Engine battery

Got mine at Walmart

> Where do you get you starting batteries these days.
> Mines dead Jim, it was 8 years old so not too bad I guess
>
> Keith Vasilakes
> Mounds View MN
> 76 exRoyale
> MicroLevel<
> http://www.gmcmotorhomemarketplace.com/vasilakes/microlevel_intro.pdf>
>
>
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--
William S. Schurman
box 772806
Steamboat Springs, CO
80477
1978 Palm Beach
TZE168V100258
 
NAPA. Only had one go bad early after my old truck damaged it. They replaced it quick and easy. Plus they’re located everywhere.
--
M Beam
75’ Avion
TBI EBL , 3.70 LSD and other stuff
Zuki Sidekick,
Dozier Al
 
Sams Club or Costco.
--
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
 
All good suggestions, if your going to buy a battery then get it from a national seller. As suggested these are gapped. Cisco, Sams club, Walmart, Autozone, ORelily, and even Napa. That way you can get it replaced if under warrantee almost anywhere. I buy from Sams club for my 6 Volt Gold cart batteries and I scored a HD 950 CCA battery from Walmart for my chassis battery.

J.R. Wright
GMC Great Laker MHC
GMCGL Tech Editor
GMC Eastern States Charter Member
GMCMI
78 GMC Buskirk 29.5’ Stretch
75 GMC Avion (Under Reconstruction)
Michigan

>
> Farm and Fleet Group 78 Platinum 7 year prorate, 3 year free replace.
> --
> John Lebetski
> Woodstock, IL
> 77 Eleganza II
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Jay Leno swears by the Optima hello top (?) for his cars. They sit on trickle chargers and don’t off gas and promote rust and rot.

More $$ though.
Larry Davick

>
> All good suggestions, if your going to buy a battery then get it from a national seller. As suggested these are gapped. Cisco, Sams club, Walmart, Autozone, ORelily, and even Napa. That way you can get it replaced if under warrantee almost anywhere. I buy from Sams club for my 6 Volt Gold cart batteries and I scored a HD 950 CCA battery from Walmart for my chassis battery.
>
> J.R. Wright
> GMC Great Laker MHC
> GMCGL Tech Editor
> GMC Eastern States Charter Member
> GMCMI
> 78 GMC Buskirk 29.5’ Stretch
> 75 GMC Avion (Under Reconstruction)
> Michigan

>>
>> Farm and Fleet Group 78 Platinum 7 year prorate, 3 year free replace.
>> --
>> John Lebetski
>> Woodstock, IL
>> 77 Eleganza II
>> _______________________________________________
>> GMCnet mailing list
>> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
 
Yellow top. Damned phone!

>
> Jay Leno swears by the Optima hello top (?) for his cars. They sit on trickle chargers and don’t off gas and promote rust and rot.
>
> More $$ though.
> Larry Davick
>

>>
>> All good suggestions, if your going to buy a battery then get it from a national seller. As suggested these are gapped. Cisco, Sams club, Walmart, Autozone, ORelily, and even Napa. That way you can get it replaced if under warrantee almost anywhere. I buy from Sams club for my 6 Volt Gold cart batteries and I scored a HD 950 CCA battery from Walmart for my chassis battery.
>>
>> J.R. Wright
>> GMC Great Laker MHC
>> GMCGL Tech Editor
>> GMC Eastern States Charter Member
>> GMCMI
>> 78 GMC Buskirk 29.5’ Stretch
>> 75 GMC Avion (Under Reconstruction)
>> Michigan

>>>
>>> Farm and Fleet Group 78 Platinum 7 year prorate, 3 year free replace.
>>> --
>>> John Lebetski
>>> Woodstock, IL
>>> 77 Eleganza II
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> GMCnet mailing list
>>> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
>> _______________________________________________
>> GMCnet mailing list
>> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
 
some people say Optima batteries are not what they used to be, but others say they are great.

I have to admit, my coach starting battery is a optima blue top. My in-laws paid probably close to $400, when they were doing their fishing thing
and had the nice boat and wanted the best trolling motor battery money could buy..... When they sold the boat, they kept that spendy battery, and
maybe a year of looking at it in the garage they gave it to me thinking I should use it in my house bank. I would drag it with me a couple weekends
we were off-grid to maybe use as a second battery, Then my 2nd new since I had owned the GMC battery went bad, so I put that battery in as a
starting battery. so that battery still seems to work great, and is probably 6-7 years old.

my other experience, is I have a blue top starting optima battery in my Mastercraft boat. that battery probably has been starting my boat for 14+
years now. I had cranking issues with that boat when I first got it, and had to jump it a couple times. I then replaced the cables(like 8' long-
battery is up front) with made cables from work we use for our construction equipment, and bought that blue top battery at that point. that had to
be a over 15 years ago.

so my luck with Optimas are good, but those batteries are older when some claim they went bad. The AGM's also seem to not develop any corrosion
issues.

--
Jon Roche
75 palm beach
EBL EFI, manny headers, Micro Level, rebuilt most of coach now.
St. Cloud, MN
http://lqqkatjon.blogspot.com/
 
These engines don't seem to need a whole lot of cranking power.

I did measure the cranking current at some point, but I do not recall what it actually was but I was impressed by how little it took.
This was with my overhauled 455 and a recently rebuilt 10MT starter.
Matt
--
Matt & Mary Colie - Chaumière -'73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan with OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
SE Michigan - Near DTW - Twixt A2 and Detroit
 
I'm experimenting with a $60 wlamart battery, It will be interesting to see how it does.
It sure cranks ice now, I'll tell you that.

Biggest issue is it's side post only, so I have to figure out how to connect a boost cable

The starter rebuild guy says this starter should draw 150 amps, but that might be in a stall condition
________________________________
From: Matt Colie
Sent: Monday, August 9, 2021 10:02 AM
To: gmclist
Subject: [GMCnet] Re: Engine battery

These engines don't seem to need a whole lot of cranking power.

I did measure the cranking current at some point, but I do not recall what it actually was but I was impressed by how little it took.
This was with my overhauled 455 and a recently rebuilt 10MT starter.
Matt
--
Matt & Mary Colie - Chaumière -'73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan with OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
SE Michigan - Near DTW - Twixt A2 and Detroit
_______________________________________________
GMCnet mailing list
Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
 
I’ve found that battery care makes a bigger difference in battery life than
brand. In my runabout boat which sat idle every winter I would have to
replace the battery at least every two years. Once I added a battery
disconnect switch on the negative terminal AND kept the storage area heated
I never bought another battery while I owned the boat. 6+ years. I know
it’s a pain to pull the batteries out of a GMC but if not used in the
wintertime and not stored in a temp controlled space, pulling the batteries
will save u $

Sully
Bellevue wa

> I'm experimenting with a $60 wlamart battery, It will be interesting to
> see how it does.
> It sure cranks ice now, I'll tell you that.
>
> Biggest issue is it's side post only, so I have to figure out how to
> connect a boost cable
>
> The starter rebuild guy says this starter should draw 150 amps, but that
> might be in a stall condition
> ________________________________
> From: Matt Colie
> Sent: Monday, August 9, 2021 10:02 AM
> To: gmclist
> Subject: [GMCnet] Re: Engine battery
>
> These engines don't seem to need a whole lot of cranking power.
>
> I did measure the cranking current at some point, but I do not recall what
> it actually was but I was impressed by how little it took.
> This was with my overhauled 455 and a recently rebuilt 10MT starter.
> Matt
> --
> Matt & Mary Colie - Chaumière -'73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
> Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan with OE Rear Drum
> Brakes with Applied Control Arms
> SE Michigan - Near DTW - Twixt A2 and Detroit
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
>
 
Old Optimas WERE good and lasted. So that data while encouraging is now outdated because you can’t buy the old ones any more. 😆
--
John Lebetski
Woodstock, IL
77 Eleganza II
 
I have one friend that still buys optima batteries for his vw's, and says they are still good. If you ever noticed 95% of VW's have a battery size
hole in the floor under the rear seat where the battery used to sit. So when you restore one, you are best to put a AGM in so you don't have to
replace the floor again.

What is interesting is optima took the time to explain themselves on their website:

https://www.optimabatteries.com/experience/blog/optima-batteries-suck-the-truth

If I was them, I would of paid for a different URL, so it does not seem so biased? Who knows.

since I live in MN, I know not to let a battery go dead, so that might help... but I did have 2 Lead acid go bad on my coach. I bought some High
cranking amp lead acid starting batterys. I was told that is not always a good thing because some of the higher cranking amps in a smaller case, the
plates can be closer together, and can short out easier. But I used to go by the thought that if they sold a 900 cca battery in the same size as a
750. I would spend more for the 900. I have seen this also with my friends TDI new beetle. It takes a higher CCA and more expensive battery then
the standard beetle. And he is on his 3rd battery, all replaced under the warranty time frame.



--
Jon Roche
75 palm beach
EBL EFI, manny headers, Micro Level, rebuilt most of coach now.
St. Cloud, MN
http://lqqkatjon.blogspot.com/
 
Since you live in MN are AGM batteries compatible with cold climates?

> I have one friend that still buys optima batteries for his vw's, and says
> they are still good. If you ever noticed 95% of VW's have a battery size
> hole in the floor under the rear seat where the battery used to sit. So
> when you restore one, you are best to put a AGM in so you don't have to
> replace the floor again.
>
> What is interesting is optima took the time to explain themselves on their
> website:
>
>
> https://www.optimabatteries.com/experience/blog/optima-batteries-suck-the-truth
>
> If I was them, I would of paid for a different URL, so it does not seem so
> biased? Who knows.
>
> since I live in MN, I know not to let a battery go dead, so that might
> help... but I did have 2 Lead acid go bad on my coach. I bought some High
> cranking amp lead acid starting batterys. I was told that is not always a
> good thing because some of the higher cranking amps in a smaller case, the
> plates can be closer together, and can short out easier. But I used to
> go by the thought that if they sold a 900 cca battery in the same size as a
> 750. I would spend more for the 900. I have seen this also with my
> friends TDI new beetle. It takes a higher CCA and more expensive battery
> then
> the standard beetle. And he is on his 3rd battery, all replaced under the
> warranty time frame.
>
>
>
>
> --
> Jon Roche
> 75 palm beach
> EBL EFI, manny headers, Micro Level, rebuilt most of coach now.
> St. Cloud, MN
> http://lqqkatjon.blogspot.com/
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
>
--
William S. Schurman
box 772806
Steamboat Springs, CO
80477
1978 Palm Beach
TZE168V100258
 
I have installed or specified a goodly number of Optima batteries for the starting battery of the small diesels in sailboats. These engines are
really brutal when it comes to starting load because you first have to heat glow plugs at about 50amps, and then crank a ~18:1 engine. They seldom
fire on the first few compressions. They also don't get run for vary long to recharge. They still usually perform very well and last longer than a
traditional flooded battery. They do still die if left discharged too long.

I did just read what they wrote about that and will try it with the ones in my barn waiting to go to salvage.

Matt
--
Matt & Mary Colie - Chaumière -'73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan with OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
SE Michigan - Near DTW - Twixt A2 and Detroit
 
Matt,
Tell us what the results are when you try to rescue the old Opitma's. I just accidentily had a new Costco battery fall to 7.9 volts because of a
combiner shut down. Putzed with the combiner and it reset and seems to be working normally now but now I don't know if I can trust the Costco battery.
The Optima AGM's might be worth the expense if they'll recover from an incident better than flooded.
D
--
Douglas & Virginia Smith,
dsmithy18 at gmail,
Lincoln Nebraska,
’73 “Sequoia” since ‘95: "Wanabizo";
Quadrabag/6 wheel disks/3:70 final/Paterson QuadraJet/Thorley’s/Alloy wheels/Sundry other
 
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