Optima battery issues

[Rwies]

So i was working on the bronco the other night and disconnected the battery. The next morning i hooked the battery back up and it was dead which was really strange because it had full charge and worked fine before i unhooked it. When i attempt to charge it my charger charges for 1 minute then turns off for a minute then charges for a minute etc... Ive used this charger many times before and it has never done the pulsating charge. Could this just be a bad battery? I got the battery 2 years ago from Costco and its still under warranty however i cant find my receipt and Costco no longer sells optima batteries. Has anyone dealt with optima direct and had them replace the battery without having a receipt?

[Rmc]

Get the batt load tested, could be a bad cell.

[Rmc]

That would tell you if it's the charger or the batt.

[ChaseTruck754]

PM philo - he's an optima dealer & might be able to help you if you need to warranty it or anything.

[hobbyturnedobsession]

I have the same issue with my red top!

[Rwies]

Thanks Steve, good to know. Ill start with getting it load tested to confirm its toasted, I'm pretty sure the thing is junk. Mine is a red top as well Randy...hmm

[hobbyturnedobsession]

Wow! Good to know!

[ChaseTruck754]

Search out & read the batteries thread on here. Should be here in "general tech"

Anyway, Philo & others go on about how Optima has gone down hill, now using recycled lead like others & quality is hit & miss. Says he warranty's a lot of them.

[PaulW]

Well I have a 10 year old yellow that works fine. I also had one die at 2 years because I left the alarm on for 6 months and ruined it. The replacement is now 8 years old.
There is a way t0 shock them back to life use Google to find the method.
There was a time when Optima moved from Denver to Puebla MX and they produced a lot of bad batts.
People are having better luck these days.
Secret for keeping an Optima alive is to put the dean things on a maintainer when the rig is not being driven. They really hate getting discharged. AND if you have one that is low in charge keep the amps to around 2 so as to not hurt the thing. I have a lot of rigs sitting around.
I went to a car museum last week and every car had a maintainer connected. Extension cords everywhere.
I am slowly switch over to Intimidator and Diehard Platinum for my fleet.
PW

[ChaseTruck754]

They really hate getting discharged.

This is typical for all AGM. Harder to "shock" back to life than a wet cell and you can only do it once or twice from what I've heard/read.

[philofab]

Optima has not been the same since JCI bought them. The older Optimas with Aurora, CO on the top of the case used to last 10+ years and had a 7 year warranty. The ones that say Johnson Controls or have a made in Mexico sticker seem to last a couple of years.

Load test it, you may have pulled the terminal away from the cells internally. Costco and Sam's Club use different part numbers and I am unable to warranty them. Call Optima direct if it needs to be warrantied.

I no longer run Optima in anything I own if that tells you anything.

[philofab]

Oh, and I running a special on Odyssey Group 65s right now...

[ChaseTruck754]

what's the CCAs on those Odyssey's & what price? If you're comfortable posting.

[Rmc]

Are the oddeseys dry cells also?

[philofab]

what's the CCAs on those Odyssey's & what price? If you're comfortable posting.

PM me for pricing, I only have about 4 I can sell at a special price. I can not post it or I could get in trouble with Odyssey and their LAP agreement.

The 65s are four year free replacement, 1750 CA and 930 CCA.

[philofab]

Are the oddeseys dry cells also?

They are AGM just like Optima but still American made.. Optima and Odyssey both stared as Gates Rubber.

[Agui-E7TE]

I've pretty much had every optima replaced, except for the two I bought off of Philo. I just had one replaced a few weeks ago because it wouldn't accept a charge and only showed 4.5 volts. From what I've read, the dead battery needs to be hooked to a good battery and then hooked up to a charger so you can trick it into putting a charge into the dead optima. Then after its charges a bit, you can hook it directly to the battery charger.

That being said, Odyssey makes some really awesome AGM batteries and some are really light and smaller than the 6-pack brand. I'm okay with continuing to have my batteries replaced under warranty every few years. Apparently every time they replace it they issue a new 3 year warranty.

That being said, the next one I buy will be an Odyssey.

[PaulW]

That being said, Odyssey makes some really awesome AGM batteries and some are really light and smaller than the 6-pack brand. I'm okay with continuing to have my batteries replaced under warranty every few years. Apparently every time they replace it they issue a new 3 year warranty.

That being said, the next one I buy will be an Odyssey.

=============
School is in session
The reason they are light is because they have less lead. Result is low reserve capacity = really bad for load with the engine off or in a winching situation. Airplanes have a completely different design criteria than an off road truck. Best for an off road truck would be a size 65 AGM. Like Diehard Platinum or Intimidator or equals. Compare specs to become a believer.
That is the reason why Odyssey are not recommended for guys like us. They are for airplanes.
One could say the same thing about an Optima except they are to heavy for an airplane. Less weight = need 2 of the darn things to match a size 65.
Homework required.
PW

[philofab]

Odyssey are not used in airplanes and are not FAA approved. Gill & Lifeline/Concorde are. The smaller Odysseys that offroad cars use often are the PC925, which is too small for most applications and also give them a bad rap.

Odyssey/Hawker was originally designed for the military and are still used by them.

There are newer style batteries that do indeed weigh less with the same capability based on Lithium technology such as LiPo & LiFe4. This is a new technology that is for from perfected so not a good choice for most.

[SteveG]

Mostly unrelated....

I use LifePO4 rechargeable batteries in my CR123A batteries powered flashlights because they are supposedly "safer chemistry". The run times suck but they're safer than other rechargeable CR123's... supposedly.