Optima Batteries

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

Can suck my ass. I'll never buy another one, not even used. I bought a yellow top because they're supposed to be good to run totally dead and still take a charge, but this POS is worthless. It's only a couple years old and might have 10k miles on it, if that. I keep hearing bad things about them but i figured they were isolated, but lately i haven't heard a single good thing about them.

[Pitbull1052]

I feel ya David I tried to bring my red top back to life this weekend with the connecting two batteries in series and then putting the charger on and it wouldnt even get enough juice to make the interior lights come on....... the bad thing is now what the heck do I put in my car anything other than a red top is going to look like shit....... guess i'll have to get a sweet battery cover....

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

I feel ya David I tried to bring my red top back to life this weekend with the connecting two batteries in series and then putting the charger on and it wouldnt even get enough juice to make the interior lights come on....... the bad thing is now what the heck do I put in my car anything other than a red top is going to look like shit....... guess i'll have to get a sweet battery cover....

"If it ain't painted, it's polished"....get yourself a Walmart battery, peal all the stickers off and paint it red :lol:

I'm probably going to do the same thing and just leave it black. I always thought the yellow was dumb looking anyway.

[Pitbull1052]

still sucks and then what's going to be strong enough to run all the nasa equipment i've got going on in that thing.........

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

You might wanna look into a stronger alt. The 3g might not be enough.

[Pitbull1052]

might have to do that........

[Timido]

I had a yellow top for 5 years it still works great. I did charge it with a AGM charger I think that helps with them. I have heard many other people say they suck

[Pitbull1052]

what's an AGM charger?

[jlt2006]

Optima is a AGM battery (absorbed glass mat).

They make charger specific for that type of battery.

http://www.optimabatteries.com/product_support/resuscitating_agmbattery.php

[Timido]

The charger that I have is about a $90 Schumacher that charges AGM and deep cell battery's. If you charge a AGM with a regular charger you will boil it. The voltage is to high

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

So are you saying theres a chance it might charge? Where would i take it?

[facemelter71]

My Matco trickle charger charged my Red top just fine when my car was down at my Dads when My back was all fubar'ed.

I think it sat at about 4 or 6 volts for the better part of 6 months,put it on my Matco trickle charger for a few days and it has worked fine ever since. And this battery is from 2005. The next one I buy,will be another red top.

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

This thing tests at like 14 volts and 0 amps...

[Pitbull1052]

that's what mine tests at too David, if any one has an AMG charger i'd gladly give a few bucks to see if it will charge.......

[facemelter71]

If either of you want to swing by my work and drop them off,I have the charger here at work. I plug it in in the morning when I come in,and unplug it when I leave. It took about 2-3 days before it held a good charge.

[Pitbull1052]

That would be sweet Andy where's your work at?

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

That would be sweet Andy where's your work at?

Ditto, it's worth a try at least.

[facemelter71]

Volvo Of Cincinnati at Union Center. Across the street from Benz in West Chester. It might be a haul for you guys.

[sean]

yup. The agm battery isnt something you can just jump when dead and expect it to charge while you drive. A lot of people swear by them but I do not. I am always leaving something on in my miata or letting the truck sit forever and then I have to jump it. I would rather be able to jump it and go than charge it slowly for days. Besides my walmart batteries last forever.

[gouldstang]

I've ran the yellow top in my dirt car for years (no alt) and use one for my winch , no problems at all.....I wouldn't run anything else..

[Dirtyd0g]

This thing tests at like 14 volts and 0 amps...

That is called surface charge. I personally do not care for optima's either. I have bought a couple and never has any luck with them. Anymore I get batteries from strickers and they usually last 3-4 years, with a cost of $25-$35.
Alan

[8banger]

(reply to gouldstang)Same here.My yellow top sat all winter in the trailer.Tossed it in the race car(4 years seasons )
Perfect fired right up(I run a 50 mini amp alt).Now I did have a red top that finally quit after 7 years...Thats all I've ever run.In a race car with hard launches,plates in a reg battery can shift and short..especially when the battery is mounted long ways front to rear.

[Stangman]

I used to get sooo many returned optimas when I worked in the auto parts business. Honestly, Autozone batteries have been the best to me. Odd to say it, but I've had a cheap autozone battery in my mustang ii since roughly '03. Still starts almost the first try (carb issues). Sits all year long w/ no trickle charge or anything. Dad's had an autozone battery in his Fairlane and its done well. My Lincoln had an AZ battery in it when I wrecked it. Curious if its still good...

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

All these store brand batteries have to ve made by a common manufacturer, anyone have an idea who that might be?

I had a diehard in my first Mustang and it was in two others after that. It got replaced by this optima..im wishing i had just bought another diehard. I got sold by the hype.

[racingrick]

Johnson Controls

[HawksWR37]

My Yellow top has been great for me

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

I bought a Wally world battery this morning, but i held on to the yellow just to see what happens on another charger. If it'll take a charge then i'll take back everything i said about it, but it doesn't look good at this point.

[Goldenpony]

I've owned one. Vastly over rated. Go Interstate.

[Racin Jason]

I had a red top a nd a yellow top . I liked the yellow better then it went bad. I bought a kinetic and love the size and looks of it much better.

[Carl]

There's a place up here in Boise that refurbs the red tops, I bought one and have been very impressed with it.

[Pops Fun]

Here is some info on Optima batteries from Stangnet... 94/95

http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-forums/839139-who-has-optima-battery.html

" Hi Nick, I'm sorry to hear about the problems you've been having with your battery and I'd like to help. Do you recall the voltage of your battery when you put it into storage in October and what it was when you re-installed it in January or the voltage of the battery now? If you can fully-charge (approximately 12.6-12.8 volts) and disconnect your RedTop from your vehicle, it should be able to hold close to that voltage for 12-24 hours. If it can hold voltage when disconnected from your vehicle, but drops voltage when connected, you may have a parasitic draw that is discharging your battery.

One of the reasons your grandpa's old classic cars may not discharge batteries, is because they are probably fairly simple from an electrical standpoint. Newer vehicles tend to have higher parasitic draws and will discharge any battery at a faster rate than a vehicle from the 50s or 60s.

Dan, anytime your battery is deeply-discharged to the point where it needs to be jump-started, it is a good idea to fully-charge the battery with a battery charger as soon as possible. Most alternators are designed to maintain batteries, not recharge deeply-discharged batteries. Asking an alternator to perform that task can lead to a series of dead batteries and jump-starts, until either your battery or alternator fails. Add an underdrive pulley to the mix and this problem can get worse in a hurry.

You are correct that vehicles that see regular use tend to have fewer battery-related issues, regardless of brand. Proper voltage maintenance is the key to long battery life, regardless of brand. When any battery is discharged below 12.4 volts and allowed to sit in that state, sulfation will begin to diminish both capacity and lifespan. That makes a quality battery tender or maintainer an excellent investment for any vehicle that doesn't see regular use. Even though you've tucked that RedTop underneath your workbench, it may be worth charging and checking, to see if it still has some life left in it. I know more than a few people (myself included), who are driving around everyday with “dead” Optima batteries (http://forums.corral.net/forums/9423122-post14.html) under the hood.

Many of the “dead” batteries returned to us now are just deeply-discharged and work fine, when properly-recharged. Unfortunately, many battery chargers will not recognize or charge any battery that has been discharged below a minimum voltage threshold (usually around 10.5 volts). This is a charger-specific issue and not unique to Optima. In fact, other manufacturers have dealt with this issue by simply voiding the warranty on batteries discharged below a specific voltage level. We haven't done that, but we did create this YouTube video (http://youtu.be/dIoaL3DWWEg), which explains how to recover these batteries.

Since Husky44 mentioned the “g” word, I should also clarify that Optima batteries are not “gel” batteries, but absorbed glass mat (AGM) lead-acid batteries in a SpiralCell design. Gel batteries have very specific charging requirements are not typically found in automotive applications. Additionally, charging a non-gel battery on a “gel” or even “gel/AGM” setting may not fully-charge the non-gel battery and could damage it over time. If anyone has any questions about our batteries, I'll do my best to answer them.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc."

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

Well, i didn't turn it in for a core charge just in case there is a way to recharge it. If it'll recharge, i'll take back every word i said...in fact i'll be damn impressed so we'll see.

[Dirtyd0g]

I just figured out why I am having problem with a brand new lawn mower battery. I have an old charger my dad gave me that will charge it. Or at very least get it started so the good charger can detect it.
Alan

[Chris Lazzo]

I ran Optima RED/YELLOW for 15 years + Never Never a problem. :bigthumb