My 2013 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Diesel has two batteries. They are original and therefore at least 7 years old. My concern is that they die in a most inopportune time.The one battery is in the normal place up top by the fender but the second battery is buried somewhere.I know that I should replace both batteries at the same time as they are a parallel connection.Has anyone replaced there batteries themselves? How complicated is it? Where exactly is the 2nd battery located? I've searched online and cannot find anything on replacing the 2nd battery.My dealer wants $55 replacement fee for each battery plus $169 for each battery. A total of $475 including tax. I understand that the replacement is more difficult for the 2nd battery but is $110 labor fee a bit much?Thanks in advance for your helpDave

dpgllg wrote:My 2013 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Diesel has two batteries. They are original and therefore at least 7 years old. My concern is that they die in a most inopportune time.The one battery is in the normal place up top by the fender but the second battery is buried somewhere.I know that I should replace both batteries at the same time as they are a parallel connection.Has anyone replaced there batteries themselves? How complicated is it? Where exactly is the 2nd battery located? I've searched online and cannot find anything on replacing the 2nd battery.My dealer wants $55 replacement fee for each battery plus $169 for each battery. A total of $475 including tax. I understand that the replacement is more difficult for the 2nd battery but is $110 labor fee a bit much?Thanks in advance for your helpDaveDealers make their money in the service department. $475.00 is less than a monthly payment. Just drink cheap beer for awhile.

Look harder. They're both under the hood. Have to take off a support bracket to get at the passenger side one. You can see it in the rear R corner of the engine bay.If you can lift a battery, you can replace them yourself. $100+ labor to pull n plop 2 batteries? No thanks.

One battery is drivers side near front, other one is on the passengers side back at firewall.To keep from losing settings, you could do one at a time, but put rubber gloves on the hot cable ends to prevent a serious short. The rear battery will require some effort, look it over to see if you want to remove those parts to get it out.See if this video is like yours.Unlike the video, be careful with metal tools while touching battery cables, that socket wrench would be a bad short from the other battery, if it touched metal.

One thing I would suggest is disconnect both batteries before starting the project. I pulled a battery out of my 08 to replace a light bulb. The other side was still hot, I must have touch the connection during removal of the battery and took out the ECM. Costly mistake on my part. It is not worth $55.00. It takes about 20 min tops to RR both batteries. Just watch the connections as you do it.

there must be away you can disconnect both some kind of part you plug in.I,ve seen the after math of a battery explode ain,t pretty.

Battery replacements in 2013 Chevy Silverado 2500 Diesel

stickdog
Explorer
Jun 29, 2020
dpgllg wrote:
My 2013 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Diesel has two batteries. They are original and therefore at least 7 years old. My concern is that they die in a most inopportune time.

The one battery is in the normal place up top by the fender but the second battery is buried somewhere.

I know that I should replace both batteries at the same time as they are a parallel connection.

Has anyone replaced there batteries themselves? How complicated is it? Where exactly is the 2nd battery located? I've searched online and cannot find anything on replacing the 2nd battery.

My dealer wants $55 replacement fee for each battery plus $169 for each battery. A total of $475 including tax. I understand that the replacement is more difficult for the 2nd battery but is $110 labor fee a bit much?

Thanks in advance for your help

Dave

Dealers make their money in the service department. $475.00 is less than a monthly payment. Just drink cheap beer for awhile.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Jun 29, 2020
Look harder. They're both under the hood. Have to take off a support bracket to get at the passenger side one. You can see it in the rear R corner of the engine bay.
If you can lift a battery, you can replace them yourself. $100+ labor to pull n plop 2 batteries? No thanks.
Lynnmor
Explorer
Jun 29, 2020
One battery is drivers side near front, other one is on the passengers side back at firewall.

To keep from losing settings, you could do one at a time, but put rubber gloves on the hot cable ends to prevent a serious short. The rear battery will require some effort, look it over to see if you want to remove those parts to get it out.

See if this video is like yours.

Unlike the video, be careful with metal tools while touching battery cables, that socket wrench would be a bad short from the other battery, if it touched metal.
ksss
Explorer
Jun 29, 2020
One thing I would suggest is disconnect both batteries before starting the project. I pulled a battery out of my 08 to replace a light bulb. The other side was still hot, I must have touch the connection during removal of the battery and took out the ECM. Costly mistake on my part. It is not worth $55.00. It takes about 20 min tops to RR both batteries. Just watch the connections as you do it.
midnightsadie
Explorer II
Jun 29, 2020
there must be away you can disconnect both some kind of part you plug in.I,ve seen the after math of a battery explode ain,t pretty.
Lynnmor
Explorer
Jun 29, 2020
midnightsadie wrote:
there must be away you can disconnect both some kind of part you plug in.I,ve seen the after math of a battery explode ain,t pretty.

Start by removing the negative cable from both batteries. Replace batteries and connect negative cables last. Reset any settings that you lost and let the computers relearn all their things. I do the rubber glove thing to prevent loosing settings. You can buy memory savers that plug into the OBDI port or the lighter if it stays hot.
KD4UPL
Explorer
Jun 30, 2020
Every Advance, Auto Zone, and even the little one man shop battery places install batteries for free. Granted, they must be charging enough for the batteries to cover their efforts but have you checked any of these places?
At 7 years I would replace both of them too. They are both their under the hood. It's not a complex job but you have to be very careful you don't short anything out.
rhagfo
Explorer III
Jun 30, 2020
Wow, both of my Rams have easy to replace batteries. I replaced the set in the
2001 right on the dealers lot. I had an old bike inter tube that I cut to length and slipped over free hot terminal. Replaced one at a time, had mice get to the battery covers in the 2016, had to pull the terminals to replace the covers
dpgllg
Explorer
Jun 30, 2020
KD4UPL wrote:
Every Advance, Auto Zone, and even the little one man shop battery places install batteries for free. Granted, they must be charging enough for the batteries to cover their efforts but have you checked any of these places?
At 7 years I would replace both of them too. They are both their under the hood. It's not a complex job but you have to be very careful you don't short anything out.

OP Here,

I have checked both and because there are two and fender supports need removed they will not replace mine.

Dave
Grit_dog
Navigator
Jun 30, 2020
midnightsadie wrote:
there must be away you can disconnect both some kind of part you plug in.I,ve seen the after math of a battery explode ain,t pretty.

Yup, it’s called unhooking them.....
How on earth would you splode a battery if you touched a hot cable to ground?
I mean unless you had the balls to hold it there? Lol

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Battery replacements in 2013 Chevy Silverado 2500 Diesel

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