lifetime of chassis batteries?

[cwdavis]

Our '95 CC Intrigue diesel Class A was 11 years old when we bought it in 2006, so is now pushing 19. We have not replaced the chassis battery, and I don't know whether or not the original owner did. So the battery is either the same age as the coach, or is something more than 8 years old. So far, it hasn't even hiccuped -- the engine starts right off even on chilly mornings.

We'd rather replace it, though, than have be battery fail at an inconvenient moment (when is it EVER convenient to have a battery fail?). Is there anyone out there who knows the typical lifetimes of this type of battery?

[Smitty77]

I'm too in the school of doing reasonable preventative maintenance on my schedule, and most important, location:)!

I'd go ahead and replace the battery. If it's an 8D, I was given a tip to look at CAT 8D batteries, as it had the highest CCA of any 8D that I could find. It's also Maintenance Free. Not the least expensive option, but I figured we'd get 8-10 years out of it, so that little bit of extra for cost upfront, gets spread over several years.

Been in for about 18 months now, and I've never noted any cell outgassing, which I like.

Good luck on your choice,
Smitty

[Ivylog]

My starting batteries (Interstate 31s) we're original (11 years) until last week. This is longer than any battery has ever lasted for me. Because they still tested good I was not going to replace but I was able to work a deal where I could keep them. When I get home they will go in a 24V machine to see how much longer they will last.
OP if it passes a load test and all the cells test close to 13 with a hydrometer I'd keep BUT I have a large house battery bank I can connect if it did not start by it self so I could get some place to replace.

[Golden_HVAC]

Do you have a single 8 D battery for the starter or a pair of them? I am guessing it is a pair of 8 D batteries.

My guess is they will last a really long time, but not the 19 years. They where probably replaced sometime between 8 and 11 years old, making them 8-11 years old now. You can have them do a load test on the battery, and it will give some indication of how they are holding up. .

Fred.