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Battery replacement

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Old 04-23-2019, 07:10 PM
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Default Battery replacement

Know on a lot of new vehicles you need to use a OBD tool and keep voltage on the car to remove the battery.

I haven't been doing a lot of work on my vehicles.

On a 2014 Truck.
Do you need to use the OBD took and keep voltage to remove and replace the battery.

Had to have the truck towed to the dealer and have the battery replaced under warranty when it was like a yr old.
Battery acid had leaked out of the battery and all over the truck
The person that changed the battery didn't put the long bolt back in that holds the battery down.
When the OL came home. The bolt was sticking up between the gap in the hood and finderwell.
I opened the hood myself and put the bolt back in.
Too bad the mechanic didn't do the job right.


The battery has a very large amount of acid on the cable connections.
Since I live in the country. I am just going to replace the battery with one from Orielly's.

Want to make sure if I need to keep power on the radio and the computer so it don't loose codes.

The tool they have plugs into the OBD connection on my truck.And had a cigarette lighter plug on the other end.
Problem is the cord is only about 2' long.
No way will it reach to another vehicle to plug it in.
And there is nowhere around here to buy a connection that is about 12' long.

Thanks for the replies.
Old 04-24-2019, 12:39 AM
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Originally Posted by cardboard
Know on a lot of new vehicles...
Which ones?
Originally Posted by cardboard
...use a OBD tool and keep voltage on the car to remove the battery.
A scanner doesn't supply power to the vehicle it's connected to. And I've never heard of any vehicle that requires anything like that; not even Land Rovers, BMWs, Mercedes...
Originally Posted by cardboard
The battery has a very large amount of acid on the cable connections.
That indicates it's a poorly-made battery - the case isn't sealed to the posts very well, so the acid is leaking out & attacking the terminals. You should clean it with water mixed with baking soda, followed by LOTS of water, and more baking soda, more water...until most of the corrosion is gone, and it stops frothing. Then remove & clean or replace the terminals as shown in this photo album:


(phone app link)
Originally Posted by cardboard
I am just going to replace the battery with one from Orielly's.
Bad idea. Parts-store batteries are among the cheapest (in every way). MotorCraft TestedToughMax, Sears DieHard Gold, and Interstate MTP are among the best. Gimmick batteries (like AGM/Optima) aren't worth what they cost, and don't perform better than a good normal battery (WORSE in many ways).
Originally Posted by cardboard
...if I need to keep power on the radio...
That's a matter of choice - if you don't want to reprogram the presets, keep that circuit powered.
Originally Posted by cardboard
...and the computer so it don't loose codes.
Does it have any fault codes stored? If they've been repaired, they should have been cleared. If they haven't been repaired, the PCM will re-set them after you drive.

What it WILL lose (if you leave it unpowered for more than ~2 minutes) is the adaptions, which will make it run slightly poorer for 5~50 miles (until it re-adapts).
Originally Posted by cardboard
The tool they have plugs into the OBD connection on my truck.And had a cigarette lighter plug on the other end.
Problem is the cord is only about 2' long.
No way will it reach to another vehicle to plug it in.
Good. Don't do that, ever. You'd almost certainly fry the scanner, and possibly damage both vehicles.

If you want to keep the truck powered, use a jumper battery, or jumper cables from another vehicle's battery. I don't trust the "memory saver" gadgets that use a 9V battery.
Old 04-24-2019, 07:22 AM
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There are only a handful of companies making batteries so brand isn't the #1 priority. What is? It is freshness. I buy where there is a fast turn around in sales. Dealers and auto parts stores especially will have batteries sitting around for many months before they are sold.Nobody there keeps an eye on keeping them charged, no matter what anyone tells you. For the money, I have bought from Walmart. I rarely see a battery which has sat for very long. They have a date sticker on them.Every battery I have bought from them has given me 5-8 years of reliable service and I always have replaced them before they fail me.They are made by Johnson Controls who is one of the bigger companies out there.
I have found that batteries on their way out, gas more and corrode the terminals badly.
I wouldn't worry about losing memorized information as the computer will relearn fairly quickly and it doesn't take more than a couple minutes to reprogram the radio, why take a chance of shorting something trying to back up the battery.
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Old 04-24-2019, 08:42 AM
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The Battery that came in the truck was a Original FORD battery.
The battery that the dealer put back in was a FORD battery.

I will go to Orielly and get a battery from them

I needed to know if I needed to keep power to the computer.
Old 04-24-2019, 10:41 AM
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No you do not need to keep power to the computer. it'll run a little differently while it relearns your driving style that's all. Radio presets will remain intact as well. What raski said above is absolutely correct. My OEM Motorcraft battery (Johnson Controls) crapped out at less than a year old, I replaced it with a Walmart battery (also Johnson Controls) and it's been kicking for over 5 years now.

Get what you can afford with the best warranty and availability. Orielly's isn't open 24/7 like a lot of Walmarts are, my battery crapped out at 4:45am when I was heading to work, took the wifes truck to Walmart and got it about 5:00am and was only late for work by half an hour.
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Old 04-24-2019, 10:58 AM
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Batteries are made to specifications of the company order them.
That is why some batteries are better.

Walmart's batteries are not well made batteries.
Old 04-24-2019, 11:04 AM
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Originally Posted by cardboard
Batteries are made to specifications of the company order them.
That is why some batteries are better.

Walmart's batteries are not well made batteries.
Malarky.
Old 04-24-2019, 11:52 AM
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Used to work with a boat mechanic.
We had to carry batteries on the truck.
We had bad experiences be with Walmart batteries.

Had a friend working in the automotive department at Wallet World.
Because like me he's retired.
They sold Walmart batteries and installed them all day long.
And they come back all the time.

Check out Walmart's new battery return policy.

Maybe you know more about batteries than we do.


But if
Old 04-24-2019, 04:07 PM
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Originally Posted by cardboard
Used to work with a boat mechanic.
We had to carry batteries on the truck.
We had bad experiences be with Walmart batteries.

Had a friend working in the automotive department at Wallet World.
Because like me he's retired.
They sold Walmart batteries and installed them all day long.
And they come back all the time.

Check out Walmart's new battery return policy.

Maybe you know more about batteries than we do.


But if
What part of my saying "my Walmart battery has been kicking for over 5 years now" did you not understand? For what it's worth I've been a professional automotive mechanic/technician for almost 40 years now and I can tell you one thing is certain, batteries are a crap shoot. You might get one that lasts as long or longer than the one I still use or you might get one that'll pop it's top the next time you try to start the vehicle.

That's why I said get one with the best warranty and availability, Walmart batteries have a 5 year warranty, 3 free and the last 2 prorated.
.

Last edited by RLXXI; 04-24-2019 at 08:18 PM.
Old 04-24-2019, 08:14 PM
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Originally Posted by cardboard
Batteries are made to specifications of the company order them.
That is why some batteries are better.

Walmart's batteries are not well made batteries.
They must be junk, that's why I have bought six Walmart batteries and have gotten 5-8 years out of them. I hope your well made Oreilly battery makes it that far. BTW- make sure the counter guy blows the dust off yours before installing.


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