[T3] I pulled my Interstate battery july 12th to check thelevel, found the Interstae MT-42 was leaking.

[William J]

 A while back I researched who made certain batteries and Jonhson Controls 
makes Interstate and Durolast and some Diehard and others.Each has their own 
standards. Two of the Interstate MT-42's I got the 1st and this one are made 
in Mexico one was unmarked which I was told in US made. . It's much the same 
with many power tools companies where one company makes the tool sold under 
Sears name to their specs. Black and Decker decades ago used to make home 
owners tools and industrial and Dewalt took over now even the old Porter 
Cable are made in China . I was going to buy another Durolast when the last 
one died , it was $99 with the core handed in and now was $125 with core 
Firestone gave me a price of $79 with core handed in so I went with that. 
The Durolast was a bit better made maybe higher standards and would have 
lasted if I hadn't listened to the counter person who told me it's 
maintainence free so don't remove the caps they will break and void the 
warrenty even though I knew better lasted 6 years then on day dead popped 
the caps and the level was way below the plates. The idiot at Firestone told 
me the same thing they know nothing other than what ever training they get . 
Even Interstates site if you weed through their Q&A states under normal 
condidtions they are meaning not over charged or under extreme temps which 
they don't define what extreme. means . Weeding through you find it it has 
removable caps it's maintainence available .


How do I know if a battery is "maintenance-free"?
If your battery DOES NOT have access to the individual cells (i.e.: 
removable vent caps) we consider it to be "maintenance free." At Interstate 
Batteries, we always say, "If the battery has removable caps, it is 
maintenance available". If you have questions about your battery's 
maintenance that aren't covered here, please contact us.
How do I maintain my battery?


Note: Interstate's automotive and commercial starting and Marine/RV 
batteries are considered Maintenance-Free products under normal operating 
conditions. However, in the event of an extreme overheat/overcharge 
situation, the batteries may need to be checked for water loss.





We recommend the following:



1.  How to check the water level and add water:

If your battery has removable vent caps then they can be pried off with a 
flat-head screwdriver. Once removed, you will see individual vent wells. 
Look down into each individual cell to make sure that the water is covering 
the lead plates and is at the proper level. Add water to any cells that are 
low on water. Always use distilled water that is available from a 
supermarket to fill the battery in order to prevent chemicals from 
contaminating the battery.




2. How to determine the proper water level:


Ideally, the water level should be no higher than just below or to the 
bottom of the tubes (in a 12-volt battery there are 6 tubes) that go down 
into the battery.  To avoid damage to the battery, make sure the fluid level 
never drops below the tops of the lead plates in each of the cells.  Also, 
avoid adding too much water, which may result in acid overflow and damage 
around the battery.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim Adney" <jadney at vwtype3.org>
To: <type3 at vwtype3.org>
Sent: Saturday, July 15, 2017 10:24 PM
Subject: Re: [T3] I pulled my Interstate battery july 12th to check 
thelevel,found the Interstae MT-42 was leaking.


> On 15 Jul 2017 at 20:47, William J wrote:
>
>>  I should have said recycled .
>
> One summer in the early or mid 60s I had a job at a local Wards
> store. One of the things I did that summer was load a semi with a
> year's worth of trade-in batteries that their auto service shop had
> collected. They showed me that I could pick up a battery with a 9/16"
> box end wrench on one of the battery posts. The trick was to swing
> the battery thru an arc then give the wrench just the right tweak to
> release the battery in mid-flight and let it sail to the front of the
> semi.
>
> We loaded a whole semi in a couple days. No one worried about the
> spilled acid. I think that truck only got used for battery recycling
> and the acid probably meant that this semi was on its last legs
> anyway.
>
> BTW, I doubt if Interstate makes any batteries themselves. There are
> probably only 2-3 battery manufacturers in the US. I know that
> Johnson Controls in Milwaukee makes many brands, to many different
> standards, and I suspect that Exide is another manufacturer. There
> may be another. I have a friend who worked as a lead/acid battery
> consultant for many years. He would know the details.
>
> -- 
> *******************************
> Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
> Madison, Wisconsin, USA
> *******************************
>
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