$359 period correct battery - broken in 2 days

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

"dry battery", that's what he said.
Who knows...

|m/
Laurie

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

The idea that the mechanic (or whoever replaced the battery) had no idea a battery should be secured is ridiculous.  Every battery on every car ever produced is secured.  Granted some not well secured, but secured nonetheless.  For a mechanic to claim that they did not know a car battery had to be secured is the same as a musician saying that they did not know a guitar had to have strings to make music.

That is extremely common mechanical flaw in collector Cadillacs (and probably many other classics and daily drivers).  I notice the battery secure mechanical feature is missing frequently, and always check this.  I would never replace a battery without securing it, even if had to rig up something temporary.

Whoever replaced that battery suffers a liability.  In your original post you had wrote that the mechanic offered to pay for it, and that is probably why.

Well he's not paying for it now, blaming a poor quality product. And I did mention the battery was supposed to be secured, it was in the shop manual I gave him. And I told him if had called me and said "the battery needs to be secured, there's no bar for it, what do you want to do..." I would have said install it anyway or let me find a bar or 'make one'. That didn't happen. My $359 battery was installed and broke in 2 days. Now the positive terminal is glued back on and I made the perfect piece of wood to hold it low and tight then of course sprayed black. Lesson learned. I've known this guy's father for decades, he's my mech for both cars, has always done right by me. My Acadia is my work car: if it goes down I don't work and he knows that. He always gets that car in ASAP. And he broke his a$$ working on the Caddy days and nights. As heartbroken as I am, it could be worse. He's offered to get me a NOS battery for free, we'll see, whatever.

\m/
Laurie

[cadillacmike68]

Well, if the NOS battery never had acid in it, it will probably take and hold a full charge, but these were no way near as powerful as today's battery technology allows, and as I said, a year or two is all you can expect, because thet's what you got with a new battery back then.

I hope it works. Good luck with Thursday's show.

[V63]

People just don’t seem to recognize the importance of securing the battery...maybe they think it’s weight and gravity is enough? I have used LARGE commercial zip ties (straps) to secure battery’s as ‘better than nothing’. You can find them in commercial electrical section at Home Depot.

Not ideal...but easy and better than nothing

FYI: avoid the white plastic versions...seems they brittle too quick. Go Grey or black.

[Scot Minesinger]

Exactly V63, takes nothing to secure a battery until you can find the "correct" hardware.  Even a dry battery (no water) and they are all dry today, requires being secured. 

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

More fun with this battery....

Coming home from my first show with the failing alternator...which died and left
me driving on just the "$359 period correct battery - broken in 2 days" until it died.

Scott had it on his charger for 3 hours until the green light (charged) went on. Tried to
start the car, nothing. The battery was at 4 volts. Now he believes the battery is toast.

NOW do I throw it into the trash? Thankfully the Lord told me to put the old battery into
the trunk along with the new alternator before we were towed to the shop on Friday. So the
old Duralast is in and working, I have no idea how old that battery is and will replace it.

Think I'll do one of those 'battery toppers' now if the $359 period correct battery is done.

Thoughts?

\m/
Laurie

[Glen]

So the old Duralast is in and working, I have no idea how old that battery is and will replace it.
\m/
Laurie

Most of the time the battery has a date sticker that the seller/installer of the battery will punch out the month and year.  See if your battery has that.  The sticker is for warranty.   

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

Most of the time the battery has a date sticker that the seller/installer of the battery will punch out the month and year.  See if your battery has that.  The sticker is for warranty.

Which would probably require me having to remove the battery....
yeah, no. LOL! Its working, not touching it with Scott away for 2 weeks
and a show next Sunday. I'll just replace it when he comes back.

\m/
Laurie

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

Sent Battery Central Mall an email last night about their $359 battery and
what has happened to it....

Got an email from them this morning, they're replacing it ASAP.

Stunned. Thanks Mom...

\m/
Laurie

[Scot Minesinger]

Laurie,

You really took this story full circle.  Sorry about this, and keep at it, really this hobby is fun.  Yesterday enjoyed a wonderful drive with my girlfriend in the Caddy - top down and all. 

The other bad thing about those antique batteries is that when you charge them it requires a special charger.  A charger specific for the Optima or that battery is required.  You cannot use a standard shop charger.  That leads to the next issue, you can't just get a jump or give a jump with that antique battery.  A jump or wrong charger and it is toast.  I tried to make my Cadillac authentic and original at first, and then recently these inferior "authentic" parts have made me favor function over form every time.  It is no fun to have these cars if they break down due to what I now call call "pretty authentic parts" lack of durability.  I use standard stainless steel worm gear clamps, not tower; standard battery, not antique; high quality belts, not authentic; standard good quality hoses, not "GM labeled"; and etc.

Probably the real reason this all happened is due to the battery not being secured and a bump in the road cracked it.  Whatever battery you install (they are usually all "dry") make sure it is secured.  You can use a giant tie wrap until the correct bar type arrives.

Enjoy your Cadillac!

[Scot Minesinger]

while you typed about the free replacement battery my message was sent.  I agree a free replacement is better than buying another - you have nothing to lose.

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

Hi Scot,
at least that battery worked after it cracked. Did it crack due to improper installation or poor materials, probably a bit of both.

But, it worked!

Failing to be able to be recharged without a NASA approved charger is a fatal design flaw, I don't care if it got thrown down a flight of stairs then fully discharged trying to jump start a C130.

That Interstate battery will be in the trunk at all times now. And I'm very grateful to BCM for standing behind their product.

\m/
Laurie

[wrench]

Ar, now you will need a way to secure the spare battery too...

[Dan LeBlanc]

AGM batteries do indeed require a special charger that will charge at a controlled rate.  An AGM battery (absorbed glass mat - instead of having electrolyte floating around in the battery, it's absorbed into a fiberglass mat) is a VRLA battery (valve regulated lead acid - basically a sealed lead acid) have a valve that reintroduces the gases given off during the charging process back into the electrolyte.  If charging occurs at a non-controlled rate the battery is rendered useless when bringing the AGM battery back from a deep discharge state.  It all has to do with temperature, sulfation, and reintroduction of the gases back into the electrolyte.  Things way above my pay grade.

[35-709]

This from Optima's site ---

"Recovery Option #2: The DIY solution for charging a deeply discharged battery.

This is a recovery method for the do-it-yourselfer using the equipment you've got in the garage. With this option, you're going to trick your traditional charger into charging the deeply discharged AGM battery.

Here's what you need:

    Battery charger (under 15 amps)
    Jumper cables
    A good battery, preferably above 12.2 volts. (It can be an AGM or flooded battery- it doesn't matter.)
    The seemingly dead, deeply discharged AGM battery
    A voltage meter
    A watch or timer

Now, here's what you do:

Hook up the good battery and deeply discharged AGM battery in parallel â€" positive to positive and negative to negative. Do not have the charger connected to the battery or turned on at this stage.

Now, hook up the good battery to the charger. Turn on the charger. The charger will "see" the voltage of the good battery (hooked up in parallel), and start providing a charge.

After the batteries have been hooked up for about an hour, check to see if the AGM battery is slightly warm or hot to the touch. Batteries naturally become warm during charging, but excessive heat may be an indication that there really is something wrong with the battery. Discontinue charging immediately if the battery is hot to the touch. Also discontinue the process if you hear the battery "gassing" â€" a hissing sound coming from the safety valves. If it's hot or gassing, STOP CHARGING IMMEDIATELY!

With your voltage meter, check back often to see if the AGM battery has charged to 10.5 volts or above. This generally takes less than two hours with a 10-amp charger. If it has, disconnect the charger from the wall outlet and remove the good battery from the charger. Now, connect only the deeply discharged AGM battery to the charger. Turn on the charger and continue until the AGM battery reaches a full charge, or until the automatic charger completes the charge process. In most cases, the AGM battery will be recovered."

They DO recommend their own charger as Option #1 but it is not required.

I have used this method on the red-top Optima in Big Red when I left the interior lights on by accident --- it works perfectly.   

[35-709]

I think Laurie's battery can be brought back following Optima's Option #2 above.  It is certainly worth a shot!

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

I think Laurie's battery can be brought back following Optima's Option #2 above.  It is certainly worth a shot!

Thanks for that info, but the odds of me doing that are somewhere between zero and -2%.
They're taking the battery back and replacing it, the correct solution.

\m/
Laurie

[35-709]

Yes, that is the correct solution here.

[Scot Minesinger]

Since it is being replaced, presume supplier wants the damaged battery back (and maybe they will repair and resell it).

[Chuck Swanson]

AGM batteries do indeed require a special charger that will charge at a controlled rate.  An AGM battery (absorbed glass mat - instead of having electrolyte floating around in the battery, it's absorbed into a fiberglass mat) is a VRLA battery (valve regulated lead acid - basically a sealed lead acid) have a valve that reintroduces the gases given off during the charging process back into the electrolyte.  If charging occurs at a non-controlled rate the battery is rendered useless when bringing the AGM battery back from a deep discharge state.  It all has to do with temperature, sulfation, and reintroduction of the gases back into the electrolyte.  Things way above my pay grade.

I've used chargers from www.batteryminders.com/ (previously I have used Battery Tenders too)  on the Antique Auto Battery ones, and now Battery Mall.  I have used for over 10 years.  They want you to buy their brand of charger, so I believe that is what is referenced in earlier post.  Correct if you don't use the right charger, you can ruin it, but you don't need their brand.  Chuck