Any trouble with red tops?

[454k30]

I have a red top optima, purchased last july. I love the starting power that this thing has but I have concern. That concern is that this battery doesnt seem to hold a charge well. I can have it fully charged disconnected and a week later it is down to 10 volts and cant crank my 454. Maybe I am being picky but I thought these optimas were supposed hold a charge for a very long time. Has anyone else experienced these problems?

 

[thedrip]

My redtop holds charge for literally months. Pull it out of a car, throw it on the floor in the shop, 3 months later backhoe battery died, put the redtop in the backhoe, started right up.

 

[ryoken]

Optima really seems to be screwing the pooch with their AGM's...

Best battery tech out there, we love the AGM's we run in the boats.. No funky charging parameters like the gels.. Tho they weigh a ton...

Apparently Optima may still be having the same issue they had a few years ago with changing out some of their materials...

You guys should really consider looking at marine batteries next time your in the market for an AGM style battery.. We've had no issues with the ones we've been installing... I'll have to peek in the battery room tuesday and see what brand it is we're selling...

 

[Jason4x4]

only problem i've ever seen with a red top is when they go dead, they never recharge good. if you can keep it from going dead, they will last for years, but as soon as it has to be recharged, the life of it just got flushed.

 

[uberbeans]

I have a red top optima, purchased last july. I love the starting power that this thing has but I have concern. That concern is that this battery doesnt seem to hold a charge well. I can have it fully charged disconnected and a week later it is down to 10 volts and cant crank my 454. Maybe I am being picky but I thought these optimas were supposed hold a charge for a very long time. Has anyone else experienced these problems?

Same problem. You have a draw on your battery when the key is off. I am currently troubleshooting the same problem. If you come up with a solution or leads please post up!

 

[ryoken]

he says "disconnected"

have you done the testlight in line method of checking? finding draws is a very simple procedure...

 

[sled_dog]

many guys say when you discharge an optima fully, it will never fully recharge properly. With that said, I have fully discharged my red top MANY times over the past few years, and the damn thing still tests out with more Cold Cranking Amps than it is rated for (testing with our equipment at work).

 

[uberbeans]

he says "disconnected"

have you done the testlight in line method of checking? finding draws is a very simple procedure...

Doah! Weird how it loses charge when disconnected. I figure that something I have installed is wrong (I suspect my MSD 6AL). I am about to install Edlebrock pro-jection and will do the test light stuff next. The truck is so simple, it can't be that hard to find. My 6AL is a dealer demo that I got for free years ago from a friend. I wonder if they have something different in them to prevent the from being used on a vehicle. It's funny it even says on it "not for sale". What do you think? (sorry to hijack).

 

[badmix]

I had a mix of problems with my truck and a redtop. I had some bad wiring, once I fixed that, I still had issues with my redtop. took it to auto store and they said it had a cell shorted. Not sure what caused it, but I traded it underwarranty and got a yellow top. I havent had any issues lately. I heard rumor that there have been some bad redtops out there.

 

[ryoken]

Doah! Weird how it loses charge when disconnected. I figure that something I have installed is wrong (I suspect my MSD 6AL). I am about to install Edlebrock pro-jection and will do the test light stuff next. The truck is so simple, it can't be that hard to find. My 6AL is a dealer demo that I got for free years ago from a friend. I wonder if they have something different in them to prevent the from being used on a vehicle. It's funny it even says on it "not for sale". What do you think? (sorry to hijack).

all batteries will lose SOME charge from sitting.. how they are stored, maintained is the important factor... A well maintained battery in storage's charge loss is pretty negligable if occasionally trickle charged...

I'd doubt the 6A is any different, but stranger things have happened.. companies do occasionally sabotage demo items... but usually just so they don't work...

back to the AGM's now...

 

[Chaddy]

I had a red top that sat in the cold for 3 months and died. The battery never held a charge after that. It was under warranty so I got a new one. The guy at the counter said that was the third red top that month.
I have had this one ever since (4years) and it works great so far.

 

[boz42]

back to the AGM's now...

forgive my ignorance, what does AGM stand for?

 

[MaxPF]

Absorbed Glass Mat. It's a type of sealed lead-acid battery technology. Anyway, I have found that charging is somewhat critical with an Optima. If it is discharged it needs to be charged at a fairly slow rate (10A or less) in order to fully accept a charge. Temp is also important - a cold battery doesn't charge well.