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Battery

Discussion in '348/355' started by drbob101, Apr 10, 2020.

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  1. johnk...

    johnk... F1 World Champ
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    Jun 11, 2004
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    John Kreskovsky
  2. 308 GTB

    308 GTB F1 World Champ
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    Feb 7, 2002
    11,166
    New Jersey
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    Barry Wolinsky
    Roger
     
  3. 308 GTB

    308 GTB F1 World Champ
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    Feb 7, 2002
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    Barry Wolinsky
    Yes, that's a normal discharge rate for your car, Bob.

    Consider the Interstate AGM battery as a replacement.

    Barry
     
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  4. drbob101

    drbob101 F1 Rookie
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    Nov 26, 2012
    3,814
    Tinton Falls, NJ
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    Bob Ferraris
    Thanks Barry.

    I got an Interstate 34 from Costco for $88 with a three year warranty.

    I think my battery rotation will be 2 years and 11 months.
     
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  5. 308 GTB

    308 GTB F1 World Champ
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    Hi Bob,

    I've always considered a battery something that has to be replaced periodically. I'm not looking to set any longevity records. A failing battery might look healthy on a trickle charger but will take its toll on an alternator out on the roads. I have Interstate MT7-34R AGM batteries in the F355 Challenge, 550 and 944 turbo...


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    The F335 Challenge and 550 also have onboard Schumacher SE-1-12S battery tenders...



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    The 944 turbo is my daily driver so it doesn't have a battery tender. I replace the batteries every five years.

    Barry


     
  6. johnk...

    johnk... F1 World Champ
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    That's the tender I use on my Cayman for winter storage. The Ferraris I just disconnect. Old school, built like a brick ship house, reliably, and inexpensive.
     
  7. 308 GTB

    308 GTB F1 World Champ
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    The Schumacher tender is indeed reliable and effective. Only my 550 needs it, really. The F355 Challenge has its battery cut off between track events. Sometimes my technicians throw the battery cut-off switch at the track during refueling. But it's M2.7 and the car relearns its parameters during the few minutes I drive from the garage out onto the track. We haven't used the Schumacher in that car for over two years. The AGM battery holds its charge well and the car always starts right up.
     
  8. ClydeM

    ClydeM F1 World Champ
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    Nov 4, 2003
    10,461
    Wayne, NJ
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    Clyde E. McMurdy
    My Voltage showed low (10v-11v) while running and the battery light came on a couple of times. I have a 3 year Bosch in there from PepBoys because I couldn't find an Interstate.
    I keep the car on a CTEK during the winter
    The battery warranty was exceeded by 1 month. But that wouldn't matter as I can't find anybody in the area who carries Bosch. Pepboys dropped them in favor of Champion.
    Called around, nobody has a 34R interstate, maybe they can special order it.
    Took the Bosch to autozone & Advanced Auto to be tested. Both tests came back fine.
    So time to look at the alternator that was rebuilt 2.5 years ago.
     
  9. drbob101

    drbob101 F1 Rookie
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    Nov 26, 2012
    3,814
    Tinton Falls, NJ
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    Bob Ferraris
    You don’t need an R, the 34 works fine. The poles are reversed but there is enough slack in the cables to attach them.

    I am on the Costco 3 year plan. Interstate battery 34. I highly recommend if
     
  10. Jeff Pintler

    Jeff Pintler Formula Junior

    Jul 20, 2005
    537
    Richland
    Full Name:
    Jeff Pintler
    Maybe try this solution to monitor the battery. Get em on EBay for $22 and they draw 1ma. It pings your smart phone when you walk around the garage and you can set per cent levels for a warning. And then just plug in your charger when needed. And be bold and try walmart AGM H6...fits in the TR and 360 and probably everything. Also it has the big tabs on the bottom sides of the case to clamp onto the factory tabs. AGM are tougher than wet cell. My last one was $150. FWIW

    Friends don't let friends buy Optima batteries.

    Jeff Pintler
    89 348tb, 86tr, 99 360 3-pedal
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  11. ClydeM

    ClydeM F1 World Champ
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    I did try it. Was not impressed. I disconnected it just in case it was the culprit of the power problem when I had the battery tested. I wont be putting it back.
     
  12. JohnInItaly

    JohnInItaly Karting

    Feb 5, 2019
    113
    California
    Full Name:
    John McCoy
    My year old Interstate battery installed by my favorite Ferrari dealer in my California is dead today, after only a few weeks not driven and left on the Ferrari charger plugged into the trunk. I literally have a warehouse full of cars and motorcycles, and only the newer Ferrari is a problem, not the older ones. I am going to discontinue the POS Ferrari charger in the trunk and use a C-Tek directly on the battery under the hood, just like I do with every other motorcycle and car that I own. Trying to start the Ferrari on the battery charger resulted in an error code, so I unplugged the charger to find a dead battery and the trunk that cannot open with the button, and the car has never ever been able to open the trunk with the key, thank you very much Ferrari. Thank goodness or someone that the hood opens with a lever to find the battery. My car is still under CPO warranty. The rest of my years with new Ferrari ownership will likely involve reverse engineering more of their mistakes. New cars suck. Old cars rule.
     
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  13. 76Steel

    76Steel Formula 3

    Sep 8, 2007
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    Mike
    Sometimes the battery tenders show a green light, but the car still won’t start as the battery is dead. Odd. I had this happen to me couple times already and I have several different chargers.
     
  14. m.stojanovic

    m.stojanovic F1 Rookie
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    It is not really an odd thing - a heavily sulfated battery (due to age or due to being left at low state of charge over a long period of time) will show such symptoms. A sulfated battery will have a very small capacity so it will charge rather quickly to good voltage but will not have the "Amps" required to crank an engine. Also, such batteries will not be able to hold whatever charge they have received (even completely disconnected, they will self-discharge) and their voltage will drop to below 10V over a short period of time, sometimes just overnight.
     
  15. 76Steel

    76Steel Formula 3

    Sep 8, 2007
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    Thanks. That makes perfect sense. I do believe batteries are not made “like they used to be.” My AC Delco on my Corvette lasted 11 years and now it seems even “quality” batteries are looking at around 3 or 4. Well, I always use a trickle
    charger and hope for the best.

    I got em all: Ctek, Griot’s, Schumacher and Battery Tender Jr. :)
     
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  16. Qavion

    Qavion F1 World Champ
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    Feb 20, 2015
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    +1.

    My local road service/battery guy would agree with you.
     
  17. johnk...

    johnk... F1 World Champ
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    Let me ask, are you guys having problems with the batteries in you daily drivers?
     
  18. Qavion

    Qavion F1 World Champ
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    yup..

    Having said that, my daily driver isn't garaged and although the temperatures don't go below zero, they do go to 44+ C
     
  19. tirekiller

    tirekiller Rookie

    Mar 9, 2010
    14

    Whatever you do don't buy an Odyssey battery. They don't stand behind their warranty. I had one in my 360 and it was on battery tender regularly yet after 14 months the battery wouldn't hold a charge, but they wouldn't replace it because the test only showed the battery needed to be charged despite the battery not being able to hold enough charge to start the car the next day despite being fully charged, out of the vehicle, with absolutely no load, and a reading of less than 50% charged after 24 hours!
     
  20. IvanRico

    IvanRico Karting
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    Jul 13, 2021
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    Ivan Rico
    Our 2017 Volvo XC90 has spent most of its life outside during NY winters and summers. Battery lasted 5 years and finally needed to be replaced this month after it started cranking slowly when sitting for a week or more.

    I think it’s a fair point that battery longevity isn’t getting better. For the 355, I figure I’ll be changing it preemptively with every major on ~ a 5-7 year schedule even though it’s garaged and sits on a tender.
     
  21. Targatime

    Targatime Formula 3

    Feb 22, 2014
    1,211
    Los Angeles
    Battery longevity has gotten terrible, 3-4 years in my experience, when I used to regularly get 6-7 years. Not sure why. When I bought my 355 it had an Optima battery that was exactly two years old. Failed six months later. Garbage.
     
  22. johnk...

    johnk... F1 World Champ
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    Jun 11, 2004
    10,628
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    John Kreskovsky
    My 355 still has the same off name batter in it as when I bought it in 2013. Just replace the battery in my pickup that I bought in 2009. Battery in my 308 was replaced 4 years ago after the old one died at 14 yrs. Porsche battery same as when I bought it in Jan 2018. But I noticed when I bought the new one for my truck the warranties were basically 2 or 3 years free replacement with no prorating there after. Used to be 7 years prorated.
     
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