AGM or not AGM

My stock battery died, truck is about 4 years old now and its not my daily driver so there are periods where I don’t start the truck for a few days.

I have a winch and extra lighting. I need a battery that has extra juice and preferably maintenance free.

Question is, what are the cons of AGM batteries other than the high price. Who’s running them? What brands do you have and recommend?

 

I think most need to be recharged at a slightly higher charger rate.
There is a diode mod you can do to the 2nd gens.
So do it. Some don’t.
IIRC, @Muddinfun has am AGM?

 

Any opinions ? I was watching this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txcvp5vCXFM

 

X2power AGM. I’ve been running it over a year now and it’s been awesome

 

NorthStar 27F, 930 CCA. Running a winch and some lights. Stock charging.

 

Good read on AGM batteries

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-northstar-agm-battery-voltage-booster-upgrade.604478/

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-northstar-agm-battery-voltage-booster-upgrade.604478/

This ^^^^^....and yes I’m runnin’ one.

 

Yes, I bought the bad ass 31M X2 AGM battery from Batteries plus. I bought it because I have a winch to put on and a 2000 watt inverter to install. I want to be able to run anything you can plug into a 110V outlet. Skill saw, shop vac, Keurig, etc. To get the most out of it, you need to bump up the charging voltage. You do this by tricking the alternator. There are multiple ways to do it. Here is a very long thread that discusses different ways.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/agm-battery-charging-alternator-voltage-booster.611314/

Here’s the short version of different ways.

1. Install a Ford or GM diode in place of the ALT-S fuse. Cheap and easy. Comes with a very, very, very slight risk since there’s no longer a fuse in the circuit. I’ve been using this method for awhile.

2. Buy the Australian voltage booster and plug it in. Expensive and long shipping time. Looking at the pics, I’m not convinced of the quality of the product. Nobody has mentioned a failure, but I’m not going to risk it.

3. I just recently dreamed up this method. I haven’t tried it out yet since my truck is currently apart, but it should work, with a low cost, retain a fused circuit and utilize a highly reliable GM diode. Connect 2 add a fuses together. Put a fuse in 1 and a diode in the other. Utilize an unused fuse slot for power and plug it in.





It should be mentioned that the 31M is a really heavy battery. Some people that do serious wheeling have had the inner apron crack from the weight. I intend to put a support brace in to prevent the apron flexing from the weight.

 

I love Tacoma world. Thanks everyone

 

Found one in stock locally, the shop I bought it from is a Toyota overland specialist and they said they don’t think the charging boost is necessary but I’ll do it anyway.

Right off the bat I noticed the starter runs faster. Haven’t tried the winch yet, it was struggling with the stock 4 year old battery but I’m sure it will run much better now. Thanks again all.

 

It will work without the booster, but it will never really fully charge is what I understand. Some people have gone years without the booster with no issues, but it really should have that extra little bit to be fully healthy. Its a super cheap and easy thing to do so why not?.

 

I would move that cable for the winch that's pinched by the AC line. If that rubs through the insulation, your truck will burn to the ground. Ideally, it's best to have a power shut off switch for the winch, so in the event of a front end collision, there's less chance of a fire.

 

Do you frequently deep cycle your battery and need it to then recover faster than normal? Are you willing to modify your charging system? Do you like the additional cost?

If yes to all 4 AGM is for you.

 

Thanks for the heads up. It’s not really pinched but I’ll make it better.

 

Already got it...

 

what is the purpose of the diode? electrics and I do not get along

 

Diodes are flow values in electronics.

 

Voltage Boosters
These devices work by effectively tricking the alternator voltage regulator into seeing less voltage than it is actually producing thereby causing it to compensate to produce more. So in a simple example if you want to increase the voltage by 0.5v, you cause an artificial 0.5v loss on what the voltage regulator detects and it compensates by raising the voltage an additional 0.5v giving you a net gain.

 

Nice find on the battery, I did the replacement fuse that’s been mentioned, some bonus residual effects are headlights are slightly brighter and stock speakers sound a little fuller.

 

I have a Northstar AGM. Rather than mess with a voltage booster I simply use a battery tender (see link) once or twice a month to make sure the battery comes up to full charge. I've been very happy with this setup so far.

$30 BMK 12V 5A Smart Battery Charger Portable Battery Maintainer with Detachable Alligator Rings Clips Fast Charging Trickle Charger for Car Boat Lawn Mower Marine Sealed Lead Acid Battery

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XK7PM9F/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1