Batteries??!

[DuceAnAHalf]

Interesting! Is this with a stock starter or a high-torque unit?

the 306 has a factory hi-torque, ive got a powermaster hi torque

[86GmLsCoupe]

Hmm I have another question for you guys now. Isn't the orginal equipment battery around 500 sumthing CCA? So why did you guys choose to go with such a heavy duty battery?

From my experience with all the powered accessories on my car like all the lighting, pwr seats, pwr windows, electricity whore rear defroster, and so on. It seemed like the output definitely didn't meet the demand in the case of the battery and the 2g alt. Upgrading both will eliminate the constant dimming and flickering you get. I think the larger battery complements the 3g well, and increases overall reliability. The Deka battery I have now has 930 CCA.

[91waggin]

Hmm I have another question for you guys now. Isn't the orginal equipment battery around 500 sumthing CCA? So why did you guys choose to go with such a heavy duty battery?

It was the one that Costco recommended for my particular vehicle. Several different manuals for different cars I've come across say that you should generally consider replacing a battery (especially if it's pretty old) with one that has a higher rating. 20-30 year old wiring often has higher resistance than newer wiring, and bigger batteries can often help overcome that resistance.

[LTDMan83]

Side Terminal batteries= teh suck

Anyone care to explain why side terminal batteries Blow?

All the STB's I have experience with, the terminals corrode about 10X slower than the regular top terminal batteries.

[91waggin]

All the STB's I have experience with, the terminals corrode about 10X slower than the regular top terminal batteries.

Huh. I did not know this, but I work on few STB cars. Anybody wanna hazard a guess as to why?

[1987cp]

Good info! Almost makes a person want to consider swapping to side-terminal battery cables (my DieHard has both sets of terminals, though the Interstate does not).

[gadget73]

I *hate* side terminal batteries. Ever try and jump start a vehicle withy one? I've also never had any corrosion problems with my top post batteries. Never used any special tricks or those felt washer things or any of that. Its just never been a problem. If for some reason you are having corrosion problems, wash the battery with a water and baking soda solution to neutralize any acid, and the problem goes away.

[1987cp]

Huh .. I shall have to try the baking soda wash. Dashed handy stuff, that. That battery post cleaner spray from the parts stores doesn't seem to do much.

Incidentally, I've had little luck with those felt washers actually preventing corrosion on my junk ... maybe it has something to do with what I buy and where and how I use it.

[Grandmarchris]

Anyone care to explain why side terminal batteries Blow?

All the STB's I have experience with, the terminals corrode about 10X slower than the regular top terminal batteries.

1. They are a bitch to do work/jumpstarts on
2. The bolts get soft and you can round them off easily
3. The actual terminals themselves get soft and can be stripped out easily

[Lincolnmania]

yea internal thread in lead is not a good idea lol

[Grandmarchris]

Just another wonderfull Chevrolet innovation..

[P72Ford]

yea internal thread in lead is not a good idea lol

+1. My brother's Seville has the side terminals; a PITA to put the terminals on, and probably a PITA to jump it. But, as long as you aren't trying to be a he-man when you tighten the terminals down, there shouldn't be an issue.

[LTDMan83]

Never had any of those problems and I've been working with them for years on people's GM products.

I've jumped off STB vehicles many times, nothing hard about it. When it comes to jump starting the STB cars which are tight on space, almost all the cars are made to have the Positive Terminal bolt head accessible even if the negative is hidden,so all you gotta do is attach the Positive to the Post bolt head, and the Negative to any metal Grounding point on or near the engine, and your done, couldn't be any easier.


My cars Eats Positive battery cables at an alarming rate, obviously anybody knows to try the water and baking soda solution to neutralize the acid. Never has worked even once on this car. I go through a positive terminal every 3 months, I've tried it all, it's getting kind of old.

[gadget73]

Sounds like you have other problems. Is the cable itself any good? If you're just putting new ends on the old cable, try replacing the whole thing. They're pretty cheap, its only a foot long. I replaced my original 1986 cable when I did the engine swap in 2005. It was still in OK shape, but I didn't want any problems. DId the ground cable at the same time. End was fine, but I had to cut it to get the engine out, the bolt on the side of the block was stuck and I didn't feel like fighting with it.

[86GmLsCoupe]

My terminals have always been alright. Over the years it's had a little gunk buildup with a few tough starts. The baking soda trick worked whenever it happened. Now, I just use the round metal brush/ battery post cleaner every once and awhile and smear some dielectric grease on them. The newest cables I put on have the protective boot thing at the posts.