pTr73

Hello all, and Happy New Year...

I have an '08 Z51 vert, I bought it brand new, had the original battery up until Dec of last year. I have about 17k miles on it now. I bought an AC Delco for $95 at a local auto parts store, after contemplating a red or yellow top optima ($200 +).

I never needed a tender with my OEM battery and usually always start my car every 1 to 2 week intervals... Also been doing that for the full year I installed the AC Delco battery last year... About 2 weeks ago I go to start the car and the battery was dead (I havent started it a little over 2 weeks prior to that). I put a charger on it and boosted it, finally the car turned over and started. I also checked the charging system and it appears to be charging, but I was wondering if the battery wasnt holding the charge. So I let the car run for about 20 minutes and shut it off. Came out the next day to start it again but it wasnt dead but it seemed as if the charge was a bit weaker (I was thinking the cold weather was doing this, i am in New York City). It started so I didnt think anythng of it. I went out 3 days after that and it turned over but not enough to start it. Now I am wondering if the battery is defective or maybe a bad cell. Or its just one of those batteries where I may need a tender on it. Another 2 weeks go by (now) and I goto start it and it started to crank but then started clicking, battery was too weak to turn it over. Now I am suspecting there is a draw on the battery somehow. My plan was to charge it up and then disconnect it from the car totally and wait a few days. If it held the charge then I would know if there was a draw on it from something in the car. I hooked a charger up to it and let it charge for about 40 minutes. I go outside to check on it and I hear some sort of trickling of fluid. I said to myself that isnt normal to hear when charging a battery so I walk around to the drivers side of the car and look into the engine bay and see the battery leaking and pusing out either water or acid from it. I immediately disconnected the batttery from the charger and took the battery out of the car. I sprayed some soap into the engine bay where the battery sits and flushed it with some water incase it was acid it doesnt do major damage. I checked all the surrounding wires and engine bay appears to be unaffected, which I am thankful. I am also thankful that the battery being defective is most likely the problem and not something draining it. I know its not normal for a battery to leak like that, but I dont want to get another AC delco, so I am wondering if I should go with an optima?

Sorry this was so long but I wanted to describe it in detail... Thanks for any suggestions or help. Btw, I bought the battery December 12th, 2012 so I think the warranty is voided now, figures!

timd38

Only a year old, so it should still be under warranty.

http://www.acdelco.com/parts/batteri...ntage-battery/

pTr73

Thanks, before I go buy another one I am going to bring it into where I bought it and see if they will replace it...

JCtx

With infrequent use like that, you need to keep the battery charged every week, if possible. Also keep in mind that it depends a lot how you drive the car every 2 weeks. To fully charge the battery, you need to run it at least 20 miles. You could still have a defective battery, but remember these cars with perimeter keys always draw current. Finally, always try to fully charge a new battery before even installing it on the car. That significantly lenghtens its life. Good luck.

pTr73

I went to the store where I purchased the battery, he put a tester on it and it appeared to be at 12.5 volts and said its a bit weak. I didnt fully charge it but he swapped it out for a new battery anyway. I installed the new battery and it seemed the starter and engine turned over with ease as opposed to the old battery. The starter even sounded like it was spinning faster and healthier. I suspect maybe one of the cells were bad and it didnt have enough cranking amps to turn an 8cyl over. I started the car and ran it for about 20 - 30 minutes. I will check it in a few days to see if its still good, if not then I know there maybe a draw coming from something, fingers crossed and thanks for any advice and/or help.