Bad Optima Battery?

[TwoHorses]

It's only a year old... that's what has me puzzled. It seemed fine when I drove it frequently. But after it sat for almost two weeks it would not start. My initial feeling is that I have a drain. So I searched this site and tried all the advice. I can't find anything major. At one time I had the starter wire, all three wires going to the alternator, and every fuse in my block popped out. Still my sensitive tester would tell me I had a drain.... but just how much is unclear. I have no door lights or map lights or anything. Just a radio that can't possibly drain a good battery that fast. The tester I had was a simple alligator clip on one end and a pointer (like a screw driver) to touch the other end and complete the circuit. I got the feeling reading thru other threads that is would light up on just about anything.

Then my friend brought over a volt meter. I'm not much of an electrical guy so I was only able to do basic things. I know the battery gets up to around 13 volts with the engine running. And my battery charger has an option to read the alternator out as well... that read 100%. That's when I started to wonder if it was the battery.

I pulled it out of the truck and gave it a good charge. My charger indicate also the % that the battery takes. Like in spring I charged both of my batteries from stored vehicles to 100%. After charging the battery this morning I used the voltmeter to measure 11.90 volts. I put the battery
in my backseat and went to work. I just measured it again.. three hours later and it read 11.69. At that rate I could understand why it would not start my truck after sitting a few days.

So I have my receipt from Sears and I plan to make the effort of explaining what happened and hopefully they'll agree and give me a new one. It does have a three year warranty. I just hope it's not a hassle.

Sorry for the long post.... but opinions are welcome. Especially on whether a battery should drain that quickly just on it's own.

I'm curious to see what it reads after work.

thanks for your time...

 

[Steve]

Optimas are weird for charging. Instead of reposting stuff here, read this thread on another board I'm on for info about charging them when the voltage gets low.

 

[ransil]

To test for a draw on the battery take the negative batter terminal off the battery and connect you test light to the cable and the battery post. If it lights up something is drawing in the battery.

That voltage on the "charged battery" looks low. battery should be charged from 2.4-2.6 volts per cell (14.4 - 15.6) immediately after charging the battery should settle out around 12.5 volts.

 

[iwlbcnu]

I was going thru this on my stang, I only have .01 volt drain but if I leave the car for 2 weeks or more it is dead. I finally just started pulling the neg cable off. The batt stays charged now. I put a standard batt in and have no problems.
You have to recharge a spiral cell very slow.

 

[Broncobowsher]

Since you already have it out and are on the way to the store, go for it. I am willing to bet that they will want to keep it for a day to charge before they test it. Let them, it's there policy.

Now if they say it is good, have them take it off the charger and wait a couple of days to pick it up. Have them test it in front of you. Then you will be walking wout with a new battery.

Personally I would not buy any more new Optimas. I have seen them go grom a great company a few years ago into only an OK product, but still charging the premium price. I currently own 3 Optimas, when they go they will be phased into Odosseys.

 

[Nobody]

Your draw is very likely coming from a bad voltage regulator.

Everyone says optimas aren't what they used to be, but I've always had good luck. The other day I left the key on in the exploder and killed the batt. Grabbed the optima that's been on my garage floor for a year and jumped it no problem.

It's very hard on batteries to run them completely dead, unless it's a deep cycle. Do that a few times to any starting battery and it will be toast.

 

[sprinksbeme]

When you get a charged battery remove the neg. cable and listen for clicks, relays that are energized will drop out. I have ruined a couple of optimas be cause Ileft lockers on, compressor switch on, and once off road lights swicth when the lamps where not attached.
Marty

 

[73stallion]

someone told me last night that optima has a 3 year warranty on their batteries, is this true?

 

[Nobody]

Red Tops have a 3 year replacement I think. Yellow and Blue only have a 1 year.

edit: look here http://www.1st-optima-batteries.com/warranty.asp

 

[blubuckaroo]

Optima-Shmoptima!
It's just a battery that has round plates. It's subject to the same problems that any other battery has.
Just another overpriced marketing gimmick!

 

[Apogee]

Optima-Shmoptima!
It's just a battery that has round plates. It's subject to the same problems that any other battery has.
Just another overpriced marketing gimmick!

Actually, the plates are rectangular and the cells are round. It used to be arguably the best AGM battery on the market, but I'd say that Hawker and DEKA are now well ahead of Optima (JCI owned now) in both quality, performance, and value with their AGM products. It's always sad to see a quality product degrade into something marginal. DEKA has my money when my Optima fails...granted, that could be a while since it's one of the old ones. ;D

 

[MarsChariot]

I can't believe folks are still buying Optimas. The original ones were good for 6 or more years. I just replaced my eight year old Optima...with an Odyssey. As RRRAAAYYY pointed out a year or two ago, the company that originally made them sold out. And the current company is just making money on the name. They are using the customer for quality control, thereby saving lots of money in production, but selling it like it was the same high quality of the original. Kind of like the lifetime starter thing. You will be taking it back for a lifetime.

 

[Broncobowsher]

I can't believe folks are still buying Optimas. The original ones were good for 6 or more years. I just replaced my eight year old Optima...with an Odyssey. As RRRAAAYYY pointed out a year or two ago, the company that originally made them sold out. And the current company is just making money on the name. They are using the customer for quality control, thereby saving lots of money in production, but selling it like it was the same high quality of the original. Kind of like the lifetime starter thing. You will be taking it back for a lifetime.

I know that from other sources as well. My uncle had a battery shop several years back. Been a lifelong friend of a battery wholesaler here in Phoenix. for several years I had a good lead on Optimas and could sell them cheap. Just enough to cover my overhead and keep 1 spare battery in stock. Nice little side business. But a few years ago they started coming back to me in droves the same time the supply dried up. Needless to say I couldn't sell a quality product to friends anymore, was eating it with warranty hassles, I got out of the little time battery business. I put a good older one in the Bronco and quit dealing with them.

 

[TwoHorses]

I went to Sears. They were cool. Because they were fading out the Optimas they gave me a new Platinum Series battery with 880 cold cranking amps!!

Now I'll monitor this battery and track the voltage to see how it does. Funny if I really did have a drain that I just overlooked. But really... I got a bare bones truck... not much could draw... except I do want to check into the voltage regulator possibility. Where is that and what does it look like??? I have a 91 5.0 engine and no clue what I'm looking for.

thanks for your help!

 

[TOFIC]

If you want to know the straight goods on this problem get RRRAAAYY222 on this board to fill you in. Now if you ask rrreaalll nice Ray will put his phone number on this thread for you. When it comes to electrical stuff on my Bronco my first call is to RRAAYYY he is the man!!! on electrical
TOFIC

 

[RRRAAAYYY2]

Kind of like the lifetime starter thing. You will be taking it back for a lifetime.

I like this one loads, I have a real grin from ear to ear. Hope you dont mind, but I am going to be repeating it too, lots. LOL

The only thing I dont get is why in the title of the thread there is a question mark. There is no question of whether Optima is a bad battery or not.



Now to be constructive. Your battery had internally shorted its plates. This is where your problem was, not likely any where else. Take your volt meter and test your battery with the engine off, it should have over 12.7 volts in it. Then start the vehicle and retest the votlage. It should climb up to over 14 volts within a few minutes. If you get both of those readings, dont go checking anything else, your system is working well. You run the risk of damaging something if you arent sure what you are doing. If you dont get those readings, call me and i will try to help you figure it out.

 

[Madgyver]

So how long should an Optima Battery last?

And what is a better battery on the market now?

I've had all my Optimas (4) for awhile now and I'll need a new battery soon now that I have a couple more rigs running and on the road..

Swapping batteries to move rigs can be a pain....

 

[Apogee]

So how long should an Optima Battery last?

And what is a better battery on the market now?

Lead acid batteries start dying the minute they're manufactured. It's inherent in the design. The more lead alloy and lead oxide they have, the heavier the battery is, the longer it should last. I say should, because any flaw or defect can significantly alter things and certain climates are less friendly to batteries than others. The old Optimas seemed to regularly last 6 years or more with normal use, occasional winching, etc. The new ones should last almost that long if they don't fail for a defect reason before then, but that's becoming less and less common from what I've seen.

I'd say that the DEKA Intimidator (http://www.eastpenn-deka.com/assets/base/1143.pdf) is probably the best bang for the buck, only because it is significantly cheaper than the Hawker Odyssey. At least it was last time I checked. On a side note, JCI bought Optima (from a division of Mitsubishi I believe) and while Optima went downhill rapidly, they actually make very good flooded cell batteries and are the second largest battery producer in the world after Exide (who you couldn't pay me to take a battery from).

 

[RRRAAAYYY2]

Great post, not much to add.

JCI owns Interstate, Exide, optima, and recently bought Delphi as well. The only thing good I have heard about any of these companies lately is that Interstates Preimum line is out lasting the free replacement warranty. Which in some brands is a major miracle.

I lie Deka, great bang for your buck. Far better than exide or Optima and can be found cheaper. It is 6lbs heavier than either one of them. The Odyssey is another 10lbs on the Deka, also has 7 yeat free replacement warranty. Which is unheard of. (the life time BS warranties have lots of fine print) Odyssey is expensive, but you get what you pay for.

 

[MarsChariot]

Great post, not much to add.

JCI owns Interstate, Exide, optima, and recently bought Delphi as well. The only thing good I have heard about any of these companies lately is that Interstates Preimum line is out lasting the free replacement warranty. Which in some brands is a major miracle.

I lie Deka, great bang for your buck. Far better than exide or Optima and can be found cheaper. It is 6lbs heavier than either one of them. The Odyssey is another 10lbs on the Deka, also has 7 yeat free replacement warranty. Which is unheard of. (the life time BS warranties have lots of fine print) Odyssey is expensive, but you get what you pay for.

The Odyssey is indeed heavy. I swear the front passenger side is lower now that the Odyssey 1500DT is sitting in its station.
It also did cost beaucoup de bucks. But I am telling myself that I am good until 2013 or beyond. Any additional cost offsets being stranded in the wilds of New Mexico late at night at the end of a long hike and the cost in angst, time, dollars, and safety. We don't just use these Broncos to go to the local grocery. The equipment needs to be the best or close to it.