battey out

Can any one give me an Idea on the average life time on a battery in a limited '89 4.0?
bougth it 2 years ago this xmas. just replace it 24 hrs ago. just couldn't hold the energy. bought at Walmar under their name brand, not the durmaxx version, just the normal kind. Cherokke is 90% stock. no mayor mods.
just have hella's 500's ligths.
The warranty in the battery was for 2 years, but had a some kind of legend that it woluld be good up to 72 months.
Did not happend.
Wife drives a Buick Le Sabre, the limited edition, power everything, same brand got Install 2 months after the jeep, no signs of trouble yet.
any feedback it's apreciated...
thanks

battery life for the most part doesnt depend on the car but the quality of the battery. As far as warranty goes that would be a two year free replacement and a 72 month prorated warranty. Have you checked the alternator. Also how many cold cranking amps does the battery have, maybe it is underpowered for the jeep.

Buy cheap, get cheap.

I think you'll find that auto parts are not something that I care to save money on as a rule - having worked behind a counter (Kragen's, three and a half bloody years,) I have found this to be true.

Granted, battery "free replacement" warranties are getting a little better, but does that mean the batteries are getting better? I find that this isn't the case...

It's worth spending a little money on a battery, you'll get more.

Also, it's worth doing some basic electrical testing to find out if you might not have a problem. Since it lasted two years for you, I'm inclined to not think so, but I'd want to connect an ammeter in series with the new battery just to make sure. With the key off, you shouldn't see more than, say, a half-amp of current draw (cumulative "keep-alive" current for all the electronics.)

Also, make sure that battery voltage is higher with the engine running than not - nominal sitting battery voltage is about 12.6-13VDC, and nominal alternator output voltage is about 13.2-14.6VDC. If your alternator is starting to go, you will end up killing batteries because that's what your system is running from - and automotive batteries aren't designed for sustained deep-cycle operation...

5-90

i seriously think walmart had released a bad batch of batteries. about 5 or 6 everstarts have come through my work in the last two days. all were within a week or two old and they all tested out bad.

We tend to push for battery replacement after about 3-4 years. Much more than that they tend to start leaking and get bad corrotion which eats the wires up.

Guy I work with just bought a wallyworld battery for his 4runner, it went dead after a few days. BTW, acessory draw goes like this. Alternator output is??? amps. xtra lights 100 watts each? divide your voltage into the watts rated. 100 divided by 12v = 8.33 amps each light. same for 120 v also. So if you had a 40 amp alt output and ran 4 hellas @ 100 watts each =33.2 amps + your headlights @ 9+ amps + air+ narly stereo you will eventually kill your battery.

dyna said:

Guy I work with just bought a wallyworld battery for his 4runner, it went dead after a few days. BTW, acessory draw goes like this. Alternator output is??? amps. xtra lights 100 watts each? divide your voltage into the watts rated. 100 divided by 12v = 8.33 amps each light. same for 120 v also. So if you had a 40 amp alt output and ran 4 hellas @ 100 watts each =33.2 amps + your headlights @ 9+ amps + air+ narly stereo you will eventually kill your battery.

Click to expand...

thanks to all for the info.
I'll do the math and put it on the board.
alternator is stock, haven't had any problems with it, had the jeep since sep 01, only major problem, had to replace the main pulley and a the serpentine belt.
hellas are 55 w. (2)
10 cd changer, but no amps...(don't have a close garage)
I did try to upgrade the battery to the durmaxx version, but warranty is for the same type and model as previous.

I second your comment. Bought the wally version few weeks after my son was born, so It was " a quick fix". a 2 year quick fix.
thanks...

Hey,

Get a Red Top Optima. I've used these in my '88 XJ since I got it in '96. Never let me down. Plus, I really push the battery to it's limits. High Power Stereo, NAV, Computer, Hella Lights, Had Neons now replaced with Brighter LED's way better.

Only thing I added to help the battery is a bigger alternator 170Amps! Now, I can power all my electronics, AC, lights with very little dimming.

Thx, Phil

I tryed to get the model for my jeep for a red top optima on their web site, but no dice. any one has the part #'s.
thank's

FYI you can put a batter made to fit in a ford exploder into an XJ. Size wise it's much bigger, and just barely fits in there. It has a few more CC amps and stuff so it should last a bit longer. You have to either get a new battery holding thingy, or you can just leave it. The hood latch will hit it a bit so when you pop the hood it doesn't pop up real well, but if you just notch the part where it hits the plastic it's all good. It's such a tight fit, it doesn't move around even if it's not clamped in.

The "standard" Red Top fits into my RENIX rigs - so it should work in all of them (they didn't change much underhood, WRT spacing and fitment, IIRC.)

I think it's BCA Group 34/78, if you're wondering.

Like Phil, I also have high-output alternators - but I have them in ALL my rigs, since I've got a local source that gives me good pricing. If you can't find anything locally, click the link in my sig, go to "San Jose Generator," and give Rod a call - he'll ship. If you'd like to hear about his work, talk to Grizzley - I seem to recall he's ordered one for his rig. I'm sending you to someone else because I don't have anything bad to say about Rod, and someone else might (but I really doubt it...)

I can verify that BCA Group # - as can pretty much anyone else here - but it's dark out, and I'm home from classes (first day back!) I'll be running about to-morrow, so I can look at it then if you need me to. I do know it works with the OEMR battery stay, so you shouldn't have any trouble.

5-90

thank's on the info and the link, I did visited the web site that 5-90 recomended. great place. congrats on that.
after reading all the comments that have been put on the board, I have some questions?

Do I need to replace the battery tray in order to put in the optima Batt in?

I don't plan on going to do much mod's on the jeep, not unti'll the garage is done, and that's going to take a little bit longer than expected.
So I if go with the 100A @ 14VDC would this be more than the current stock on the jeep, and help the battery live a longer life?
Would it be necessary to do an up-grade on the battery cables? If so what gauge # are the apropiatte?

I do want to give my thank's to every one that has taken the time to answer my question and give me their points of improvement.
rick...
ensenada baja.

Replace the tray? Nope - drop it in and go. Including taking out the old battery, installing an Optima took me all of 10 minutes (not counting changing the cables - they were original, now they're in the copper bin...)

Upgrading the alternator as far as you can go can't harm anything - all that means is that it has to do less work when you don't need its full output. My wife has a 160A unit on her 89, but it's bone stock (with a slightly upgraded stereo and no amps) and I think it's going to last forever for her - until it needs new brushes.

Check around the rest of the site - I offer cables, and if you're going to make your own, I'd suggest using 2 gage wire as a minimum (I selected 1 gage as a useful compromise between overkill and shipping weight.) The only catch is, you'll have to get crimping tools and lugs if you do it yourself (unless you have them,) and that's where the decision on your part will come in. If you can do it for less than I can, go for it - but I offer low prices because I already had the tooling, and I've got sources for wire and terminals in bulk (from a previous job.) That saves me a lot, and I pass that along to you. I'm currently waiting for a shipment...

It's going to take a little time, but I'm working on a Tech section for WiP's website - which might help with questions like this as well. Gimme a couple weeks on this - I just started classes again...

5-90

The optima red top my dad put in his 82 chevy was 15 years old when I traded it off and still going strong.........henceforth and invariably I use them in everything.