RW> When the battery has to go through temperture changes like the transition   
   RW> from summer to winter weather, they have a tendency to live a shorter   
   RW> life. Of course they can be better maintained by using a trickle charger   
   RW> that has a voltage detector in the circuit to take it to the high limit   
   RW> and maintain it there and not over charge it. This would work to keep   
   RW> your   
   RW> Monte and/or the Charger batteries well maintained, while one sits and   
   RW> the   
   RW> other is used on a daily basis.   
      
   Here in Maryland, this time of year (September-November) is the peak time for   
   car batteries to fail.  The temperature change does wreak havoc on them.   
      
   I have a nice trickle charger that I use for the HD battery.  I wired a fast   
   connector off the battery under the seat and all I have to do is plug it in to   
   the charger.  Keeps the HD battery from failing over the winter or extended   
   times when it is sitting.   
      
   RW> My recommendation is such a device, rather than replace a battery that is   
   RW> only 3 years old. Especially such a great battery as the Sears Diehard.   
      
   Neither the Monte Carlo or Charger will be sitting for longer than 7 days,   
   since I am alternating driving them every other week.  I didn't think 7 days   
   would cause the battery to fail, but it is apparently weak.   
      
   I have been driving the Monte Carlo all week and it has been starting right   
   up, so I'm not sure what to think.  I had cleaned the terminals before   
   charging it this past weekend (using a can of Coke).     
      
   Will wait to see what happens after it sits for a week.  I would plug it into   
   the trickle charger if there was an easy way to do it.  The HD is in my garage   
   with a fast connector to the battery.  Easy to hookup.  The Monte is on the   
   street (since the 2-car garage and driveway is full of vehicles, etc).     
      
   I wonder if it would be of any value to remove the battery from the Monte and   
   let it trickle charge for a few days to see if it then keeps it's charge going   
   forward.  The problem sometimes becomes that you get a bad cell.   
      
   RW> Before I moved my workbench out of the garage, I maintained two batteries   
   RW> on one trickle charger as I mentioned above. One of those two was out of   
   RW> my 2001 Rodeo and came out of a Honda previous to being installed in the   
   RW> Rodeo. It had to be at least ten years old at the time. The trickle   
   RW> charger kept it at peak voltage, but when removed, it quickly died to a   
   RW> level of 9 volts.   
      
   Sounds like a bad cell.  I had one in my old HD battery.  I would charge it   
   all the way up, ride it somewhere, stop and get gas, and it wouldn't   
   re-start.  It just couldn't hold a charge very long at all.     
      
   - Mark   
      
   --- WWIVToss v.1.50    
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