maxx battery.

Out of curiousity, what does 26R mean on a battery?

I don't know how long that coupon code from http://www.retailmenot.com is valid. Too good of a deal to pass up.

Battery group size chart: http://www.rtpnet.org/~teaa/bcigroup.html

Well, it is smaller, but that 26R has better CCA than the 35.

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_battery-group-size-35-500-cca-autocraft-silver_2040050-p?navigationPath=L1*14920%7CL2*15000%7CL3*15597

I've had a Walmart Energizer PG700 (700CCA) made by Johnson Controls for 8 years/125,000 miles I got for $67.00, and it's getting weak now when cold. It fits well, but they don't make them anymore... I inherited an incredibly strong used Napa Powerstart 34378U3 with 830 CCA (also discontinued) which I will fit on larger plywood tray.

State nears a deal to keep Exide open; cleanup assurances sought

How about this AutoCraft Gold in Group Size 35 with 640 CCA and 3 year free replacement warranty, with your coupon?

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_battery-group-size-35-640-cca-autocraft-gold_2130004-p?searchTerm=group+size+35

Current battery is from 2004 and is 570 CCA. Also, it is size 35 (factory size)

There is this at AAP, size 35, for $112, but it's only 500 CCA: http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_battery-group-size-35-500-cca-autocraft-silver_2040050-p?navigationPath=L1*14920%7CL2*15000%7CL3*15597. Michigan winters dictate I don't want any CCAs lower than 550.

For me, the 26R with 575 CCA, it seems like a great deal, but what can I do to make sure it's secure in the battery tray?

I also saw the size 35 at AAP for 127 (but I can get it for 87), but if I can get a good fit on the less expensive 26 (I can get for 66), I'll do that.

Interesting AAP website states both the 26 and 35 are an "exact fit" for the 2002 Corolla. Why do retailers sell the 26 and 35?

Current battery:

You could always fit the 26R with a piece of wood as a spacer between battery and tie-down.

Put the wood on top of the tray, then put the battery on top of the wood, or put the wood on top of the battery?

Preferably with wood spacer on top, just a bit wider than the tie-down across battery's width if it fits well on the battery's top ventt covers. Actually, it looks like it already comes with a spacer on top. You'll figure it out when you put it in.

Not completely on the last line, and low fuel light is not on (just to rub it in, Fish). No A/C usage on this tank.

AUTOTECH

how did you get 409.9 miles on a whole tank. I would love to do that. The highest I ever got was 350 on a whole tank. I average more in the range of 300. Do explain.

Thanks Frank

Driving conservatively. Shift early. Drive the speed limit.

AUTOTECH

I DID NOT KNOW YOU HAD A MANUAL TRANS. MY CAR IS AUTOMATIC BUT STILL 409 per tank of gas is great

Frank

I've only owned manual transmissions. I recall watching my father drive one when I was very young. I just watched how his feet moved, the coordination of the clutch and accelerator pedals, and when he shifted. When it was time for driver's training when I turned 16, it only took me 15 minutes to pull it off.

Nice! Almost 410 miles to the low fuel lamp - that's not bad at all! Looks like you are on track run between 550-600 miles until bone dry - about 45ish MPG - that hybrid car territory there!

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Guest daddydise