Battery Change 2002 XLE

May 16, 2007 8 Replies
J

Since the battery in my 2002 XLE is orgional, thought it might be a good idea to change it for preventive maintiance before I get a big surprise some day. Since this car is equipted with ignition security system, door locks etc. is there anything that I should be aware of or do before disconnecting the battery. I'm aware that radio and clock, etc will loose memory and that I should have all doors unlocked & at least drivers door opened so not to be locked out. Is there any other precautions that need to be taken so not to be surprised ? Then just change the battery, right ?


Jerry


P.S. this is the first car I've had with such a security system.


Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
M

Not directly applicable, but our '95 LE wagon has a Toyota security system as well. I was worried abou the same thing, but the dealer just changed the battery. They said it takes a long time for the alarm to lose memory power.

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
Q

Yeah, just throw a new battery in there. You'll have to reset the radio station and the clock, but other than that you shouldn't have any other issues.

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
J

Thanks, I'll do it Saturday. Looking at Advance Auto Autocraft Silver 24F5 or Autocraft Titanium 24F6. Orgional was made by Johnson Controls

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
F

Just throw in a Costco battery, half the price of any name brand and just as good!

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
C

Before you disconnect your battery, write down the various radio frequencies from your radio. Makes it easier to reprogram from written list.

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
J

Batteries today are cheap enough. Safer to change it every 5 years regardless. A weak battery can stress the alternator (trying to charge) and cause it to fail sooner ($$$). Compare the cold cranking amps and reserve capacities. Higher the better.

The AC Delco maintenance free battery group 24F for about ~$80 is excellent but hard to find these days. This is my preferred battery.

However, the $39.99 Walmart (think it's $45 now) by Johnson Control (JCI) is also a good battery. Autozone's GoldLine (?, not their ValueCraft line) has even higher cold cranking amps at ~$60, also by JCI. Costco's battery by JCI is group 35, too small.

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
E

For safety reasons disconnect the negative terminal first and likewise when putting it back negative should be connected last. Clean the connectors before using the new battery. Remember the coca-cola myth that it a great cleaning agent for battery terminals.

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
D

== FWIW, I've found some remarkable results with this Battery Equalizer product.

formatting link
it in the battery for my 1977 Toyota truck which gets driven quiteinfrequently, often sitting for months at a time, and so far, cranksright over. My mother's car had a problem with the battery, since shedoesn't dirve much. Added some of this, problem solved. (she had a towtruck driver jump start it, but has held a charge since, and cranksright over now.) I have it in the Camry also. So far so good. I checkthe cells with a hydrometer at oil change intervals. They've been onthe low side of "good" since I bought the battery, and still there.They claim this stuff can double battery life, approved by themilitary, etc. Seems to work for me. One bottle does about 3 or 4 batteries. I have no connection to the company or product apart from using it.

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required