That Battery Bug

[Stan The Man]

The incidence of Batteries Leaking from the Terminals seems to have died down. Was there ever an official response to this problem? Did anyone ever conduct a Poll in an attempt to determine which brand/batch number or whatever was the root cause?

The brands of suitable batteries, available in the UK are very limited. That is unless someone can tell me different? Although I do not appear to have a problem at the moment I really would not like to risk potential damage for the sake of a battery replacement.

As the problem appeared to centre on Delco I would have thought, given the severe and expensive damage some have suffered, they would have been brought to book.

Any news, views or updates?

 

[C5NGAGE]

What a pretty car, for sure check to see if your battery is a jell type filled unit. From my understanding this is the prefered type. For the reason that the pin holes around the positive post will not leak the jell acid contents as readily as the conventional liquid/watery type acid. Optima has been promoted by many owners and has been installed as a preventative measure. My 98 Battery puked acid all over my frame, cables and PCM at 65,000 and it was on me to get it fixed. Even with the 75,000 GMPP the battery is NOT covered. At 80,000 I pulled the replacement battery for an inspection, to find a very rusted frame and corroded harness. Now GM/Chevy tells me to go to AC Delco as they have their own warranty capability.
Be careful and think prevention.

 

[dmrodco]

Battery mat

mid america and ecklers sell a mat that you put under your battery to absorb any leaking acid. Sure would be cheap insurance.

 

[C5NGAGE]

Battery Mat

Very good input, do it.

 

[Stan The Man]

I have located sources of supply for Optima Batteries here in the UK, getting them to respond is rather more difficult. I will be making a change [hopefully to Optima] before long.

My prime interest in this saga is what is the REAL cause of the failures?

The most popular theory is over tightening of the terminal screw/bolt, but given the small, by design, size of the head which tends to ‘round’ very easily leaves some room for doubt especially given the large numbers concerned.

Another possible cause could be that illustrated in an SUV thread, the address of which I have misplaced, suggesting that a raised lip on one connecting face becomes flattened after first use. It goes on to suggest that on re-use the terminal bolt bottoms out before the cable termination is tightly clamped. The resulting poor connection gives rise to over heating of the terminal post which weakens the bond to the battery casing. If anyone has this link I would be most grateful if you would post it here.

Fishing for clues I found the following link, which may be of interest to those who have experienced actual leakage/damage:

Battery Lawsuit

I followed this with a view to resolving the cause issue, but do not have any case to pursue in this respect at the moment.

Stan

 

[99WhiteC5Coupe]

Stan The Man,

The original Delco battery in my 1999 C5 coupe (purchased new) leaked acid, causing considerable damage.

The cause was poor quality and reliability of the Delco battery. Many Delco batterys leaked in 1998 - 2000, and not just in the Corvette. The acid leak just causes significant damage due to the poor engineery design and placement of the battery. The C5 design team placed critical vehicle components below the battery. Most of the damage potential could be avoided with the installation of a simple plastic shield. Chevrolet has been aware of this problem and has chosen to ignore it.

Delco used to be a quality battery. Their quality control and engineering dropped and many Corvette owners suffered because of it.

 

[Oldvetter]

The DELCO battery in my 1995 Pontiac Bonneville leaked acid.

I have replaced my C5 battery with a Champion XLT (an AGM battery) bought at SAMS Club for $95. It's size DT35 with 690 CCA and 850 CA, which is more than OEM. It's warrenteed for 108 months with 36 months free replacement and jump start. Cheap insurance and peace of mind !

 

[vetu4ya]

The AC Delco on my '99 C5 also leaked. There are countless incidents and protests detailing this problem on the web.

 

[tankman]

The battery on my '98 gave up the ghost this fall. It went from operating perfectly to being so dead it wouldn't accept a charge with 2-3 weeks of idleness??? What gives??
***Also, anyone know how to retrieve a lost socket that fell past the battery tray while tightening the hold down nut???

 

[vetu4ya]

I had the same thing. Got at it from underneath. Turn the wheels to the left and remove some of the the plastic wheelhouse cover screws behind the passenger side wheel you should be able to move the cocer enough to see the lost tool. LOL

 

[Stan The Man]

As an alternative to access your lost socket, you could remove the battery and battery tray.

Another route would be to remove the battery then try to locate the socket using a torch. Use a magnetic retrieval tool, with which you could carefully pick up the socket. Take care if you probe for the socket, there are lots of delicate tubes, connectors and electronics below the battery tray.

Good luck,

Stan

 

[Doneboy]

Battery

My 98 has the same Delco battery since it's inception. After reading all of the horror stories, I have changed to the AC Delco 78P7YR AGM(glass mat) battery.
Like you already know, another replacement is the red top Optima.
I do not know if the battery mat underneath would be 100% effective, but it would hedge your bet.

 

[hcolon]

Re: Battery

My 98 has the same Delco battery since it's inception. After reading all of the horror stories, I have changed to the AC Delco 78P7YR AGM(glass mat) battery.
Like you already know, another replacement is the red top Optima.
I do not know if the battery mat underneath would be 100% effective, but it would hedge your bet.

 

[hcolon]

Re: Battery

My 98 has the same Delco battery since it's inception. After reading all of the horror stories, I have changed to the AC Delco 78P7YR AGM(glass mat) battery.
Like you already know, another replacement is the red top Optima.
I do not know if the battery mat underneath would be 100% effective, but it would hedge your bet.

Sorry about that, above. Question. How did you get the ACDelco
78P7YR in your 98. I have a 99 and the battery hold down compartment is only 9 inches, and that battery is almost 11 inches. After calling my dealer, he tells me that I have to use the 75P7YR, which is a smaller battery and has lesss power(550 cca's vs. 800). What don't I know?
Herbie