# 2017 Chevy Cruze Battery Replacement Questions



## CHEVYCRUZE RS (Mar 29, 2011)

My car did this when I didnt drive it even on a brand new battery just something to keep in mind.


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## Johnny B (Jun 4, 2019)

1. No worries
2. Yes, that is a very nice battery. The H7 AGM is pretty much the biggest battery that will fit.
3. PASS (idk)
4. You can. But unless there was a major failure it probably isn't needed.
I recommend using a battery terminal cleaner. 










5) I wouldn't and don't. IMO totally not needed.
6) Nothing needs to be done, I would test drive it. Don't turn it off a way from home the first time.

FWIW I understand why you asked many of the questions, however our cars generally don't require any fancy procedures  hehe


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## WhoseCruze (9 mo ago)

Thanks for your responses. They really helped clear things up. With the guides/tutorials and the information you provided, I should be able to change the battery when the time comes.

I forgot to ask before...
Will there be a warning displayed when the battery has gotten to the level where it needs to be replaced, or will the battery just go dead without any warning displayed beforehand?


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## 17Hatch6MT (Dec 28, 2015)

My late '16 2017 - local mechanic tested the battery & said not to worry, that these batteries were usually good for 7 years. I also was concerned, seeing car-off voltages in the 11s, but apparently this is normal.


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

WhoseCruze said:


> I have a 2017 Chevy Cruze LT sedan. I usually drive it only once or twice per week locally and have under 5000 miles on the car.
> 
> I noticed some time in 2021 the Start/Stop function was not turning on. I was glad the car did this since that feature is awful and annoying, and when I first got the car I had even complained to Chevy about it since you could not turn off this useless feature. Thanks to this forum, I know about putting the car in L6 just to avoid dealing with Start/Stop. I thought Chevy had done something remotely to turn off the Start/Stop, but as it turns out it was probably something to do with the aging battery.
> 
> ...


This is specifically written for the Gen I, but much of it applies here.

TSB #14311
Service Bulletin - NHTSA SB-10057574-8899
SB-10089945-2280
*How-To: Installation of the Big 3 Cruze Kit*
Clean the Terminals
Cruze Battery Upgrade Options
Battery Tab
Both positive and negative _battery cables_ at the battery are torqued to *40 in-lbs*
The_ battery plate nuts_ are torqued to *106 in-lbs*
and the b_attery hold down_ arm is torqued to* 80 in-lbs* 

The battery will probably just die. Buy a portable jump starter and keep it in the trunk.


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## WhoseCruze (9 mo ago)

17Hatch6MT said:


> My late '16 2017 - local mechanic tested the battery & said not to worry, that these batteries were usually good for 7 years. I also was concerned, seeing car-off voltages in the 11s, but apparently this is normal.


I will keep checking on the voltage every time I use the car. I think at some point this summer or fall I will change the battery, but if I do see increasingly strange voltage readings I will just change the battery.

In the owner's manual, it shows there are 3 messages that could appear on the DIC: Battery Saver Active, Low Battery, and Service Battery Charging System. I luckily have not seen any of those messages, but as I said before the awful Start/Stop feature hasn't gone on for several months now. Since I have owned the car, I would see around 14.3 volts when driving the it, but in the last month it has gone up to 15.0-15.2 volts. I didn't see much else about the battery in the owner's manual other than using an AGM battery and if charging the battery use the AGM battery setting on the charger.



Blasirl said:


> This is specifically written for the Gen I, but much of it applies here.
> 
> TSB #14311
> Service Bulletin - NHTSA SB-10057574-8899
> ...


The battery cable connections seemed snug to me, and so far I haven't experienced the issues mentioned on the bulletin. The repairs mentioned in the bulletin are definitely what I'd have the dealer do, and the car is still under warranty.

The battery terminal brush mentioned before is a good idea, and I will probably use something like a spray battery cleaner with acid indicator.

I want to stick with an AC Delco battery and only saw models 94RAGM and 94RAGMHR on RockAuto. Both are Group 94R and have CCA 850... 140 Reserve for the first model and 150 Reserve for the high reserve model. AC Delco also lists: 48G, 48GHR, 48GHR145, 48PG, 48PS, 94RAGM, 94RAGMHR, and 48S. I will have to see which model is already in the car and figure out what to get... it will either match the warranty, CCA, and Reserve or will be an upgrade.

I didn't notice anything on the battery but the one hold-down, which is shown in the two tutorials I linked before. Because it is a long reach to the battery from the trunk, I just wondered if the folded down back seat would be easier access... at least for the disconnections and reconnections... not for lifting out the battery and putting in the new one.

Every car I had ended up needing a new battery because it just went dead without warning... usually in the winter. And, after the car was jump started, I always brought the car somewhere to have the battery replaced, which just added a lot more to the cost.

The worst was the place I went to (NTB) dropped the battery on the fender of the car, made a huge dent, and didn't tell me about it. I didn't notice it until I got back home and walked around the car. I was extremely mad and upset about the whole thing, and when I went back to the place to complain about the damage they denied it at first but then refunded my money for the battery in order to cover the body repair costs. When it happened, I was sitting at the repair place wondering why the battery change was taking so long, and it was probably because they didn't know what to do after they damaged my car. Even though the place closed down, I'm still mad about it, and it is another reason why I just want to change the battery myself.


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

It's an agm so I don't think acid corrosion applies. 

My battery got warranteed at 4 months ownership. But the car sat for 13 months before being purchased. The dealer added 7 miles to my battery replacement so I'm guessing he didn't use a memory saver. I would use anything that can supply power to the cables just to be safe. I don't see any reason to be using a memory saver that also requires power from a source.

The trunk would be easier then crawling through the back seat.

Agm reads higher and lower then wet cell. 11 is low but 15+ is normal.


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

*Brand* *Manufacturer* ACDelco  Johnson Controls Advance Auto  Johnson Controls AutoCraftJohnson Controls Autolite Exide AutoZone Johnson Controls Bosch Johnson Controls Champion Johnson Controls Costco Johnson Controls Delco Johnson Controls Delco-Remy  Exide DieHard Johnson Controls Duralast Johnson Controls Duralast Johnson Controls Equalizer Johnson ControlsEverStart (Wal-Mart)Exide or Johnson Controls, depending on model Firestone Johnson Controls Interstate Johnson Controls Marathon Exide Motorcraft Johnson Controls NAPA Exide OptimaJohnson Controls Orbital Exide Pep Boys Johnson Controls SearsExide or Johnson Controls, depending on model
 Wal-Mart Exide or Johnson Controls, depending on model

FYI: Johnson Controls is now Clarios


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## WhoseCruze (9 mo ago)

I finally had a chance to look at the old battery for the specifications.









So from the factory, it is an ACDelco 94RAGM, and it has 730 CCA, 80Ah 20 hour capacity, and a 365 Load Test. I didn't notice a Reserve listed on the label of the battery.

From the stamp 15/11/16 on the top left of the battery, it appears to have been manufactured on November 15, 2016. So according to this website, going to May 8, 2022, it'll be:
2000 days since the manufacture date or
5 years, 5 months, 23 days or
65 months, 23 days
And, for a 36 month battery that's pretty good, and it seems like I definitely should change it before the winter.

Do you think the 10 CCA difference between a 94RAGM and 94RAGMHR is significant? The two batteries are only $2 different in price at RockAuto. I might ask RockAuto about what they listed for the specifications since it is different than what ACDelco listed on their website for those batteries. It does seem like the newer version of that model battery (94RAGM) is improved over the one that was originally installed.

From the look of it, it does seem like there is a slight amount of corrosion on the positive terminal, so I will try to clean and neutralize everything when I finally decide to buy and change the battery.

After changing the battery, I don't mind having to drive the car around for ~7 miles to get most things reset or leave the car sitting 3+ hours for Start/Stop. I remember in my previous car that I always had one monitor never get set for emissions testing because I wasn't driving the car 60+ mph for 15+ minutes, but that car still passed emissions regardless.

From the Illinois emissions website: "Remember, vehicles are rejected when more than two (2) non-continuous readiness monitors are "not ready" for 1996 to 2000 model year vehicles, or when more than one (1) non-continuous readiness monitor is "not ready" for 2001 and newer model year vehicles. Additionally, the catalyst monitor must be "ready" at the time of any retest after a vehicle failed an initial test for any catalyst code."

Has anyone had any experience with the Drive Cycle for a ~2017 Chevy Cruze?... I saw this general guide for cars, but I don't know if that applies to a 2017 Chevy Cruze.

That is interesting that Johnson Controls (Clarios) and Exide manufacture most of the different car batteries. The price difference on RockAuto for many of the batteries is only about $10, but it jumps up for Bosch and Fullriver batteries.


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## WhoseCruze (9 mo ago)

I finally decided to replace the battery. I was waiting until it was not as hot outside just to prevent the battery from being exposed to high temperatures inside the delivery truck.

I went with the AC Delco 94RAGM like what was in the car from the factory, and bought it from Amazon. It was cheaper than Rock Auto, and I did not have to ship the old battery back in order to get back the core deposit fee. I also got $10 store credit from AutoZone for my old battery. The problem was the Amazon delivery person did not pay attention to the "this end up" arrow stickers and put the package sideways, but luckily the battery seemed ok and undamaged. The battery was made the month I bought it and had a 12.6 volt charge.

I did buy and use the acid neutralizing spray on the new battery terminals and battery cables, but there was no indication of acid. I recommend not bothering with this step unless you see corrosion on the cables or battery. I also used a battery brush on the terminals and cable just in case. I cleaned everything off with distilled water and wiped everything dry afterward.

** *The one thing not mentioned in any of the instructions I saw online was that there are 2 vent holes in the battery. The new battery comes with a vent plug attached to the red cover for the positive terminal. Make sure to use this plug to close off the appropriate side (for my car it was positive terminal side). I decided to use the old, black positive terminal cover since it kind of has a hinge, and the new, red one does not have a hinge.

The battery is heavy and weighed about 52.6lbs. I ended up putting the new battery in the trunk near the edge of the spare tire, crawling into the trunk, and carefully lowering the new battery into place. I do not know how you could get the battery into place without dropping and banging around the battery if you were putting it in place while standing on the ground.

I did not use any torque specifications for the terminal bolts and just made them tight enough until they felt snug, which was hopefully good enough.

After the install, the car started up fine. The tire pressure and car's navigation direction indicator were blank and needed to calibrate. The Start/Stop feature began to work again when I drove the car. I thought the car drove fine. I had the a/c on and did notice a slight musty odor blowing from the vents when the car turned off and went back on because of Start/Stop. I did not yet check to see which emissions sensors were still not set after driving... I never consistently got the car going much over 40mph because I only drove locally and there is construction everywhere. I did see that the Software Update section was still grayed out, so I will have to ask the car dealer if that problem persists.

Overall, I think the battery replacement went ok. I am glad I replaced it now and not after the battery was dead in the middle of the winter.


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