Help deciphering a battery date code ??

[bhelms]

Hi, all! Some will recall that I recently bought a 2003 Silverado. Long story short, I believe the battery is bad but I need to prove it to the outlet where I bought the truck. I complained about that battery upon initial inspection (wouldn't start the truck prior to a test drive) and they told me they replaced it when I arrived to take delivery. Now I'm not so sure. I think they "owe" me a replacement, or at least something towards one, since they misled me on their action. (I hate to use the word "lied", but that's about the extent of it!)

The battery in question is a Delco, 78 group. I believe it is the OEM battery and it is unlikely that the outlet (non-GM) would have replaced the original with another Delco. But it looks brand new, the "Delco Eye" is green, and it reads 12.5 volts no-load. The issue is that it discharges quickly. I know that because I let the truck sit for a week at a time, after which it won't start, and playing the radio runs it down quickly. The replacement battery has no problems like this.

If I can find/decipher a date code that would prove that it is as old as the truck (likely, at 4 years and 42K miles) then I would have a case, but I can't find a code that matches-up to any available information. The Delco website says a code should appear on the top label and begin with either a "P" or "S". There is nothing like that on the label, just safety information and a bar code with the numbers 19101810 (1810 is the Delco stock number, I believe) and information about the load test amps and CCA. Other information I found says that a date code is usually stamped into the case near the terminals and will have a letter and number to indicate the month and year of manufacture, and in the case of Delco, those are reversed. Delco also provides a character to identify the mfg. plant.

I did find this stamped on the top case near the right side edge:

2GZ 15 B

It's possible the 2 means 2002 and the G means July? This would match-up with the mfg. date of the truck!

Can anyone here shed some light on this? My local Chevy dealer was no help, possibly because I didn't buy a replacement from him. He said the date code would be the sticker where the installer punches-out the dots for the year and month, but I have only ever seen that on a replacement battery, and this Delco certainly doesn't have that label! (And of course, installed date and mfg. date aren't the same, but why try to argue that point...?)

TIA and BRgds...

 

[dohmixer]

You may be able to decipher from this web page. Good Luck
AC Delco Battery Age? - Cadillac Owners

 

[Bobby]

Judging by that little tidbit, July 2002 seems to be the case. You didn't get a new battery at all, just a cleaned up one.

 

[bhelms]

Tks, guys! Seems to confirm what I already suspected.

I'm about to send a letter to the retailer and ask for some compensation based on his deception. Nothing to lose at this point...!

 

[thiggin2]

Well GM replacement batteries haven't used and "EYE" indicator in a long time. Also if your battery doesn't have a bar code label on the top which is where the date code is then it isn't a replacement. I can almost say that 99% chance its the original. We have replaced TONS of batteries because they either leak or are just bad. We even replace them before they are even driven off the lot. Here in Florida the normal life span on a battery is about 2 years.

Edit: Here is a picture of a replacement battery. Not the same 78 series you have but give you an idea of what it would look like. The datecode /bar code is circled.

 

[bhelms]

Tks thiggin2! The battery I have has only one label on it, on the top surface. There is no second "bar code" label, and no label on the side like you pictured. That one label does have a large barcode on it, but the numbers below the code are only 19101810. There is nothing that looks like a date code anywhere on that label. Everyone here is pretty much confirming that what I have is the original.

I 'hear' you about the short life in FL. When my mother lived there, she was having her battery replaced every 2-3 years and I thought that was excessive, and that she was being taken advantage of. But the more I read the more I learned that the south is indeed harder on batteries than the north, and that really surprised me given our bad congestion and the fact that 0 deg. starts are very difficult and hard on them. I had one truck that I bought new and I didn't need to change the battery until into its 7th year (about 90K miles IIRC). I thought that was a real gift! OTOH, I had a Sears "DieEasy" that didn't make its 2nd birthday, and the replacement didn't last very long either...

Tks all again and BRgds...