When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Took the 65 out and noticed the battery gauge moving to the right more then usual. So, checked the battery to find that it is nine years old and decided to replace it.
What normally is a PITA job got a lot worse.
1st: The battery had a plastic handle used for lifting. The plastic reinforcement that holds this handle prevented the battery hold down from fitting. OK, been a while but I remembered this from the last time. Soo, I trimmed it off with a razor knife. No problem, now the hold down fits.
2nd: I lay the battery in the tray and find that the posts are on the opposite side from the one I removed. I'm thinking no problem until I realize the negative cable is now too short.
( $200 battery that I can't take back because I had to trim the plastic handle holder )
3rd; So now I have an additional PITA job of relocating the ground cable. This requires removing the bottom splash shield and is in such a tight space that is is hard to get a wrench on the bell housing bolt.
Bottom line, a normal PITA two hour job now turns into a four hour major PITA job.
OK, my rant is over. But, this brings up a few questions.
What is the correct battery to use? One that has the + - terminals in the correct location.
Is there nomenclature in the part # that can specify the correct location of the terminals?
What is the shelf life of a car battery? Mine was purchased in 2013 but had very little mileage on it.
What is the preferred battery? ( 65 L-79 )
You bought the wrong model. 24A or 24S is correct. You must have bought the 24PG... And the A or S would not require cutting off any part of the battery..
Just curious how close your + terminal is to the edge of the hold down. Judt replaced my battery afew months ago, same handle issas yours, but the ring other + terminal is way too close to the hold down, at most 1/8 inch. One of those anti corrosion felt washers keeps them awY from each other but it sure is uncomfortable otherwise.
A Group 24 battery is what you want. What you have is a Group 24F...for a Ford...the posts are reversed. What you might try is to turn the battery 180*. This will put the posts to the fender side vs the firewall side but the posts will then be in the correct position and MAYBE the cables will reach...just a thought. BTW, a Group 34 battery will work, as well. It's the same length and width as a Group 24, just 1" shorter in height.
You bought the wrong model. 24A or 24S is correct. You must have bought the 24PG... And the A or S would not require cutting off any part of the battery..
65 hihp is right on the money as usual. A correct ACDelco Group 24S is about $120. The handle is mounted in the center of the battery and does not interfere with the hold down bracket. Fits perfectly
Just curious how close your + terminal is to the edge of the hold down. Judt replaced my battery afew months ago, same handle issas yours, but the ring other + terminal is way too close to the hold down, at most 1/8 inch. One of those anti corrosion felt washers keeps them awY from each other but it sure is uncomfortable otherwise.
This topic has come up before. When I replaced the battery in my '60 a few months ago, I ground away the metal on the retainer which looked like a potential short circuit:
Sumpthin' else I did when I R&R-ed my '60s battery may also help anyone replacing a C2 battery..... Arthritis has taken away all the grip I had in my hands so I used my overhead hoist and some slings to lift and lower the new battery into position. In 43 years of ownership, this was the easiest battery replacement I've ever done. See below:
Just curious how close your + terminal is to the edge of the hold down. Judt replaced my battery afew months ago, same handle issas yours, but the ring other + terminal is way too close to the hold down, at most 1/8 inch. One of those anti corrosion felt washers keeps them awY from each other but it sure is uncomfortable otherwise.
Amazingly everything clears nicely. The biggest issue was relocating the ground cable.
What is the shelf life of a car battery? Mine was purchased in 2013 but had very little mileage on it.
9 years is pretty good in my experience.
Batteries don't care a wit about how many miles on them - they produce energy via chemical reaction. When the chemistry gets "used" up, the stored energy decreases. Nothing you can do about it unless you drain the electrolyte to stop the reaction. I've realized that the typical battery life for my cars is not worth paying premium prices given the tough conditions of storage and discharging that happens.
9 years is pretty good in my experience.
Batteries don't care a wit about how many miles on them - they produce energy via chemical reaction. When the chemistry gets "used" up, the stored energy decreases. Nothing you can do about it unless you drain the electrolyte to stop the reaction. I've realized that the typical battery life for my cars is not worth paying premium prices given the tough conditions of storage and discharging that happens.
I agree. The reproduction units such as Jim's (formerly Antique Auto Battery) last a long time. I have one I bought in 2007 that still works. I sidelined it because of age and the risk that on one hot day it won't. A good quality battery can last a long time if it is not subjected to much heat or many deep discharge and charge cycles which is true in the case of the car I was using it. I've had other brand name batteries go only 3 or 4 years. Its not miles but heat and cycles.
9 years is pretty good in my experience.
Batteries don't care a wit about how many miles on them - they produce energy via chemical reaction. When the chemistry gets "used" up, the stored energy decreases. Nothing you can do about it unless you drain the electrolyte to stop the reaction. I've realized that the typical battery life for my cars is not worth paying premium prices given the tough conditions of storage and discharging that happens.
That is pretty much what I thought. The battery actually tested OK but I noticed it on the gauge.
I've owned a lot of battery-operated vehicles and the only way to tell about a battery is with a load meter. A volt meter tells you very little but when you hook up a load meter and start to dial up the load, a weak battery will go into the red very quickly. Many times on a 4 or 6-battery car all of the batteries will test good except one and we all know about the weakest link in a chain. I installed a new battery last year and I too noticed the closeness of the + terminal to the bracket. I ended up putting black Gorilla tape along the bracket and that made it safe. I use the lever-operated battery clamps and the lever gets really close also but with the tape all is well. The lever clamps let you undo either terminal with a simple twist of a lever and when I work on the electrics it is very easy to just take the cable off with no tools required. I did not get them from the UK but online with free shipping.
Thanks for all the help, guys. I worked it out with the parts store and they exchanged my wrong battery with the correct one.
I had it set up with the posts on the wrong side but the more I thought about the more I knew I couldn't live with it. Here is the wrong battery. You can see it is way too far under the expansion tank. I just couldn't live with it. New correct battery installed. More like it.
Thanks for all the help, guys. I worked it out with the parts store and they exchanged my wrong battery with the correct one.
I had it set up with the posts on the wrong side but the more I thought about the more I knew I couldn't live with it. Here is the wrong battery. You can see it is way too far under the expansion tank. I just couldn't live with it. New correct battery installed. More like it.
Absolutely the correct decision. Glad to hear the parts store didn't give you any grief over the exchange.
At the risk of drawing fire from the purists out there, (and I love both stock and modified Corvettes equally) has anyone tried installing a side-terminal battery, and if so, what did you use?
It seems it might make things a little easier, and eliminate the top-post to retainer clearance issue. Thanks
I took Gorilla tape and covered the top rim of my battery hold down to keep the positive terminal from being so close to it. It isn't even noticeable because it was four inches wide and I have curled it under on both sides of the top rails.
08-08-2022, 11:33 AM
Battery Replacement Blues Rant
