[Backcountry Edge]

Backcountry Edge how is the DieHard Platinum working out?
I'm thinking of replacing my OEM with one.

No complaints at all. It starts when I ask it to and I did not have any weak starts throughout last winter which was particularly harsh by PA standards. I don't know that it has justified the additional cost yet but it is hard to put a price on the confidence boost when I am off the beaten path.

 

[catman2130093]

I've read all 19 pages-no one has addressed this...maybe it's the wrong place to ask, but I have my firesuit on so blast away if you must. When replacing the battery, how does one reset the radio for xm? I am a current subscriber,their offshore tech support told me all I had to do was call and ask for a resend signal. I think that's what she said. Thanks!:? (there was lots of echo in addition to her accent)

 

[ramblerdan]

Are you sure the XM will lose its code? The three portable XM receiver models I've had weren't bothered by having the power disconnected. But if it does, then yeah, just call XM and they'll ping the radio.

 

[catman2130093]

Thanks! I assume that it will,since the (factory) radio will have to have the code entered. Techie at XM said she didn't know if the radio will lose it or not.

 

[catman2130093]

Here's the followup-I replaced the battery today-and after I entered the code for the stock radio, the XM was also right where I left it. Yay.:-D

 

[John Gaquin]

The OEM type battery in my E was about 3 yrs old and acting a bit tired. I had also had to jump it a couple of times in the past 6 months after I left an interior light on for just a few hours. I replaced the battery about a month ago with a group 35 from Walmart- 640 cca vs 410 on the oem. A little finagling to make it fit and all was fine. I keep the old one around as a utility 12v source in my shop.

Last night we had some sleet & snow here in Raleigh. Looked out the window about 7am and noticed a 6" round bare spot on the roof, right about where the overhead lights are. This should be interesting, says I. When I got outside, I found I had left the driver's reading light on.(getting old sucks) It had been on for about 12 hours, was still burning brightly, and the car cranked and started with no hesitation at all. This never ever would have happened with the original, even when new!

For any of you E-ple thinking about your battery, go ahead and replace it with the larger size. Put a real battery in there, and stop worrying.

 

[ElementaryEd]

The OEM type battery in my E was about 3 yrs old and acting a bit tired. I had also had to jump it a couple of times in the past 6 months after I left an interior light on for just a few hours. I replaced the battery about a month ago with a group 35 from Walmart- 640 cca vs 410 on the oem. A little finagling to make it fit and all was fine. I keep the old one around as a utility 12v source in my shop.

Last night we had some sleet & snow here in Raleigh. Looked out the window about 7am and noticed a 6" round bare spot on the roof, right about where the overhead lights are. This should be interesting, says I. When I got outside, I found I had left the driver's reading light on.(getting old sucks) It had been on for about 12 hours, was still burning brightly, and the car cranked and started with no hesitation at all. This never ever would have happened with the original, even when new!

For any of you E-ple thinking about your battery, go ahead and replace it with the larger size. Put a real battery in there, and stop worrying.

I may just go ahead and change mine soon. It has always sounded wimpy but now that it is cold out it seems to barely get it cranking in the morning. It's only 2-3 years old but I hate the sound of a slow crank and startup.

 

[chadwulf]

Ok, that was alot of information... I thought the pages were gonna end shortly after 11 but they just kept going...
Guess I'll head to nappa today to have a look at batteries. Mine's not dead but it keeps bloody dieing! It happened the other night while I was parked on the beach letting my dogs out for a run. I left the head lights on for about 7 to 10 minutes without the engine and my E couldn't turn over. I eventually got a friend out and had to charge the battery about 15 mins before it would start. That was the 3 time I've had to jump. (Not counting the time it was slow charged by the dealer, right when I got it actually because they had left the doors open and the interior lights had drained it.)
Seemed kinda unusual for a brand new car...
My E is just under a year old and barely over 21k but I'm tired of this weenie battery!

 

[runbuh]

It's December 2011, and the same Sears Platinum fit just fine in my E after removing the tray. Looking forward to great starting power in the coming winter.

 

[hairball]

New Battery.

Installed the Die Hard P5 yesterday. My stock battery still worked ok but figured sooner or later it was gonna let me down. The battery is on sale for $199.99 right now.
I did everthing the same as backcountry did in post#97 with one difference, after insalling I noticed that the battery was not sitting flat on the metal tray. So I removed the hold downs and slid a 1/2 inch spacer under the battery and after reinstalling the hold downs the battery sits flat and level. I was concerned that leaving the battery sitting half in and half out of the tray could cause the tray to wear through the battery casing due to vibration.
The Element now spins to life way faster than it ever did, the added peace of mind of this stronger battery is well worth the extra cost.

 

[amcmike]

Exactly why this forum rocks. Picked up a Kirkland Group 35 (they didn't have a 56R) from Costco and new hold down bracket from Autozone yesterday. Removed the battery and cover, bent the metal tabs at and angle, and dropped the new one in. Now I won't have to leave my car running just to pump up tires or run my radio for 10 minutes.

Although it peeves me that Honda would put such a small stock battery into a SUV (even if it's a baby SUV).

 

[chem-medic]

Well I bought my 2005 element in July 2005 and I am still using the original battery. Sure I've killed it several times from listening to the radio while waxing the car or similar activities. Ive noticed this winter that the starter spins a little slower on cold mornings and I'm gonna have to buy a new one soon. I also need to buy new tires and a serpentine belt. This will be the most I've spent on the car in one season since I bought it. The element has got to be the best car Ive ever owned.

 

[siclmn]

My 2003 is still strong at 78000 miles. I don't know why all you guys hate your batteries. When this one fails I will just get another one like it.

 

[jkelement08]

My 2003 is still strong at 78000 miles. I don't know why all you guys hate your batteries. When this one fails I will just get another one like it.

My 08 battery didn't make it 4 years 40,000 miles. I guess you are lucky but we had a few instances early on where we had to jump it because the stock radio was on with the engine off for less than 20 minutes. Last spring the battery was tested and was deemed bad. Since the upgrade I don't have any problems. The OEM battery should have never been put in there, the same could be said about the stock tires!

 

[racerc2000]

an easy way to fit a larger battery on a 07+ is to buy a 06-10 civic Si air box bottom.

this also leads to a potential increase in performance also. as the civic has its ecu behind the battery

it routes its airbox intake from the front not the side. the complete civic resonator and ducting is easy to fit. but a simple duct to the grill would be very simple.

( 06+ civic si uses the same airbox lid as the 07+ element.)

this leaves a huge amount of room where the battery goes. and no worries about air intake. also gives a good location to install all your aux light and audio fuses etc

 

[dumbbarbers]

My 03 ex has gone through 2 batteries in 2 months and the third is starting to drag.. It has no drain when shut off... Just turned 108k and this is the first problem i've ever had... Will gel cell battery solve this?? I must mention my element was hit by a [deleted] and has not been the same since. Thanks in advance....

 

[racerc2000]

My 03 ex has gone through 2 batteries in 2 months and the third is starting to drag.. It has no drain when shut off... Just turned 108k and this is the first problem i've ever had... Will gel cell battery solve this?? I must mention my element was hit by a [deleted] and has not been the same since. Thanks in advance....

if your element has not been the same since an accident. it would suggest it was not fully or properly repaired.

the oem battery and its size group is garbage. its like going to home depot looking to buy a battery for a lawn tractor. and you see 2 models. as such they have different CCA and they note for tractors under 14hp and larger for tractors over 14hp.

long story short. you have a 14.5hp tractor and wonder why the smaller battery keeps needing to be jumped....

you could say the element has a 2.4l and is equipped with the 2.0l battery. thats my theory.

I had an ep hatch with same battery and never had an issue. but even with my 2010 element the battery strains in winter. and its not even snow weather yet.

cant wait to install my civic si airbox and marine battery.

 

[OptimaJim]

dumbbarbers, I would agree with racerc2000 about lingering issues from your accident. I don't know how or where your vehicle was hit, but one such issue could be related to your wiring or your grounds. Fully-charged, most batteries will measure about 12.6 volts. If you can fully-charge and disconnect your battery from your vehicle for 12-24 hours, it should hold close to it's maximum voltage during that time. If it holds voltage when disconnected, but drops voltage when connected, there is likely an electrical issue with the vehicle itself and not the battery.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.

 

[davehg]

Sears Diehard Platinum P4 install

Thanks to this forum, the install of my Sears Diehard Platinum P4 went off without incident tonight. Here's some pix and details. I went with the P4 instead of the P5 for one main reason: for the same price, you get lots more.

P4 CCA: 880; aH: 68; Reserve Capacity: 130 min.; Weight: 53 lbs

I am running a compressor fridge for camping that would drain the E's stock battery in no time flat. The P4 will be 1/2 of dual battery system, detailed here.

It's physically a tad larger than the P5, and the P5 will be a much easier fit. Nonetheless, I was able to get it fitted without any need to modify the battery mount.

The P4 vs. the E's stock wimpy battery:

The battery mount, with the tabs bent back:

I was able to use the E's stock bottom battery tray. The P4 fit very snugly, and I added a piece of wood to fill out the bottom and make it a flat platform for the P4 to rest on.

The first battery tie down I used was made out of rubber. The P4 would slide back about 1/4 inch, getting the positive terminal uncomfortably close to the front of the E.

You can see how the rubber top portion stretched around the top, allowing enough flex. While the positive terminal still sits slightly under the hood, this was not comforting.

I went back and purchased the black ABS plastic adjustable tie down, and used the stock mounts. I barely needed to bend back the original tie downs. With the new mount, the P4 was snug and solid, with no movement.

Both positive and negative cables fit fine. The P4 has side terminals as well, useful for adding electrical acccesories.

One thing I noticed immediately when I fired up the E after the battery install: the stock stereo sounded noticeably better. Bass was tighter and more defined, and the mids and highs sounded much cleaner. A nice bonus I was not expecting. I've previously upgraded the power supply on several pieces of my home hifi gear, and added in a dedicated 20amp circuit and better ac cables and outlets, and I've noticed the same difference in sound quality. I can't wait to put in a decent stereo and really hear the difference.

 

[Dom.five]

If you had looked at the threads before you went for the P-4, You would have seen that people are using N designation Batterys. The " N " puts the positive terminal on the engine side of the car. As opposed to the front. It saves that tight fit, of the positive terminal, to the front frame support. It makes connections, and using Jumper cables easier.
So I am talking about Diehard P4n .

Nice clean look though !

Dom