Help! C6 Battery Replacement

[Luiparra]

Purchased my 2008 base coupe last July. I had some weakening battery issues and found the terminals were dirty. Cleaned them about 3 months ago and fine afterwards. While doing this found this battery has top posts, not the side terminals as I think it should, but OK.
Now the battery has given up and time for replacement. I am hesitant wether I should buy a Delco replacement at the dealer, or Sears Die Hard 34 R. Does anyone know what would be the best choice for best crancking power and storage capacity? I also want to keep the price down, I don't drive the car that much. Thanks for any info to make me decide pronto!:confused

 

[Toms007]

First off a Welcome to due! You will find a host of knowledgeable people here. Not knowing the 6th generation cars that well, but I do know that these cars are very susceptible to electronic problems. I would say this: Make certain that the replacement battery meets all the specifications of the OE battery. And have the terminals tightened to the required spec (11 lb feet on a C5 battery, not sure if C6 are the same). Our resident expert, C4C5specialist did a seminar on just this topic (more aimed at the C5) at our Cruisefest in 2010.

VetteTube - Corvette Video: World Class Technician, Paul Koerner, discusses C5 Column Lock

VetteTube - Corvette Video: Paul debunks the Column lock issue

 

[Luiparra]

Battery replacement, C6

Thanks for your reply, however it didnt tell me much about what choices I have other than dealer.
Does anyone out there have ever replaced a battery on a C6? Im new at this site and haven't quite figured out how to surf through it and find the needle in the haystack:L
Luis

First off a Welcome to due! You will find a host of knowledgeable people here. Not knowing the 6th generation cars that well, but I do know that these cars are very susceptible to electronic problems. I would say this: Make certain that the replacement battery meets all the specifications of the OE battery. And have the terminals tightened to the required spec (11 lb feet on a C5 battery, not sure if C6 are the same). Our resident expert, C4C5specialist did a seminar on just this topic (more aimed at the C5) at our Cruisefest in 2010.

VetteTube - Corvette Video: World Class Technician, Paul Koerner, discusses C5 Column Lock

VetteTube - Corvette Video: Paul debunks the Column lock issue

 

[LLC5]

Purchased my 2008 base coupe last July. I had some weakening battery issues and found the terminals were dirty. Cleaned them about 3 months ago and fine afterwards. While doing this found this battery has top posts, not the side terminals as I think it should, but OK.
Now the battery has given up and time for replacement. I am hesitant wether I should buy a Delco replacement at the dealer, or Sears Die Hard 34 R. Does anyone know what would be the best choice for best crancking power and storage capacity? I also want to keep the price down, I don't drive the car that much. Thanks for any info to make me decide pronto!:confused

Battery's are expensive now days, so expect to pay some money for a good one. You should be looking for a minimum 500 CCA and a 90-120 RC rated battery. The best battery's will have the longest FREE replacement (forget about pro-rated warranties as it is worthless) warranty's. Good luck with it.

 

[jhecox]

I can't help you with the battery. I haven't had to replace the battery in either of my '07's yet.


Welcome to the

 

[Luiparra]

C6 Battery replacement

Battery's are expensive now days, so expect to pay some money for a good one. You should be looking for a minimum 500 CCA and a 90-120 RC rated battery. The best battery's will have the longest FREE replacement (forget about pro-rated warranties as it is worthless) warranty's. Good luck with it.

Thanks LLC5, I ended up replacing the battery at the dealer today for $165.00 installed. After all, it is what came from factory. In my opinion, it cannot be underrated as I have read on some postings, if it is, there would have been a recall or service bulletin to bring it back to the dealer and replace it.
There is a market for everything of course, more cranking power and storage capacity is undeniably better, but for now, and for amount of mileage I put on this vehicle, the AC Delco, will do.

 

[Luiparra]

No replacement? still factory?

I can't help you with the battery. I haven't had to replace the battery in either of my '07's yet.


Welcome to the

Wow, I didn't know batteries could last that long on such an amp-hungry vehicle like ours. Do you do a lot of highway driving?

 

[Huskerman]

I think that was a good chhoice....I know when I have to replace mine I will go with what came in it. You can get Delco at other places who may be cheaper then the dealer.......

 

[WhalePirot]

You should consider a battery maintainer if you don't drive it too much. The electronic circuits drain any new car constantly, so either drive it more or plug 'er in.

Welcome to the site. << this is what we Vette guys do: wave to each other, in the real world!

 

[Luiparra]

Battery maintainer?

You should consider a battery maintainer if you don't drive it too much. The electronic circuits drain any new car constantly, so either drive it more or plug 'er in.

Welcome to the site. << this is what we Vette guys do: wave to each other, in the real world!

I have no idea of what it is. Do I need to remove the battery? or disconnect it from the terminals?
and hook it up to this device? Please explain. I appreciate the hint very much and Thank you in advance!

 

[Antz81]

I have no idea of what it is. Do I need to remove the battery? or disconnect it from the terminals?
and hook it up to this device? Please explain. I appreciate the hint very much and Thank you in advance!

A battery maintainer keeps the battery charged when you're not driving the car, and prevents wear on the battery from being drained when sitting for long periods. Just attach it to the terminals as they are.

 

[LLC5]

I have no idea of what it is. Do I need to remove the battery? or disconnect it from the terminals?
and hook it up to this device? Please explain. I appreciate the hint very much and Thank you in advance!

A battery tender/maintainer is a electronic device that constantly monitors your battery and keeps it fully charged, it will charge the battery and then go into a "float" mode until the voltage drops enough to charge it again, repeating the cycles over and over. The reason to keep a battery fully charged as much as possible is to deter internal battery sulfation (a kind of corrosion on the battery plates), which happens when battery voltage is low. Even a battery that is just sitting on a shelf with nothing hooked up to it will self discharge, and eventually sulfation will occur internally and ruin the battery. To hook up a tender you need to plug it into 110V's and hook it up to the vehicle battery with the supplied eyelets, or the clamps supplied, or even the cigarette lighter adapter some tenders/maintainers come with if your lighter/accessories port works with the key off, which it may not. The whole idea is to keep the battery fully charged as much as possible, and driving the vehicle regularly will accomplish the same task. Good luck with it.

 

[Alex_Mx]

OPTIMA® Batteries 8020-164 35 REDTOP® Starting Battery | OPTIMABATTERIES

$199.99

I have this battery in my 2007 corvette and its the best battery i ever had !

 

[Luiparra]

A battery tender/maintainer is a electronic device that constantly monitors your battery and keeps it fully charged, it will charge the battery and then go into a "float" mode until the voltage drops enough to charge it again, repeating the cycles over and over. The reason to keep a battery fully charged as much as possible is to deter internal battery sulfation (a kind of corrosion on the battery plates), which happens when battery voltage is low. Even a battery that is just sitting on a shelf with nothing hooked up to it will self discharge, and eventually sulfation will occur internally and ruin the battery. To hook up a tender you need to plug it into 110V's and hook it up to the vehicle battery with the supplied eyelets, or the clamps supplied, or even the cigarette lighter adapter some tenders/maintainers come with if your lighter/accessories port works with the key off, which it may not. The whole idea is to keep the battery fully charged as much as possible, and driving the vehicle regularly will accomplish the same task. Good luck with it.

OK, so this is the same device is called a "Battery Charger" Is it not? If it is, I got one of those in my garage, which has a switch for 6/12 V and Slow or Rapid Charge, but I only use it when the battery is low or discharged. I didn't know they also called them "Battery Maintainer" or "BatteryTender". Or is it a different device? Sorry about this, the different terminologies of a particular device makes you think that is a different animal. I truly apologize for my slowness. Certainly a good thing to have in any garage. Thank you!

 

[Luiparra]

Will keep in mind for next battery

OPTIMA® Batteries 8020-164 35 REDTOP® Starting Battery | OPTIMABATTERIES

$199.99

I have this battery in my 2007 corvette and its the best battery i ever had !

Thanks for the hint. I have already replaced the battery with a factory Delco, so I will have to wait for next time.:thanks:

 

[Toms007]

OK, so this is the same device is called a "Battery Charger" Is it not? If it is, I got one of those in my garage, which has a switch for 6/12 V and Slow or Rapid Charge, but I only use it when the battery is low or discharged. I didn't know they also called them "Battery Maintainer" or "BatteryTender". Or is it a different device? Sorry about this, the different terminologies of a particular device makes you think that is a different animal. I truly apologize for my slowness. Certainly a good thing to have in any garage. Thank you!

Not exactly a battery charger, those tend to put a lot of juice without regards to how low the battery is. Battery tenders ot Maintainers are more trickle charge and the good ones have special circuitry to keep from cooking the battery.

This is the one I have. But there are other good ones out there.

http://batterytender.com/?gclid=CKez_KiHhrwCFU9p7AodsgsAvw

This one is supposed to be a good one too.

CTEK Battery Chargers - The World's Smarter Battery Charger

 

[LLC5]

OK, so this is the same device is called a "Battery Charger" Is it not? If it is, I got one of those in my garage, which has a switch for 6/12 V and Slow or Rapid Charge, but I only use it when the battery is low or discharged. I didn't know they also called them "Battery Maintainer" or "BatteryTender". Or is it a different device? Sorry about this, the different terminologies of a particular device makes you think that is a different animal. I truly apologize for my slowness. Certainly a good thing to have in any garage. Thank you!

No, it is not a normal "battery charger" but it does keep the battery fully charged and does indeed charge the battery when it cycles on but only at about .5-1.0 amps depending on the maintainer. It is not meant to charge a discharged battery like a normal battery charger can. The battery charger you have is not a maintainer/tender and can over charge the battery if you do not constantly monitor it, which is dangerous and can also destroy the battery. The maintainer/tender is a low amperage charger with a circuit board to control the unit to shut itself off completely (storage mode, and there will be a light to show it is in storage mode), which lets the battery self discharge a little then turn itself back on to charge it up again. It constantly cycles between charging, storage, and charging again. They are nice units to have because they cannot over charge your battery and damage it, and you just leave it plugged in when not using the vehicle and let it do it's thing. But keep in mind that it is always hooked up to the battery when you are not there, so purchasing a quality unit is very important. Good luck with it.

 

[JJS]

No, it is not the same as a battery charger, although there are some chargers out there that work like the tender where they shut down until the voltage on the battery gets to a point where they will turn back on.

You can get a good tender for about $80.00, or you can go to your local GM dealership and pay $100-120.

 

[Luiparra]

Battery Tender Shall be and Thank You All!

After replacing the battery as previously reported, located a basic Battery Tender device at the local Walmart Store for $23.00. If it is cheaper or more expensive at the Auto Parts stores or other dept stores, Oh Well! This Walmart is very convenient to my local trips as is with my town's Home Depot. These are the two places where I spend lots of time for not saying money, Ha ! Ha! :L
I really appreciate all your replies with excellent leads and recommendations, this is a great web site for the Corvette owner and enthusiast and I am very glad I joined. I am working on my next thread, is something I have noticed every time I fill her up and park it in the garage, but let me do a little more preliminary investigation and I will write the new thread regardless if I find the cause or not. We all can learn something, all the time, every time as "we never stop learning".
Thanks again Guys!!!

 

[Toms007]

Yea, I noticed our Wallyworld had "Battery Tenders" on the shelf. Didn't look at the price as it was probably less than what I paid for mine (story of my life ). As for your other problem, let me guess you can smell gas fumes?