2004 scenic cruiser coach batteries

[Larrygmoody]

Hi, my coach batteries are shot. They're bloated and leak water when charging. What are the best batteries to replace them? There are four batteries.

[Bike Dr]

Hello, you are asking a very broad question in terms of batteries.

1 is what types of batteries lead acid, agm.
2 are you just replacing the same style
3 what are you intended uses, dry camping or having shore power.
4 cost that has a factor on some brands of batteries that may or may not be a concern
You may want solar or lithium batteries depending on your needs.
Then I becomes a balancing act as you will get all sorts of recommendations and ideas. I also have 4 house batteries and 2 for the main engine. I currently have the lead acid. But will be replacing them this year to AGM. It does the same as the original but low to no maintenance. I personally don't need all the solar and lithium high dollar set ups. You on the other hand may want to have that. Just keep an open mind on what your personal uses will be to determine what style and brand may work best for you. Without being persuaded to get or spend more then you really need.

LIFE IS GOOD!!!! LIVING IT!!!!

2005 41'4 ATRIUM SE CAT 8410
2017 20' Diamond closed trailer
2014 Streetglide Special
2010 Mini Cooper

[Chuck v]

Larry,


Bike Dr gives a good summary above. For your House/Coach batteries you need deep cycle rated ones, which will allow a deeper draw-down and have a high amp-hour rating. If you travel widely, the universal availability of conventional lead acid batteries from discount stores could be a benefit over time.



For engine start you need large CCA rated ones for lots of current over a short duration.


These are two different Lead acid battery products with different plate areas/thicknesses, and somewhat different construction and chemistries -- each being optimized for its individual application space. There are some 'dual use' styles that are not really as good for either application, but are often sold as "RV" batteries.


AGM batteries are said to maintenance free, and there is no liquid electrolyte, rather an absorbed gel in the glass mat. A bit more costly but relatively spill proof.


Other more modern chemistries like the Lithium Ion are much higher storage capacity per unit weight and volume, but priced accordingly and need special charge circuits. Many of these batteries have the electronics built in, so the price is quite high with those...


I always used conventional lead acid types for the best cost effectiveness since I know I would maintain them properly as to charge levels and electrolyte fill -- but you can pay more to get the types you can ignore more safely.


Be sure to clean up thoroughly after your old leaking batteries and replace any cables that show signs of corrosion or stiffening.



Chuck

[Larrygmoody]

Thank you for these informative replies. My wife just retired so we're *hoping* to use the RV at least once every 30-60 days.

Dry camping vs Shore power will be roughly 50/50. There's a local sand dune that the family loves and we have a couple of parks we really like.

I am Ok with lead acid, but I'm intrigued by AGM. I haven't used one on anything so I have no personal experience to draw from. Lithium is out because I don't want the added charger/controller project.

I guess it comes down to price then. I just wanted an informed opinion from someone with more experience and that's exactly what I got! Thank you!

Oh... I forgot to mention... my RV is plugged in at all times when it's parked at home. I don't know if this is good or bad regarding the batteries. Any advice/comments on that?

[Chuck v]

Proper float charging is not going to hurt good batteries, but you do need to keep an eye on electrolyte levels. Depending on what RV year/model you have there may not be any shore power charging of the chassis battery for engine starting, so verify if you need to address that. Can't recall if that is true of the Scenic Cruiser, but I did add a separate quality float charger on my TM for its engine start battery bank, since I lived in it full time and only ran it for a day or two every three months or so.


Chuck

[Larrygmoody]

Thanks, I'll look into that.

So far, I haven't had any trouble starting, just the coach batteries dying frequently.

[Larrygmoody]

After taking a closer look at my coach batteries, I have 4 "Interstate GC2 Deep Cycle Extreme 6-Volt Golf Cart" batteries. I don't know their age and the labels are not punched, so I'm considering replacing them with the same.

Any good/bad experience with these batteries?

Or recommendations for newer/better brand?

TIA

[Chuck v]

Yes, it is common to have cart batteries for the deep cycle needs of House/Coach batteries. Your four cart batteries are connected in a series/parallel combination to provide 12 volts to the system and can have a total of up to 450 AH or so capacity. Be very careful to take pictures of how the cables are connected to get them correctly wired to the new batteries. It should look like the below illustration.


Chuck

[Larrygmoody]

Yes, I definitely will take a picture. One reason I would use the same batteries is so the connections are in the exact same place.

Thanks!

[Chuck v]

I currently have a set of Interstate batteries in the wife's golf cart (8 volt units in that case...and six of them make the 48 volt system that Club Car model cart uses.) They have been good batteries.


The Interstate GC2-ECX "extreme" batteries should run about $200 each and the data on the manufacturer's website is here:
https://www.interstatebatteries.com/...ts/gc2-ecl-utl
Note the rating is 225 AH



You can also get good performance from the Trojan T-105 which has a similar rating and pricing...


Chuck

[Larrygmoody]

Thanks, the GC2-ECL-UTL is exactly the battery I'm getting.

Hopefully on Wednesday because we're leaving on Saturday