OEM battery dead?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Aug 15, 2008
Messages
4,962
The Toyota OEM battery in my Tacoma appears to have bitten the dust. (Mfg JCI date code Nov 18 2014, size 27F)

Cranked fine yesterday - drove out of town and back, ran errands afterwards, no issues.

Today I go out and start it up, it does crank over but very slowly and lights and displays dim noticeably.

On the next start, it does the click click click and classic signs of dead batt. I use my portable jump pack to start it up - no problems.

I put it on my Schumacher smart charger (6a charge rate) 1.5 hours ago and now the charger says fully charged, does not indicate any problems otherwise.

If battery were depleted enough to not start the truck, I imagine the Schumacher would have taken longer than 1.5 hours to charge it up.



Any thoughts? About 5 years seems like the typical lifespan of a battery in my region due to temperatures. I expected a JCI battery to last somewhat longer, but always possible the engine bay in this truck is hotter than on previous vehicles.
 
Looks like Sams Club has $20 off batteries and the deal ends today, so time to replace it for peace of mind!
 
Generally the faster a battery takes a charge the more depleted the plates are which in turn will mean less cranking capacity. A load test should be done.
 
Originally Posted by Dinoburner
Generally the faster a battery takes a charge the more depleted the plates are which in turn will mean less cranking capacity. A load test should be done.


+1

Get it load tested, but I would suspect its time for a new one. I got 9 years out of my OEM Corolla battery but im up near Montreal, so cant exactly compare.
 
Another good battery option is buy online through Advance Auto Parts. They usually have a 25% off coupon or better which in my experience makes them extremely price competitive with other battery options. I have always had good luck with their batteries as well.
 
So winter is coming probably time for a new battery. If truck is a keeper then I would look for a East Penn AGM battery. Get high quality battery for the money vs the cheapest you can find that fits.

But a load or conductive test is needed as is checking of the battery cables and connections.
 
Not that unusual to have them expire without warning. The factory battery in my Saturn lasted about 5 years, then one day it went from running fine one morning to needing a jump start later that afternoon. I have found 5 year batteries tend to be good for about 5 years. Maybe 6 if you're lucky, but when I've had them load tested at that age they may not pass. Better replace it now before winter comes.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top