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Tractor Supply Exide Batteries

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Patrick Stapler

Active Member
Anyone else using them? I purchased one two weeks ago because I thought my other battery was dead. Actually, it was, but so was my alternator. So I replaced that as well. When I brought the TS Exide battery home, I hooked it up to the charger just to check its state. Showed 80%. I thought no biggie, probably just been sitting on the shelf a while. So I charged it for two days on the trickle charge to 100%. Installed it and hooked up the charger to the system. Showed 14.3 volts running and 13.1 not running. All good.

Fast forward to today. Have driven the car at least half a dozen times. Drove to work this morning, left and drove to doctors appointment. Came out one hour later...car would not even turn into over. WTF? Jumped right off. Drove back to work. Left for lunch fired right up. Came out from lunch fired right up. Went back to work. Left to work to pick up kids from school, fired right up. Drove to school turned off for 10 minutes...dead a door nail. WTF? Jumped right off and drove home.

Got home and pulled in garage. Hooked up charger, 14.3 volts. Disconnected negative battery cable...kept running. Reconnected and turned off car. Dead as a door nail, but showed to be at 95% charge and around 12 volts. Put on rapid rate charge for about 10 minutes, fired right up.

Any ideas? Bad battery?
 
Bad ground to the engine block? Bad negative cable? Not tight enough connectors?
 
Possibly heat soak on the starter. When the starter has time to cool down then it cranks. When it is hot it mimics a dead battery. I also ran a ground strap from my starter to chassis ground.
 
Thanks for the replies guys. All new factory wiring from the firewall forward. All connections checked and tight.

If it was a starter issue, why would adding a second power source allow it to crank and start? And I'm only asking because I don't know.
 
I used the ground strap on the starter mounting bolt just to make sure I was always getting a good ground for the starter. I had to go to a mini starter because I was getting heat soak on the stock starter from the headers. The heat soak was making me think I had a bad battery because it would not crank. Not sure if this is your problem but keep it in mind.
 
I just thought of something else to add to this. Last week I noticed my left taillight was out so I swapped the bulb. All good. Today I noticed when I turn on the left turn signal, the cluster light comes and stays solid and the front turn signal nor the taillight flash. Front and rear lights both work with main light switch on. Fog lights and rear lights both work with fog light switch on.

Is it possible the flasher is causing a parasitic drain on the battery?

I'm not opposed to changing the starter. It is literally the only thing in the engine compartment that isn't new and I have no idea how old it is as it came with the car three years ago.
 
Flasher cannot cause a parasitic drain, as it is ACC powered. Not the starter, as you can jumper the battery and start the car when the existing battery cannot. Gotta be the battery/connectors/ground. Take it to AutoZone and have it load tested.
 
Thanks for the clarification on the starter. I’ll double check all connections and wires and take it to see if AZ will load test it for me.
 
Are Exide batteries like Orbital? I have nothing but problems with those Orbital Batteries n went back to lead/acid with a float charger
 
I think I found the turn signal problem. I went out to remove the charger and thought well I haven't actually checked the front flasher bulbs. Driver side bulb is out. I had only checked the main lights previously. Didn't have one, so I'll grab a pack of those today maybe.
 
I don't know who makes Exide Batteries. I have a 25 year old Geoup 24 Autolite new in the box I would like to fill and see if it will charge. Does anyone sell the acid to fill it with see days?
 
Most parts stores have acid if they also sell motorcycle and small implement batteries as those are shipped in dry and have to be filled. O'Reilly's in particular around here filled one for me.
 
So no testing other than my own today. Replaced the front driver turn signal bulb...well actually just reinstalled the one that fell out when I removed the lens. It works now.

Replaced the heater blower fuse...because it was blown. So heater blower works now.

Battery voltage readings at post as follows: Engine OFF
Nothing On: 12.78V
Headlights On: 12.45V
Headlights, Fog Lights On: 12.38V
Headlights, Fog Lights, Heater Blower On: 12.13V

AMP meter hooked in series with battery with nothing ON showed no current flowing on amps or micro-amps settings.

I'll drive it Tuesday and stop by AZ to see if they will load test it for me. Taking the #7 plug to engine builder tomorrow to let him look at it. It's the only one that looks this way after 500 miles. Wondering if this cylinder may be the cause of my misfire above 5000 RPM. It's the third plug and second heat range I have tried.

EA18_B045-50_D1-4_F43-8_FC8-7010981_DF12_E.jpg
 
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