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

Can it run headlights off the battery? That's a load. You can also jumper cable it to a 12V air compressor, some spare headlights or whatever. If it's dropping below 12V right away, there is probably a bad cell. For cranking, it's normal for the voltage to drop pretty low. As long as the engine is turning, that's "good".
 
well it won't even crank the 14hp Kohler, doesn't even make the solenoid click, so I"m sure its no good! simply replacing the battery with no other changes and the tractor cranks fine.
 
Check for a static charge by putting the headlights on etc for a couple minutes. Typically 10.9 volts is a bad cell. And a bad cell will show once the static charge is gone.

Only way to test a load is with a battery tester
 
76zimmer said:
well it won't even crank the 14hp Kohler, doesn't even make the solenoid click, so I"m sure its no good! simply replacing the battery with no other changes and the tractor cranks fine.
Click to expand...

In my experience those small lawn tractor batteries are lucky to make it past 2-3 years--they seem to sulphate inside or the plates just lose their ability to work,plus the vibration and juggling around on a tractor takes a toll on them..and,many tractors sit idle long periods of time,which will kill any battery eventually..especially if there is any drain on it...most tractors have only a diode to prevent the battery from discharging through the stator coil under the flywheel,if that diode fails,it may still charge OK,but then kill the battery while its parked..

Sometimes you can revive one with a slow long charge,put it on a trickle charger that puts out under 5 amps and leave it on a few days..if it doesn't crank an engine over well after that,its time to use it for a core charge for a new battery..
 
My buddy bought a ctek charger and was able to revive 2 batts using it. For his Magnum and his lawn tractor. Supposedly has some desulfating effect on the plates... Not sure how it works.
 
I keep battery tenders on all my batteries when not in use. The battery in my other tractor is 5.5 years old now.
 
76zimmer said:
12-19 Update on my Optimas:

Redtop in the 99-2500...hasn't been driven in a month (driving the Rav4 now) showed 12.0...put a battery tender on it for the winter...its sitting outside all winter

Yellowtop in the Maiden is showing 13.2 and hasn't been on a charger, battery disconnect switch is off, but the FAST EZ EFI is hooked directly to the battery still...this was put on a battery tender as well.
Click to expand...

3/26/14 update:

Redtop in the 99-2500 4 years old now...after sitting outside all winter with a Battery Tender on it, it fired right up...no surprise there, the BT did its job.
drove the truck daily for about a week, let it sit for about a week doing nothing but sit outside, voltage is 12.3...not quite what it used to be, but it starts the truck without fail still.

Yellow top in the Maiden, not quite 4 years old, sitting in the heated shop all winter, without a charger on it, I've been keeping tabs on it about once/month...it show 13.1 consistently...the electrical disconnect switch has been off.[/quote]

Nov. 03.2014
Redtop is still in the 99 p/u....it gets used very little when I got the ole 76 CC doing duty...it has sat outside all summer/fall without a charger on it, and after sitting about 2 weeks without use, it measured 12.4. Still starts the truck without fail.

The Yellowtop is still in the Maiden and continues to sit for weeks or months at a time, usually with a tender on it in the shop, however it has been sitting in the garage for weeks at a time without any attention and measures 13.2 on a warmer day for November![/QUOTE]
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4/29/2016
99-K2500 with the red top:
After sitting all winter in a shed w a bettery tender on it, it has been in use in/off for about 6 weeks now and has sat for 5 days unattended and shows 12.4
The yellow top in the Maiden has sat all winter in the garage w a tender and shows 13.2[/QUOTE]

April.25.2017
99-K2500 red top, 7 years old now, this battery has been off a tender all winter, with occassional use every few weeks, it sat for 3 days before taking the present reading of 12.65

the Yellow top, almost 7 years old is showing 13.3 w/ a tender on it all winter in an unheated garage.
 
Piggy back Zim here a bit, my zombie batteries are still going good. Smokeys batteries are starting to show the age and the abuse they have taken . The other day they barely started Smokey after sitting all winter .

The set in the burb has been retired, they now reside under the work bench and get used for random projects which require batteries I would still trust them in a summertime rig , but cranking a stubborn 6.5 in subzero weather has left me needing to add jumper cables to finish of the job a few times.
 
You have a good set of batteries. Last one I had lasted 3 years. But peobablybwould have lasted longer if I had a battery tender on it from the looks of things. Mine sat all winter outside probably starting it once a month to charge battery. It's made the secen years a battery is supposed to at least without fail.
 
Optima Jim said the best thing you can do for a batt is keep it charged...hence I got a bunch of battery tender jrs on most of my junk most of the time if it's sitting for more than a week or two idle.
 
Ok so going back through this thread:

So I haven't been back to New Mexico in close 7 years , but Patty goes home at least once a year to visit . (She actually just got home from there last week) part of her trip consists of checking on and starting my junk in the shop down there.


the batteries in my yellow K20 are still good Patty popped on the master switch and let the fuel pump fill the float bowls on the demon pumped the shit out of it and coughed to life after .

The stepside tried to start but , needed a jump .

The V3500 also needed a jump but it was dead enough that the starter just clicked .

The brown 79 is at my dads , but it get used more often my dad takes it to breakfast 2 or 3 times a month but has still never had a starting issue
 
Nice, must have been the best of the best!
 
So Smokey wouldn't start the other day , I think this may be the end for those batteries. I swapped them out for the zombie batteries from the plow truck and put them on the charger maybe they will come back after some TLC . If they do come back they will go in the plow truck because it gets more use around my place .

To be honest , they don't owe me a thing . Any other batteries would have been ruined 4 times over with the abuse they received.
 
8/20/17
D34 yellowtop about 6 yrs old, no problems thus far in daily driver.

Will i buy another Optima? Probably not due to all the negative publicity.........
 
I also have 2 yellow tops in two daily drivers, no problem. Issue is letting it sit for a week or two. That's when I've come out to a dead battery. Both trucks.
 
Try disconnecting the battery cables and see if it still hAs a problem holding a charge.
I still se a battery tender to maintain when my junk sits for more than a week or two.
I've got 7 years on my motorcycle agm battery as well.
 
My Optima battery updates and some other info as well.

both Optimas are 8 years old now.

Yellow top in the Maiden...sitting on a Battery tender all winter, shows 13.4
RedTop in my 99-2500 sat all winter on a tender, took it out of the barn a couple weeks ago, but its sat for about a week untendered, shows 12.4.

I put an Interstate battery in the Vette in 2014...it died last Oct. so less than 4 years old and it was consistently kept on a tender as well as being in a controlled environment.

the AGM battery in the motorcycle has been on a tender all winter, it shows 12.1...its almost 8 years old.
 
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