[C5] I Need a Battery

[Bob K]

I just went through my 2nd Red Top. Replacement warranty was good until Nov 31. The battery failed on Dec 1. No joke. So I priced a new one and for $159 they can keep it. The car is 7 yrs old and I've gone through 3 batteries and like I said the 2 replacements were the famous Red Top.

I found a battery at Walmart with a 36 month replacement warranty for $79 but I think the CCA was 550. Do you folks think 550 is OK? Thanks.

[navy2kcoupe]

I don't think that will be enuf. Since the later Vettes (C5 and C6) have a bunch of
electronics, they DEMAND a battery with a bunch of Cold Cranking Amps. The vast
majority of the infamous "Service Column Lock" errors are caused by weak (read "Reduced CCA ability")
batteries. Many more symptoms can crop up as well. Without the higher CCA the
voltage drops to unsatisfactory levels during cranking making who knows what errors appear.
Save yourself some headaches in the future and get a battery that meets or exceeds
GM's recommendation for CCA's. Just my 2 cents worth........I'm sure that someone else
(Junkie???) will have something to say on this issue as well.
Andy

[Bob K]

Thanks Andy. Do you know what 'spec' is? I did a search on Google and you're famous. Found a post of yours on CF from 2006. Subject was batteries.

[Bob K]

I found the spec Andy. Thanks for your help.

[mickeystoysz16]

I had the same problem when I first got my C5. I replaced mine with a Sears Die Hard Gold with 700 CCA. I did not drive much over the summer due to my work schedule but after about a two months I had a dead brand new battery. You may want to look at getting a battery tender. Without it I had to jump start my new battery twice. Since I bought the battery tender the car starts every time.

[navy2kcoupe]

C5's will drain the battery in less than a month. Seems to me that there are
just about 3 things you can do. 1. Disconnect the battery if it's gonna be sitting
for over a week. (I do this every time I leave Florida for Massachusetts and haven't
had any problems), 2. Get a quality battery tender, and 3. DRIVE IT more
than once every 2 weeks! My personal favorite is #3, but
driving it from 1400 miles away is just a little difficult. I've even had friends volunteer
to drive it for me while I'm in Massachusetts, but so far I haven't taken them up on it!
Andy

Originally Posted by mickeystoysz16

I had the same problem when I first got my C5. I replaced mine with a Sears Die Hard Gold with 700 CCA. I did not drive much over the summer due to my work schedule but after about a two months I had a dead brand new battery. You may want to look at getting a battery tender. Without it I had to jump start my new battery twice. Since I bought the battery tender the car starts every time.

[Bob K]

I bought the Walmart with a 36 month replacement. 550 CCA. Please don't disown me but at double the cost the Red Top doesn't last either. I hope this sucker fails every two years.

[fletcher4u]

With all of the parasitic draw on the battery it doesn't matter what you put in it , it will only stay up 1-2 weeks. The modules in that car do go into a sleep mode but still require power to retain memory. So what I'm saying is buy a tender save a battery or drive it like you stole it.

[Bob K]

Originally Posted by fletcher4u

With all of the parasitic draw on the battery it doesn't matter what you put in it , it will only stay up 1-2 weeks. The modules in that car do go into a sleep mode but still require power to retain memory. So what I'm saying is buy a tender save a battery or drive it like you stole it.

I drive mine at least once a week. The Red Top had a bad cell. Like Andy, I have let it set over 6 months but I pull the ground and have never had a issue when I hooked it back up.

[Rich427]

I run a Battery Tender Jr on each of my Vettes. It keeps the battery strong, they are compact, and they cost lest than $30. Just do a Google search for Battery Tender Jr. and you will find vendors on line selling them for about $25 - $27.

Works for me!