Hey all,

Need a replacement battery. Here are my options locally:
Duralast 79-DLG for 880 CCA $130 8 yr warranty
Kirkland (Costco) 78 series 800 CCA $64 whatever warranty Costco offers...

Has anyone used a 78 series to replace their battery? Is this battery even vented to the outside like our stock one? The guy at Costco wasn't too helpful over the phone.
I'm tempted to get the Duralast due to the long warranty. Aren't these both made by Johnson Controls?

-E

I haven't had to replace mine yet. But, you definitely need to get one that'* vented. The 880 will give you more cranking amps and will definitely last you longer.

Ya, more batteries are made by Johnson these days than anybody else, but they are still made to brand specific specs as far as plate density/plate surface area and such. So it not a same/same scenario by any means. And the last thing you want to be breathing is Hydrogen, ozone, and sulfide gases. Make sure its vented.

Thanks for the input guys. I understand the need for the venting system. I'll check the Costco battery out on Sunday since we have to go there anyway. I'm almost completely sold on the other battery though, given the higher amperage and length of the warranty. I'll let you know what I find out.

My battery broke on a Saturday afternoon while out of town. Could not find one anywhere, so had to buy a temporary battery at Batteries Plus. Later purchased the proper battery at the dealer. DSealer told me the batteries rarely fail on the Bobbeville because they are so protected under the back seat, and that is why there is such a limited after market for the battery.

My batter failed because the terminal phiscally cracked in half. Maybe a cushion under the battery would of saved it???

Silly question, but where is the battery located in an 02 SSEI?

Rear seat.

While T-shooting my recurring P0102 (MAF low input freq.), I found my positive terminal leaking. When removing the bolt, the terminal literally broke off, taking some plastic with it. Luckily the bottom portion of the bolt was stuck in what was left of the terminal, so it wasn't too big a mess. It appears that it corroded from the inside out, because I checked it just months ago and it seemed to look fine from the top. Guess I learned my lesson. Always remove the connections to check for underlying corrosion! Even if I had done that, I'm not sure how visible it would've been. I've seen much worse-looking connections that still seemed to operate fine. I guess it was just time for this one to go...

Investing in a tube of dielectric grease is well worth it.

Thanks Dan. Your advice will not go unheeded