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Optima battery problems

Eric M.

Eric M.

1/2 ton status
Joined
Dec 10, 2001
Posts
2,142
Reaction score
3
Location
Oakland, CA
I have a few Optima battries. They seem to work fine if the vehicle is driven regularly. If I park for 2 or 3 months, even disconnecting the battery, it dies and won't take a charge. I did a warranty exchange with one, got it in before the 1 year mark - the replacement lasted 6 months, granted the last 3 were sitting disconnected.

I can bring a DieHard or Kragen battery back to like year after year with no problems. I pay 3 times more for an Optima and it's gone in a year if I don't drive it every day.

Anyone else hving this problem? Are the dry cells just no good if not being used (charged) on a daily basis?

Thanks,

Eric M.
 
I am glad I am not the only one having problems w/ optimas. I have replaced 3 red tops in the past few years. All were covered under the replacement warrenty. I now leave a solar charger attached when I am not constantly driving a truck w/ one in it. I have red tops in my 95 and 96, and a yellow top in my 87. Hopefully the chargers keep the batts strong...
 
are optimas turning to junk? I bought one 4 years ago...let my truck sit about a year, cables attached and it had enough power to crank still, but had to fully charge it to start the truck... its still in the truck today
 
The quality of Optimas over the last year or so has fallen drastically while the price keeps going up.

I work at Advance Auto and we have done QUITE a few warranty exchanges.

I bought one about 4 years ago and installed it into my sas s10. It sits for months at a time, once for over a year, and it always starts the truck. The time I let it sit for a year it needed a jump but took a charge very well.

I wouldn't buy a new one.

edit: Wow, is this really my first post? I've been coming here for the last year and a half and never posted?
 
This is why I run Odyssey batteries. Sit for a year without a charge, and will still start a truck. I have battery tenders on all other types of batteries. 8 total. I does not matter what battery you have. Keep it charged with a floater and it is no big deal.
 
my buddy who owns a battery sop told me that optima started putting recycled lead in their batteries and it won't hold a charge like the old ones would
 
So besides Odyssey who else makes a $150 or less good battery to replace these Optima`s?
 
I actually have one of those no-name 29.99 wally world specials in my car and it's about 6 yrs old and starts no matter tthe weather. or how long it's been sitting.
 
Dafey said:
So besides Odyssey who else makes a $150 or less good battery to replace these Optima`s?
Click to expand...
Don't know if it is still around $150, but Napa has a spiral cell battery that is pretty reliable. I haven't run one in a while, but that was the plan for when I replace the battery in my Blazer. Probably pick up a second for the Blazer as well.
 
$150..........maybe for BOTH batteries in my dual setup on the Blazer. I installed my first set of Duralast Golds in my Blazer back in the mid-late 90's and they lasted almost 10 years before I replaced them with the same brand. They had a hard life also as the truck sat for long periods of time and got beat up off-road including using the winch. I also went through a few bouts with fuel pumps and glow plug issues in which the batteries got drained all the way down trying to start it several times.
 
Dafey said:
So besides Odyssey who else makes a $150 or less good battery to replace these Optima`s?
Click to expand...

My local non-chain parts place sells Delphis, of all things, and I've had good luck with those. Even the Autolites or Exides or the like do well as long as I remember to keep 'em charged. The starting battery in my K5 is giving me a bit of grief lately, but I didn't charge it much this last winter while the truck was sitting, so I may have prematurely hastened its end. (Actually, thinking about it, it got basically NO charging for several MONTHS, so that's a sure way to kill any battery :( )

When you go shopping, look for the highest capacity normal-style battery, as most places have a few levels of battery -- and the cheap one is never EVER the one to buy =)) I think ours are group 78, for the regular trays... the CUCV fit group 31's, IIRC, with a little fiddling.

I say "normal-style" as I've been running your basic normal lead-acid batteries on cars and trucks and for winches and stereos and lights, etc etc ... and as long as they're treated well, they've always lasted just fine for me. I've never seen the justification for the crazy expensive fancy types like the spiral cells. I have run "marine" deep-cycles for some auxiliary styles, so for your winches/lighting/stereo second battery these may be worth the extra $$, depending hon how you're gonna isolate it.

It's also worth checking around -- be it the chain stores, Wally World or a local NAPA or a non-chain place. When I bought mine, Kragen's nice ones were 650CCA/800CA capacity, and the local place had the Delphis at 850/1000, for $5 or $10 more, which is a no-brainer. On our trucks you can NEVER have too much battery... what with the GM starters and especially on the pre-TBI trucks that take a while to catch in the cold.

Eric, this is more intended for Don, but if you get a bit east, I *highly* recommend Monument Car Parts (the local non-chain house ... Martinez or Pleasanton would be closest to you I think) :)

-- A
 
yup, batteries need to be maintenenced... AGM's aren't immune... All our winter storage batteries get trickle charged periodically...
 
There's a lot to be said about the Optimas...the yellow top I had in my Integra was the only battery I found that would run a 500 watt stereo with 2 10's for over an hour and crank right up. That being said they do put a mean drag on your charging system and they hate short trips. My last one only lasted 6 years with short (10 to 15 mins) trips each day and a lot of stereo running with the car off. I decided to bag it and go with the WW (Everstart) special after my last one died last week. We'll see if I can live up to the Optima, but needless to say I was disappointed with only a 6 year life.
 
dremu said:
Eric, this is more intended for Don, but if you get a bit east, I *highly* recommend Monument Car Parts (the local non-chain house ... Martinez or Pleasanton would be closest to you I think) :)

-- A
Click to expand...

I'll check it out. You know I'm living in Oakland now, on the San Leandro border?

Eric M.
 
Eric M. said:
I'll check it out. You know I'm living in Oakland now, on the San Leandro border?

Eric M.
Click to expand...

Yep ... well, thought it was San Leandro proper, but I knew you'd moved to this side of the water. 'Swhy I'd mentioned it -- still a bit far, but it would be silly to recommend them if you were across a bridge ;)

-- A
 
LOL over the years I have seen a lot of posts here about Optima problems, failing after a short time, charging problems ect.
But nobody seems to complain about Wally world batteries. You can buy 3 for the cost of one Optima. If one goes bad just take it back and get a new one for free or a very small prorate cost. No questions asked. I took one back after 5 years because it was cranking slow and not charging fully. It was out of the free replacement peroid but it only cost me 14.00 for a new battery.
 
Thunder said:
LOL over the years I have seen a lot of posts here about Optima problems, failing after a short time, charging problems ect.
But nobody seems to complain about Wally world batteries. You can buy 3 for the cost of one Optima. If one goes bad just take it back and get a new one for free or a very small prorate cost. No questions asked. I took one back after 5 years because it was cranking slow and not charging fully. It was out of the free replacement peroid but it only cost me 14.00 for a new battery.
Click to expand...
Hell the Autozone battery in mine is over 6yrs old acording to the tag. twice it has sat for over a month and cranked right up like I had just drove it the day before.
When I get ready for a 2nd battery set up Ill buy another from them.
Im lucky to have one by me with real old men who know there Sh*t.
Plus 2 Checkers,carquest ,2 autozones , wally world and a NAPA with in 4 miles.HEHE town is only like 6 miles long though.
 
My Ranger has an Exide from 1999 in it.. still starts and would still be on the road if the trany didn't take a dump two weeks ago.
 
I run two yellow tops. I had an issue with one when I completly drained it by leaving the interior light on for a few days before I found it. I jumped it, but it wouldn't maintain a charge just from the alternator. And that is a 250 amp Powermaster. I decided to stick the battery charger on it on 2 amps overnight. Since then it has been good. No other issues.

I bought the yellow tops because I needed sealed batteries. My Walmart specials would loose fluid on steep hill climbs. The yellow tops fixed that.
 
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