Dead battery issues

[BLK2000TJ]

I've been having dead battery issues with my 2010 Jeep over the past couple of months and I'm not sure if its normal or a sign my battery is at the end of it's life. The battery is a Diehard Platinum 34/78DT (about 3 yrs. old). After sitting for 4-5 weeks the battery is dead. First time it happened was after sitting from Labor Day till Thanksgiving. I charged it and it was fine on our Thanksgiving weekend trip ( ran ARB fridge nonstop for 3 days). It's been sitting since November 28th and is dead again when I tried to start it tonight. Normally the Jeep doesn't sit for weeks at a time so I'm not sure if its normal or time for a new battery.

 

[Chris Boyd]

I've heard on some other threads that folks are having issues with the Platinum group 31s. Not sure if this issue presents on the 34s too. Anyway, 3 years on a battery is all I've been getting out my yellow top optimas, which is disappointing given the cycles rates and cost.

 

[rayra]

Sounds totally normal to me. And in the cold. Maybe it's not supposed to be for a 'high end' battery. But it sounds normal-normal, particularly sitting so many weeks at a time.

 

[AndrewP]

Sounds totally normal to me. And in the cold. Maybe it's not supposed to be for a 'high end' battery. But it sounds normal-normal, particularly sitting so many weeks at a time.

I agree. Modern vehicles can draw 40mA or more, your battery is older and has been overdischarged several times, so no surprise it's marginal to inop after a couple of weeks. My advice-new battery and an inexpensive BatteryMinder.

 

[BLK2000TJ]

Since the Diehard Platinum has been discontinued by Sears what battery do you guys recommend for a JK with winch and ARB fridge.

 

[AndrewP]

Since the Diehard Platinum has been discontinued by Sears what battery do you guys recommend for a JK with winch and ARB fridge.

I am not big on expensive batteries and would simply recommend a Costco battery for your Jeep. A good alternative would be a normal lead acid battery from Napa, which I think are now made by East Penn, of Deka Battery fame.

This one, would be a particularly good alternative:
http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/C...ery-Legend-Premium-AGM/_/R-NBD9834_0497481980

 

[4x4junkie]

I am not big on expensive batteries and would simply recommend a Costco battery for your Jeep. A good alternative would be a normal lead acid battery from Napa, which I think are now made by East Penn, of Deka Battery fame.

×2, good quality flooded type batteries have always worked perfectly fine for me, lasting at least 4-5 years, usually much longer (I have an 11-YO Delco Voyager here that's still kickin strong). Only thing with flooded is if it has removable vent caps, you might have to pop them off and put a wrap of teflon pipe thread seal tape around each of the plugs and then reseat them to keep any electrolyte from seeping out from under them.

And agreed, it does sound like your main issue is a parasitic drain of some sort. Not driving it for weeks/months at a time, a battery maintainer of some sort would indeed be a good idea (solar can be used if running an extension cord to it isn't practical).

 

[Ducky's Dad]

With a winch and a fridge, you probably want a Group 31 of some sort. The PM1 is just a rebadged Odyssey 2150, which you can buy from any Odyssey dealer. I have owned several, under both badges, and they are a lot of trouble to maintain. When I needed a battery for the Tundra this past summer, I bought a Northstar 31M. Optima makes a Grp 31, but it has lower capacity than the the Odyssey or Northstar, but it is also a good bit less expensive. Some guys like to buy ordinary flooded lead acid deep cycle batteries because they are simple and reliable, but you sacrifice capacity. Best bang for the buck in an AGM 31 is probably a Deka, but comes with a short warranty. Best Grp 31 battery in an absolute sense may be the Northstar, but I have not had mine long enough to validate that opinion.

 

[4x4junkie]

Some guys like to buy ordinary flooded lead acid deep cycle batteries because they are simple and reliable, but you sacrifice capacity.

Yes and No.
Energy storage capacities between the types are much more similar than they are different... That old Delco Voyager grp-27 was rated 105Ah, the newer one is 95Ah, Deka's Marine Master is 90Ah. The Odyssey you mention (a slightly bigger battery physically, since they don't seem to have a 27 to compare to) is rated 100Ah. The Northstar 31M is 103Ah, the 27M, 92Ah (all these are 20hr rates).

Current capability (CCA and charging speed) is where AGM tends to have the advantage. However I also run duals, which mostly makes a moot point of that advantage (the CCA of both added together is well beyond anything my winch or engine's starter requires).
If duals are not an option for the OP, then this could strengthen the case somewhat to get a good AGM unit of some sort.

Whatever the case, I agree Deka (East Penn) seems like a good bet for getting a decent battery these days. I just bought a pair of their Marine Masters myself, though time still has yet to say whether they hold up like those old Voyagers did.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

I've been having dead battery issues with my 2010 Jeep over the past couple of months and I'm not sure if its normal or a sign my battery is at the end of it's life. The battery is a Diehard Platinum 34/78DT (about 3 yrs. old). After sitting for 4-5 weeks the battery is dead. First time it happened was after sitting from Labor Day till Thanksgiving. I charged it and it was fine on our Thanksgiving weekend trip ( ran ARB fridge nonstop for 3 days). It's been sitting since November 28th and is dead again when I tried to start it tonight. Normally the Jeep doesn't sit for weeks at a time so I'm not sure if its normal or time for a new battery.

When you say you charged it do you mean you jumped it from another car and just drove it around, or did you put a proper charger on it and let it charge to capacity? Huge difference between the two. Also, did you test your alternator?

 

[BLK2000TJ]

When you say you charged it do you mean you jumped it from another car and just drove it around, or did you put a proper charger on it and let it charge to capacity? Huge difference between the two. Also, did you test your alternator?

Charged it on a proper charger both times to 12.6 volts. after sitting for 2 days this past weekend (with no driving) it dropped to 12.24 volts. Drove it to work Monday and Tuesday of this week and it still showing 12.24 volts.

 

[Ducky's Dad]

The 34/78 Platinum is a rebadged Odyssey 1500, and you can get specs and charging details on the Odyssey website. From my memory (faulty though it may be), I think the 1500 is 100% charged at 12.84V. 12.6V is probably about 50-60% of a full charge.

What specifically is your "proper charger", how was it set, and how long did you leave it on? It makes a difference because these batteries can be fussy. Having said that, I recently removed a Platinum 34/78 from my truck, where it worked fine for about seven years as the house battery and backup starting/winching battery, no issues, and it was fine when I removed it. Only took it out because I upgraded to two house batteries and I wanted them to match. As I type this, I have another 1500 on a charge/recondition cycle because it was in another truck with the alarm set for about three months. Still started the truck this morning, but cranking was slow. These are good batteries.

I suspect yours may be sulphated.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

Charged it on a proper charger both times to 12.6 volts. after sitting for 2 days this past weekend (with no driving) it dropped to 12.24 volts. Drove it to work Monday and Tuesday of this week and it still showing 12.24 volts.

Did you test your alternator?

 

[dstock]

One of my less than 3 year old Diehard Platinum 34/78 died last week, it was my starting battery and was never deeply discharged. After the first year and half they stopped holding the 12.7 resting rate and dropped down 12.3 overnight. I did the Odyssey recovery procedure last spring and despite that and the fact that my alternator can put out 14.7 volts when needed, it still died prematurely. The battery dropped down to 11.4 overnight after being fully charged using an approved Odyssey charger.

I convinced Sears to give me a store credit, since the battery has since been discontinued, and decided to go back to Optima and picked up a yellow top. Despite the claims of issues since moving the plant to Mexico, Optimas are readily available and reasonably priced. Plus I like a science experiment so we will see how it goes...

 

[Borrego60]

I have a 6yr old Deka gp31 AGM battery in my trailer, has never failed me yet. I run 2 in my Tundra. The one in the trailer stays on a charger 24/7 at the house to keep it fresh. No problems to date.