Koenig-Specials 928

Was stored in a friend's heated parking garage. Found the trickle charger working hard but the Optima red top had suffered a stroke after 5 1/2 years. Not bad really.

For the replacement I am not sure if my 89-S4 takes a Group 48 or 49. I've read of the shortened boxes to make room for exhaust on the 86.5 and later models and could not find a truly definitive answer as to which one for mine. The 49's are huge batteries but packs 1000 cold cranks for $150/6 years warranty locally. Would it fit?

Please and thanks

69gaugeman

Don't know about you, but 5.5 years to me is really short when you don't charge discharge much. I wonder if your trickle charger killed it?

My GT had been connected and not started or charged for almost 2 years and I used a smart charger to restore it and I am still using it.

Sorry, but no clue on the size thing.... bigger is better? at least that's what she said.....lol

Imo000

Why on Earth do you want a 1000 CCA battery in a non diesel car?

sstrickstein

I replaced my 1000CCA battery last summer. Batteries no matter the quality don't last here in Arizona more than 2 years.

928 at last

Fred,
Canadian Tire - with a warranty - 10-4800-8
Group 48 in my '90.
CCA doesn't really matter if you're not driving in the winter.

928 at last

Just in case you need three large Swedish guys and a hairy-assed boy to help the starter motor out.....

928 at last

You , I have jumper cables for.......

andy-gts

can a trickle charger with microprocessor that is supposed to not overcharge actually still hurt....I have another car with trickle on all winter and 2 yr old optima that was dead after 2.5 months of maintanence charge this winter?

dr bob

I'm not quite convinced that the maintainers I have do much at all for the battery when it's isolated from the car (no parasitic drains). In winter storage the charge helps keep the battery warm, and the 'smart' ones supposedly fight sulphation. My last battery choked after a couple months with the maintainer on it. Coincidence? Can't tell you. New battery in it now. Isolated. No maintainer. I'll drive it sometime soon I hope.

Alan

Group 48 - don't buy anything else.

Best way to maintain the battery is to drive it everyday.

I would not leave a maintainer charging all the time - if it won't be run for extended periods - fit a battery switch to isolate, charge well with a maintainer for a day or 2 then disconnect and leave it.

Top it up for a day or 2 every ~2-3 months it sits. Gel type AGM batteries can go 9 months to a year between top ups.

Alan

the flyin' scotsman

interesting points of view.........I charge both my 928 batteries separately 2 weeks each but they're in an unheated garage all frigid winter.

SteveG

Alan's procedure is best.

I don't think there is any promise that a trickle charger or maintainer will extend the life of a battery ad infinitum. If milliamps are going in and out, the electrolyte is being used and is deteriorating, period. The advantage is your batt is not dead in 2 weeks.

Note: Chargers and maintainers don't last forever either. Eventually it stops trickling and the batt will drain. Maybe mine was defective, but it died and then the battery died.

Rob Edwards

uncre8tv

I use a maintainer on mine even when driving regularly due to parasitic losses. (even after I cleaned all the grounds, even the real pain in the *** ones.) No detrimental effects yet, but I've only had it on for a short while.

Used a maintainer (same one) on ATVs without issue for years, still have my 2009 batteries in my Sportsmen 500's and they have always worked well on the one week a year we really use them.

Same one again on my Scout that sits outside until the weather finally got to the maintainer. But until the maintainer died it did fine for keeping a charge when I was really abusing the battery (lots of hard starts due to fueling issues, followed by zero drive time to recover. Spaced out weeks at a time just to make it worse.)

Really can't say enough good things about the Battery Tender Jr. (and it's cheap too)

safulop

I used to keep my old 944 outside all winter in Chicago, never started it from November until March. Didn't isolate, didn't charge, didn't maintain. It started right up with a fast crank every March.

Now my S4 will start to crank slowly after 2 weeks sitting (which is actually rare for my daily-use car), which agrees with what people are saying in this thread. Why does the 928 have so many parasitic drains and open circuits?