engine and drivetrain Best battery?

[carnellm]

With the cold weather my car's battery gave up. It is still in the engine compartment and is currently a 26 5N. Wal-Mart special. Since I am not planning to relocate the battery, any advice on the best one to get? Or should I just go to Autozone and get whatever is cheap?

Thanks!

[BLUNT]

you dont mention any huge stereo or anything. if it were me and i had it up front id get another walmart wonder. especially since youre in SC and cold down there isnt really cold. my guess is walmart batteries are probably made by excide or the like

[carnellm]

Hey! It got real cold last nigh. Down to 29. I think I am going to move further south.

At this point though, no stereo at all. So just lights, no fogs yet, and starting. Don't need much power at all.

[eastsidebimmer]

I have this one--about $80 at the dealer and you get a good/charge/replace multicolor sightglass on top....(good for 7HP gain)

BMW BATTERY FOR ALL 2002'S

PART NUMBER 61.21.7.567.181

[carnellm]

That glass would be cool. I haven't had a battery with one of those in decades!

[Otis]

The "best" batteries are Batcaps. But they are overkill for your application; you simply need cranking power. Nevertheless, I'm posting the Batcap link here, admittedly for no other purpose than this: the Gallery includes some great shots of hot babes in skimply bikinis. Now you folks know why Otis and I like to hang out with the car-stereo crowd. Enjoy.

www.batcap.net

[carnellm]

Babes and bikinis? Works for me.

Unfortunately the battery didn't. Got one, put it in. And nothing still. No crank, no click, no horn, nothing. Starting to clean all connections. What else could it be that it would just quit? All was fine and then nada.

[Guest Anonymous]

No click, no horn with good battery?? possibly of blown fuse???

[carnellm]

All fuses are replaced and new. Weird thing is that it began to start yesterday and then suddenly stopped. After that, nothing. When I put the new battery in and turned the key the warning lights came on for a second but then went off. And then nothing. And still nothing. Just the deafening silence of a car that doesn't breath.

[ingraham]

with a long free replacement period.

BCI size code 26 (actually 26R) is the size for a tii, and it's slightly smaller than a 2002 battery. 42 is the correct size for a 2002.

Probably the BMW battery will fit the car's hold-down clamp better than an aftermarket battery (eastsidebimmer?). The price isn't all that bad.

Interstate is a decent brand, and they will have your size.

If I were in your shoes, I'd get an Optima sealed battery.

[jetboy]

possibly your ignition switch - i havnt torn a 02 one down yet, but if its anything like a vw from the same era, it has 2 little springs a plate which spins to make the connection - on mine the spring was just old, got caught and snapped-- just had to get in there and replace-

or you can just wire a push button! get a wiring diagram out and you can hotwire bypass your ignition switch and see if it starts that way.

[jrhiddle]

It sounds like a ground wire issue. Do the headlights work? Make sure you have a good ground to both block and chassis before buying a new battery.

[carnellm]

I thought about the ignition switch. What's weird though is there is no power to anything. Even the normal ignition-off stuff. And, of course, like a fool I didn't take my electrical test stuff with me to work on the car. It is sitting at my office. I figured it was just the battery and didn't take all my normal diagnostic stuff and tool.

Guess there is always the very off hand chance that the new battery is bad. Unlikely, but possible.

I did end up going with a 26 instead of a 42 since that was what was in there. Very close to the same amps and such.

Guess I will spend tomorrow's lunch time trying to figure out what is going on. Just plain odd actually.

[carnellm]

I am thinking the grounds too - I have started cleaning them. I need to get the one on the block though. May also replace the battery terminals themselves. They are quite old and have started to crystalize.

[Mike Self]

and fits better. I gave up on 42s when late model Rabbits in junkyards with OEM batterys started to disappear.

I'd stick with a 26R (the R means the posts are reversed from a regular Group 26)

mike