What year was maintenance-free lead-acid battery was introduced?

[Wizard]

What year the automotive maintenance-free lead acid was introduced?

This is reason when this battery showed up because my vehicle is so old that I don't know when if battery is right for that kind of vehicle.  I ask because I am having a problem with my 1987 carb caravan using regulator module to control charging voltage via alternator.  Continually slight undercharge on the maintenance-free battery,  measured around 14V-ish where maintenance-free battery needs up to 14.8V vs less voltage for low maintenance (removable caps for acid-level check and refill with plain water.

Thanks and cheers, Wizard

[BioHazard]

It is probably highly dependant on the make and model. The original owners manual I have for my '79 chevy truck says something about a Delco "Freedom" battery I think, I believe it was supposed to be maintainence free. Long gone of course. On the other hand I think the stock battery in my '96 Jeep was an old removeable cap type.

[vdubnut62]

Hey, I remember the Freedom battery. It had the "Delco Eye", IIRC green meant full charge, dark was discharged.
Ron

[mobile_bob]

14.2 volts is more than adequate for a lead acid battery, unless in very cold climates
14.8 is too high and will dramatically reduce the life of the battery, especially in a auto application where
underhood temps are much higher than the typical nominal 77 degree F that batteries are baselined at.

if you are getting 14 vdc at the battery you don't have a problem with the charging system in my opinion.

as for maintenance free batteries they came out in the very early 70's iirc

bob g

[Lloyd]

Hi All,

A maintenance free battery is a misnomer..

The so called maintenance free was a non-removable cap added to a lead acid bat. They lowered the charge voltage so you wouldn't boil the electrolyte...problem is they are still conventional flooded lead acid batteries with the same voltage required, so they don't sulfate.

Most of the MF's appear to have non removable caps but they are removable on 99%. The Sears die-hard says it voids the warranty if you remove the cap or add water...Many people add the wrong water and it kills the bat.

Be sure the bat will die a sooner death if you under charge....they still require 14.4 volts absorption temp corrected to 80 degrees, so charging at 14 volts will shorten the life of an MF, same as adding anything  but precipitated water.

That's why most auto batteries barley last 3 years now a days...when if treated correctly they would live a good 7-8 years. My die-hard in my exploder is a so called MF, but I found that the caps are removable, so I have always kept the cells topped off with precipitated water, and in May that bat will turn 8 years old.

The only true MF bat is a Gell-Cell but if you charge that one higher then 14.1v,temp corrected, it will die a quick death.

The best quote I ever heard was "Batteries don't die, they're MURDERED.

Lloyd

[BioHazard]

My '01 Dodge still has the original Mopar maintainence free battery...I've never touched it. 10+ years old and still going!