Sl2 Battery Replacement

[saturnsctwo]

Originally Posted by mattelderca

AGM (absorbed glass mat) batteries have their place and are proven technology. IMHO a daily driver is not the place. They do require, contrary to some information, a different charging system than a car can provide. Periodic charging with the appropriate charger is recomended. Others opinions will vary!

Follow Nuc's suggestion and buy by wieght if you really want a good battery.

AGM's are great for jeeps and rock crawlers! They don't leak when you roll over! Oh, and those cheap 1 or 2 watt amorphous solar maintainers are junk. You would need at least a 1 amp/15 watt panel to maintain the average car battery. I use solar panels to power a cottage and a 16 foot electric pontoon boat.

those little 1 watt solar chargers are really for motorcycles. i have one of these on my bike in a window & it charges my battery all winter & the bike starts right up months later. cars use a larger panel like a 5 watt. these prevent the natural daily discharge & accessory discharge of automotive batteries. they do work, but won't charge a dead battery.....

[trampled1]

I worked in battery shops as whell as auto shops. I have personally walked through a Johnson Controls on many occasions. This location makes many brands of batteries from some Motocraft, Delco, and Napa along with other cases that I cannot remember. I know exide makes it's own as well as interstate. Crown makes it's own but it is quite over priced. Most of the batteries I see at Walmart, Autozone, Napa others usually are made from the same plant. The higher end models such as the Duralast Gold vrs Valucraft from Autozone have different additives in the led cells to make it cheaper. If you feel like you half too weigh the batteries the weight me be minimal differeance. Optima batteries are, in my opinion not for the daily driver. Sealed batteries are great if they are mounted inside the vehicle or intended to tip (like and off-road rock crawler.) Vented or serviceable batteries are always common. The best advice I have as far as the daily driver aspect of a basic saturn sl (no added amplifier or extra added loads) look for one with the best waranty you can. I have had great luck with Autozone batteries. I have had Valuecraft in my '96 sl with no problems for two years. I know have a '01 sl1 with a standard Duralast. Most higher end waranties have a 5 year waranty (3 year replacemant and a 2 year pro rate.) Places like Napa and Autozone will keep your information of the battery sale on file. Walmart more than likely won't.

[mattwithcats]

Last time I forgot my badge and could not get past the gate,

I just removed the arm, drove past, and replaced the arm.

Only two bolts to loosen, arm slid right out....

[38TransAM]

Here's what I do.

If its made by Exide laugh and walk away.

If its made by Johnson Controls your probably better off.

There are alternatives that are just as good as Autozone anything for the same or cheaper price.

Sorry, I will never recommend anything from a store that is the reason we can select:

crap part = cheapest
maybe ok part = mid range
premium gold plated part = most expensive

[fdryer]

Originally Posted by mattwithcats

Last time I forgot my badge and could not get past the gate,

I just removed the arm, drove past, and replaced the arm.

Only two bolts to loosen, arm slid right out....

Hmmmm, with a location in Portsmouth, Va, do you work for the CIA, FBI or NSA?

[Signmaster]

Originally Posted by fdryer

Hmmmm, with a location in Portsmouth, Va, do you work for the CIA, FBI or NSA?

Could be any of the above. Not to mention most of the active SEAL teams, Marine Corps special ops, Army Intel Groups, Fleet Anti Terrorism Security Teams, and a whole lot more.

I could point out some very intense places on Google earth, including the big shoot houses the guys that whacked Bin Laden often train in. Not that I would, but it's interesting to me to know what lies hidden in plain sight.

We have a couple area around here that are very, very, very secure. The active barriers and M4 armed guards at the gates are the first light layer of security.



Back on topic, I've had well beyond great luck with Autozone batteries, and I just buy the regular red top. Though our climate in this area isn't all that terribly hard on batteries, it's hard to argue with a decade plus of starting power in the S Series. And that includes several periods of only very occasional use, and more than a few times of the car not even being started for months at a time.

IIRC the OEM that shipped in the car died at right about 7 years. So if the Autozone unit fails to start even today when we are down in the teens temp wise, it owes us nothing at all and has been a great value.

[djjsc]

Originally Posted by 38TransAM

If its made by Exide laugh and walk away.

GOOD PLAN! Exide makes batteries for Canadian Tire/PartSource. All PcsOS. One of our work trucks went thru 3 of them in 16 months. PS refused to warrant the last one; saying, "You've got charging issues". Once the dealership OK'd the ENTIRE electrical system (at considerable expense) I went back to PS w/ all kinds of documentation & DEMANDED a refund (truck now had a new OEM replacement). Tore a strip off the (dumbass) counter person & store manager before they FINALLY understood the meaning of "3 yr FREE replacement" warranty. Exide = Black Death in the battery universe.

[Spartacus2525]

In shopping for batteries in 2023, I would look hard at AC Delco 75VPG battery. It claims to be a "service free" battery with a 42 month warranty, but is just a traditional lead acid flooded battery with a 95 minute reserve capacity, CA of 875, and CCA of 700. It weighs 33.7 lbs. You can find it at your GM dealer, or elsewhere in some parts of the country. Autozone has them in their catalog, but do not sell them in my region (Northern Califormia). IMO, these batteries are a bargain and very aggressively priced, if you live in a region where they are readily available.

The top tier offering from Interstate would be my second choice (MTP-75). It is more expensive than the AC Delco battery with a slightly less generous warranty. The specs look the same at a glance, but weighs 32.4 lbs, more than 1 pound less than the AC Delco top tier battery. It also claims to be a "service free" battery, as if anybody wanted that.

If I wanted to use an AGM battery I would get the Odyssey Performance Series Batteries ODP-AGM75 86. They claim to use pure lead plates, and do not use the spiral cell design that Optima does. These cost over $300, and are dual post, so keep that in mind. I personally prefer old fashioned flooded lead acid batteries for cost reasons.

[TomM96]

Just to add that since 2009, in my two DOHC Saturns, I've had to replace
(1) Delphi; (1) Exide; and (1) Autozone gold ... each within a couple years
due to miscellaneous failure modes.

Years ago (mid '80s) the proprietor of the local area Interstate dealership
reported that most 'automotive' batteries were really poor quality. He also
noted that at the time, Deka was selling a battery which had quite good capacity, but which lacked adequate space in the casing Beneath the base of the plates to receive debris accumulating from above ... such that those
batteries had a notably curtailed service life, since the debris would soon short the plates above.

I think Signmaster is the prudent one, because he maintains the insulating case surrounding his battery in the HOT Satty engine compartment... which extends
the service interval significantly.

[onlinebilerv2.0]

In over 20 years of use in almost 2 dozen S Series ( twin cams) all we have ever used is Walmart type 75 batteries - the cheapest side post.

This includes many sub zero morning starts - with zero battery issues.

They simply are not that hard to start.

[Signmaster]

Kept in proper tune, an S Series cars takes very little power to start. In a bind, a decent sized person might be able to push start it by themselves.

I had a freakish battery Autozone red top that lasted 16 1/years in our SL1. I'm not sure how much the factory battery cover helped, but it sure didn't hurt it!

[Waiex191]

Originally Posted by Signmaster

In a bind, a decent sized person might be able to push start it by themselves.

I've done it more than once! I'm not even decent sized.

[Signmaster]

Originally Posted by Waiex191

I've done it more than once! I'm not even decent sized.

I assumed I could do it, but never had to. I was sure I could push it quick enough, just unsure how quick I could hop in, grab 2nd gear, and dump the clutch. With a not so great back, that would have been the hard part.

[billr]

It is fairly easy for one person to push-start one in 2nd or 3rd; but I had to do it once in R, with the door in "suicide" mode! Was in my mid-60's at the time. Fortunately, it was a starter failure so I had good power for the fuel and ignition; it fired on just a stroke or two.

[Waiex191]

I always bump start in first or reverse, depending on which way I need to move from where I parked. Reverse is definitely trickier due to the door. You only need the slightest incline in your favor to make it really easy!

[onlinebilerv2.0]

I once started an SC2 with the jack, 2 concrete blocks and 3 foot long 2x4s.....

[mattwithcats]

Replaced the battery in September 2023
with a Duralast Gold, dated May 23…

Was DOA this morning, not even the dome light would come on..

Faulted twice on the battery charger..

AutoZone gave me a fresh August 2023 with no hassle, free

On the charger now,
I replaced the top bolt on the battery hold down with a wing nut…

Next up is an oil and tranny fluid change…

[dummo]

The batteries from Walmart receive a Consumer Reports Best Buy award. I read that on the card hanging on the shelf in front of them. The price is right and they have good warrantees. (There are 3 levels in price and warranty).

CD793572-4CA6-47CF-8C34-E9E2EB6A5A9C.jpg

[onlinebilerv2.0]

I have nothing but good to say about Walmart' s cheapie type 75 batteries.

All our Saturns run them - as does our Sebring convertible. We also have 12 of them in a rack coupledto a 150 watt solar panel ( keeps them charged) and a 2 kw inverter - which is our go-to for power outages.

To date - I have replaced 2. One with stripped battery connector threads - and one from being ran flat. (Parking lights left on).

You can' t trick me into buying a " better" battery....