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Battery Replacement Options

161K views 173 replies 75 participants last post by  BrettRGM 
#1 ·
My Panasonic was 5 1/2 years old and I just started to notice it cranking a little slower than it used to so decided to get a new one. Took a look through the forum and did a little research on what's out there. Hope this helps someone out.

I don't think there's any doubt this is the ultimate upgrade.
The DieHard Platinum PM-1 However at almost $300, it's a bit on the pricey side and since it's larger than the stocker, it requires at least a little modification to get it in and hook it up. It'll fit but it would put another 25 lbs on the front driver's side of the FJ which I don't need. I seriously thought about relocating the battery to the passenger side rear of the engine compartment and using this one though.

Also thought about the DieHard Platinum P-5 (Group 35) which fits right in and has about the same CCA as the stock Group 27F. However, it's a smaller battery than the stock one and the reserve capacity is only 100 minutes. Maybe not the best choice to use with a winch.

Optima makes a Red Top in Group 35 which is probably worth considering. They also make a Yellow Top in Group 35 but the CCA is a little lower than stock. Here's the link to their battery selector which is about the best way I can figure out to give a link to their site. These and the Platinum P-5 are right around $200 but the real turn-off for me was the lack of reserve capacity. They're probably great for a rig without a winch.

After thinking about it for a while I haven't had any problems with the Panasonic conventional wet cell so why not see what's out there for a regular old Group 27F replacement battery?

Believe it or not, as far as specs go, one of the better options may be the Duralast Gold Group 27F from Autozone. Same CCA as stock (710) and 165 minutes of reserve put it only 40 minutes behind the DieHard PM-1 and at 1/3 the price. The fairly low CCA and high reserve capacity suggest this battery is a little more of a deep-cycle design which should be a good thing for use with a winch. I'd be trying one of these out right now if my local Autozone had one in stock. I know there are probably plenty of haters out there who will say these batteries are junk but it has a 3 year free replacement warranty - same as Optima and the price is only $95.

What I ended up with is a DieHard Gold Group 27F. Specs on it are 750 CCA and 140 minutes of reserve so it's more of a starting battery than the Duralast. It still has a lot more reserve than the Platinum Group 35 though. This one also has a 3 year free replacement warranty so at $105 I figured it's worth a try. It's actually about 1/2" taller than the Panasonic but still fits fine with the stock holddowns.
 
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#3 ·
That looks like the DieHard PM-1 I listed as my first choice. They're $279 now. Looks like a great battery. The one thread I found on it made it look like you couldn't reach the stock cables to the posts. If you can, it makes this one a little better choice I think. Did you put in a new tray? Another thing that worried me about this one was a third of it being unsupported and no room to put a rigid tray in there to hold it.
 
#7 ·
I have the Odyssey 34/78 P1500 (backup) and the Diehard P-5 (Main)

Both work great
 
#15 ·
Umh Kemosabe, Where get sale/coupon? Me want.
 
#14 ·
Yes, I'd do it all over again, unless I got sponsored by Odyssey :bigthumb:

Sears PM1 is on sale right now at $223 plus tax, just ordered one for store pick up:clap:

:bigthumb:

Want to know what those smaller cables are that attach to the wing nuts. Is that a mod? Do I need more parts to do that? What if I don't hook up to those at all and use only the posts?

Thanks for any help!
I wondered about those too.
Those are the feeds to my Blue Seas auxiliary fuse box. You don't need to use those extra screw down terminals. Since the PM-1 is primarily a deep cycle marine battery, the manufacturer adds those extra terminals so you can easily attach additional items like fish finders/electric trolling motors etc.

I got one of the PM-1's on sale a few months ago. On my FJ, the negative connection wouldn't quite reach the battery post. It was only about 1/4" too short so I took a dremel tool and elongated the bolt hole on the connector that goes to the fender. That made it work.
Just an update on my original post. The DieHard Gold I got worked ok but it seemed a little weak right from the beginning. The voltage on it was always a little low even after a nice long drive so I think it probably had a weak cell. Should've gone with the PM-1 from the start. It's awesome.[/QUOTE]

I ended up having to replace that short piece of negative wire. Can you get a replacement battery under warranty?
 
#11 ·
Sears PM1 is on sale right now at $223 plus tax, just ordered one for store pick up:clap:

Want to know what those smaller cables are that attach to the wing nuts. Is that a mod? Do I need more parts to do that? What if I don't hook up to those at all and use only the posts?

Thanks for any help!
 
#13 ·
I got one of the PM-1's on sale a few months ago. On my FJ, the negative connection wouldn't quite reach the battery post. It was only about 1/4" too short so I took a dremel tool and elongated the bolt hole on the connector that goes to the fender. That made it work.

Just an update on my original post. The DieHard Gold I got worked ok but it seemed a little weak right from the beginning. The voltage on it was always a little low even after a nice long drive so I think it probably had a weak cell. Should've gone with the PM-1 from the start. It's awesome.
 
#27 ·
Why didn't anybody get get another stock Panasonc battery (cost, performance, availability)?
 
#28 ·


Batteries plus X2 power battery, equal to the oddesy 2150 with dual post. It has a 4 year free replacement warranty. The screw terminal only battery has a 5 year 0 cost replacement. I paid 320$ out the door. It cranks my fjs motor over at -10 like its 75 degrees out.
 
#31 ·
#34 ·
Bump...Great post brianh, it did help me out. The oem panasonic is starting to get weak after 7 years. My batteryminder is telling me I think I can, I think I can...lol. I leaning towards what sand man got at the end of this thread. AutoZone duralast platinum (agm). Looks like a good bang for the buck and they're right down the road from me. :cheers:
 
#35 ·
Bumpity...... Need to replace my battery before heading up to the summit. Which one should I buy? I have a winch and lights, and I want it to fit in the battery tray without modifications. Years back optima yellow top was all the jazz, is that still a big deal?
 
#39 ·
Senor Buckwheat, I hear you but after the lowest price online retailer sent me the wrong Odyssey battery (not reverse terminal version) I decided to pay $50 more and went straight to the source...Odyssey. They got it right the first time and it was a fresh one too! The truck turns over much faster now. :bigthumb:
 
#41 ·
That's why I got mine from 4 Wheels. I called their price match phone number but gave them the wrong battery model. When I got it and realized it was the wrong one, I was then able to exchange at their brick and mortar store for the same low cost.
 
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