What's new
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

Optima batteries, 4/10/18...battery status update

76zimmer

76zimmer

Flyin Rat
Staff member
Moderator
GMOTM Winner
Joined
Nov 14, 2005
Posts
33,026
Reaction score
34,830
Location
Kzoo, Mi
This one is a Gates, but looks like the Optima I just bought for my K5. The decision to get one was because the one I've got in my Jeepster has been in there since before my dad bought the vehicle in 93....still going strong.


HPIM1778.jpg
 
Last edited:
I bought a blue top a long time ago for my boat, probably 6 years now. It will hold a charge and recharge when totally dead. So I got a yellow top for my suburban. I am less then pleased with the 1 year old yellow top.

It has lost charge more then 6 times in one year. I've check for shorts and what not, nothing draining it.

I'm afraid this is going to be one of those companies that rest on past performance.
 
My dad's had a yellow top for his drag car. He has been far less than pleased. He has had multiple batteries die for no apparent reason (all replaced at no cost, so at least their customer service is good). But, this is on a car that doesn't get used much, and regularly sits for weeks or more between startups, which may have something to do with it. He's tried keeping them on a trickle charger, but that hasn't seemed to help.
 
I've lost two Optimas. A yellow top in my k5 and a red in my Jeep. The k5 was sitting for some time before it started giving me problems. Would loose its charge overnight. Swapped in a differnt battery and had no troubles...so I know it wasn't on the trucks end. The red top replaced a 6 year old Napa battery in my daily driven Grand Cherokee. Within two months it was dieing. Put a new Napa in and haven't looked back. The yellow lasted 11 months before it started giving me problems, I should have took it back before the warranty was up. Sold both of them on Craigslist for $100, the red was still in it's warranty period, but I was fed up with them.
 
DAM, not really what I wanted to hear, but the truth hurts...maybe I'll take it back.
 
my red top has been in my k5 since i bought it 5 years ago. took it out and put it in my dually so the k5 could sit in the driveway. basically it has been in the DD truck and when im gone can sometimes sit for two months at a time.
 
I've come across several bad ones in recent years. It seems the newer ones usually don't last any longer than a cheap, bottom of the barrel battery.
 
Interstate Batteries sells refurb'ed Otimas for $60-100 depending on what you are looking for. I haven't had any issues with them and have had them last longer than friends that have purchased brand new ones. I plan on buying two refurbs from my junk when I get to that point, I will never pay full price or an Optima again :D

I also put my junk on a trickle charger when it's not getting used :rolleyes:
 
I have 2 yellow tops that have gone from truck to truck to truck. One at 8 years or so and one about 6. When they die it takes awhile for them to charge back up. They are DEEP cycle. They don't like bieng jumpstarted. One they are charged, they hold for a long while. No problems here. I did hear Optima changed hands a few years ago and the quality went way down.
 
For the price of a optima you can buy 2 walmart Max batterys. They will do the same thing and last just as long... Even if they do have problems.. (Like many many optima batteries do) take it back.. No questions asked.. new battery
Plus you wont have the mind set ... "I paid over 100 dollars for my battery and "it is the best in the world" syndrome".
 
Thunder said:
For the price of a optima you can buy 2 walmart Max batterys. They will do the same thing and last just as long... Even if they do have problems.. (Like many many optima batteries do) take it back.. No questions asked.. new battery
Plus you wont have the mind set ... "I paid over 100 dollars for my battery and "it is the best in the world" syndrome".
Click to expand...

Yep I've had two yellow tops that crapped out after less than 5 years. Switched to a "cheap" Walmart battery and it's outlasted both of them.:mad:
 
my redtop only lasted a few years.once it died and i had to recharge it,it never held a charge again.took forever to jump start it also.had to build up a charge for like 15 minutes before it would give enough output to the starter to get it running.then it would only last a few days in between once it was fully charged.went to a national battery and go a month inbetween starts and is fine.what was it the oddysy batterys i believe they are called that are spiralcell also,but last way longer than optimas ive heard.
 
I probably shouldn't post in a battery thread - all that does is jinx things..

I've had good luck with Optimas (yellow/main, red/backup), and the truck sits 6-8 weeks between use. But I believe I've purchased those Optimas before the company changed ownership a few years ago, and from what I've seen, a lot of complaints came up after that change.
 
Last edited:
After seeing some decline on a few customers vehicles and a few friends with newer optimas(red top), I decided to pick up a NAPA brand Orbital battery, 10 bucks cheaper to start with but with my shop discount was around 20 cheaper. They are identical looking batteries. Ive left my K5 sit for a month a few times since then , and it fires up like a new truck. The other huge seller for me on the battery was that my friend fried his optima, via winching with no alternator belt. Hes a dumbass and thats his fault. But when he went to get it warrantied , it had to be taken to an authorized dealer, then sent to the factory to be tested. 30 short days later they mailed him a check for 95% of what a new one costs. There are napa parts stores all over here and with a hassle free exchange if ever needed, sold me on the orbital.
 
Hello, I noticed your conversation regarding our batteries and wanted to offer some assistance. cuervo, I’m sorry to hear about the problems you’ve been having with your YellowTop. Can you tell me what the key-off load is on your Suburban? We have a video (tech tips #7) on YouTube (I'm not allowed to post links), which explains some basic battery diagnostics, including how to check your key-off load. Depending on how new your Suburban is, it may need to sit idle for a 30-40 minutes, to make sure all the computers have gone into sleep mode.

A typical vehicle has a key-off load of about 25 milliamps. If your key-off load exceeds 100 milliamps, there is an electrical draw present, which can discharge a battery in a relatively-short amount of time. It’s also a good idea to re-check wiring, as there is no such thing as grounds that are “too good” and one-wire alternators are especially sensitive to good, quality grounds.

The key to long battery life, regardless of brand or type, is maintaining at least 12.4 volts in your battery at all times. If you are planning on storing your vehicle for extended periods of time, a battery tender/maintainer is an excellent investment, which will help extend the life of your battery. If you elect not to use a tender or maintainer, it’s still a good idea to make sure batteries are fully-charged when a vehicle goes into storage and the voltage is checked periodically to maintain 12.4 volts.

It’s also a good idea to check your voltage again, when bringing your vehicle out of storage. If your battery needs to be charged, the best way to do that is with a battery charger. Relying on an alternator to recharge a deeply-discharged battery can lead to a cycle of dead batteries and jump-starts, until either the alternator or battery fails.

Optima was acquired by Johnson Controls in 2000, but our quality has continued to improve under their ownership. Most of the “bad” batteries returned to us today are just deeply-discharged and work fine when properly recharged. Most battery chargers work fine on Optimas, but most chargers will not charge any battery that has been discharged below 10.5 volts. If you do deeply-discharge an Optima below 10.5 volts, we have another video (tech tips #3) on YouTube, which explains how to recover a deeply-discharged battery. If you have any other questions, I’ll do my best to answer them.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
 
Thanks for stopping in Jim! It's great to hear from company reps that actually take the time to respond.

I've received similar information about recovering deeply discharged Optimas but in both of my cases the batteries were completely unrecoverable.

This was years ago, but I did call Optima customer service and received some disconcerting advise when I was told that the reason I was losing the batteries was due to the inability of my vehicle's (one was a '94 Honda Civic, the other a '00 Acura Integra) charging system to meet the needs of a Group 51R Yellow Top.

Well, if that's the case then why make a battery for a vehicle that is "unable" to charge it!? Furthermore, why was it fine for 4 or 5 years and then out of nowhere completely dead? These were my daily drivers and never sat for more than a weekend with minimal draw (car stereo and alarm LED was it).
 
cdoggwsu said:
Thanks for stopping in Jim! It's great to hear from company reps that actually take the time to respond.

I've received similar information about recovering deeply discharged Optimas but in both of my cases the batteries were completely unrecoverable.

This was years ago, but I did call Optima customer service and received some disconcerting advise when I was told that the reason I was losing the batteries was due to the inability of my vehicle's (one was a '94 Honda Civic, the other a '00 Acura Integra) charging system to meet the needs of a Group 51R Yellow Top.

Well, if that's the case then why make a battery for a vehicle that is "unable" to charge it!? Furthermore, why was it fine for 4 or 5 years and then out of nowhere completely dead? These were my daily drivers and never sat for more than a weekend with minimal draw (car stereo and alarm LED was it).
Click to expand...
good question's.i was considering an Optima in the future.i just talked to a friend about it twenty minutes ago.and my neighbor work's for Johnson control's,so maybe a discount?:D after reading the replys i thought differently. i was going to suggest AC DELCO, but i hate side posts. i did have great luck with mine. now the Sears DIEHARD is the chit!!!i bought JR in 88.{when it was still a jimmy} and that battery lasted {sitting for a year or two at a time} till 2002. THAT IS NO BS!!!! it would need a jump, but after a few minute's of running, it would keep starting the rig.and most of us will never need a battery that can be mounted upside down.JR sit's most of the winter. i don't have the time or patience to tuck a battery in everynite.
 
OptimaJim said:
Hello, I noticed your conversation regarding our batteries and wanted to offer some assistance. cuervo, I’m sorry to hear about the problems you’ve been having with your YellowTop. Can you tell me what the key-off load is on your Suburban? We have a video (tech tips #7) on YouTube (I'm not allowed to post links), which explains some basic battery diagnostics, including how to check your key-off load. Depending on how new your Suburban is, it may need to sit idle for a 30-40 minutes, to make sure all the computers have gone into sleep mode.

A typical vehicle has a key-off load of about 25 milliamps. If your key-off load exceeds 100 milliamps, there is an electrical draw present, which can discharge a battery in a relatively-short amount of time. It’s also a good idea to re-check wiring, as there is no such thing as grounds that are “too good” and one-wire alternators are especially sensitive to good, quality grounds.

The key to long battery life, regardless of brand or type, is maintaining at least 12.4 volts in your battery at all times. If you are planning on storing your vehicle for extended periods of time, a battery tender/maintainer is an excellent investment, which will help extend the life of your battery. If you elect not to use a tender or maintainer, it’s still a good idea to make sure batteries are fully-charged when a vehicle goes into storage and the voltage is checked periodically to maintain 12.4 volts.

It’s also a good idea to check your voltage again, when bringing your vehicle out of storage. If your battery needs to be charged, the best way to do that is with a battery charger. Relying on an alternator to recharge a deeply-discharged battery can lead to a cycle of dead batteries and jump-starts, until either the alternator or battery fails.

Optima was acquired by Johnson Controls in 2000, but our quality has continued to improve under their ownership. Most of the “bad” batteries returned to us today are just deeply-discharged and work fine when properly recharged. Most battery chargers work fine on Optimas, but most chargers will not charge any battery that has been discharged below 10.5 volts. If you do deeply-discharge an Optima below 10.5 volts, we have another video (tech tips #3) on YouTube, which explains how to recover a deeply-discharged battery. If you have any other questions, I’ll do my best to answer them.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
Click to expand...

Jim, thanks for the response to your products....as stated in my original post, I bought on personal experience of the one in my Jeepster. Can you tell me if that is your product from the early 90's...Its a Gates Label on it, but I have never had to charge it, and may let my Jeepster sit for a couple months at a time, in a MI cold garage, and it always shows more than 12.5 when I do test it. I'm just flat out impressed with it.
I have a Exide in my DD burb, bought in 4-06 and it is showing loss of holding a good voltage. Also had an Interstate in my Vette that sat over the winter a few years, but in a controlled environment, and after 4 years it was losing holding power too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Posts

Top Bottom