Optima Red Top Battery Info Request...

[~JM~]

Anyone have an Optima Red Top Battery?

I just bought one a few months back & I'm beginning to think it may have a bad cell in it. I've recently heard that Optima is not the high quality battery it originally was.

What type of voltage are you guys seeing with your battery?

Is there any type of load testing, or other tests that I can perform at home?

This battery is for starting a big block V-8. Trying to determine if the battery is faulty, or the starter is.

Thanks

 

[Quick6'n'-K.C.]

Anyone have an Optima Red Top Battery?

I just bought one a few months back & I'm beginning to think it may have a bad cell in it. I've recently heard that Optima is not the high quality battery it originally was.

What type of voltage are you guys seeing with your battery?

Is there any type of load testing, or other tests that I can perform at home?

This battery is for starting a big block V-8. Trying to determine if the battery is faulty, or the starter is.

Thanks

I have had them in equipment and my own cars. They are not made to sit with slight draw on them without being started and ran. If your car sat for over a month, your cars small amp draw may cause it to go dead

I would trickle charge or drive it around for awhile. Pull the positive lead off the battery and put your meter to amps and see what the key OFF amp draw is

Then put cable back on, put meter on battery and see what the volts drop to while cranking
Possible cable issue, use a pair of jumper cables and jump from positive cable to starter, neg cable to ground

If it cranks over faster with the jumper cables on, find out which cable you have is weak / bad/ corroded

Is the cable in the trunk and what kind of wire did you use?

 

[~JM~]

Engine is Cadillac 500

Starter, cables, etc, all new several years ago, then vehicle sat inside garage until recently.

Optima battery was purchased mid February & has disconnect mounted on negative post. I disconnect the battery & charge with battery tender.

Sometimes the starter spins & fires the engine right off & sometimes I turn the key & nothing. I started the engine & let it warm up today, then drove about 2.5 miles & parked. Came back out about an hour later, turned the key & nothing. Battery showed about 10-11 volts on dash mounted volt meter. Multi-meter reading was 12 volts. Jumped the solenoid to starter contacts with screwdriver. Starter motor spun but would not engage flywheel. We dropped the starter & removed solenoid housing. Everything looked clean. Applied a bit of grease inside, reassembled & installed back onto engine. Hit the key & engine fired right off. Drove for about 30 minutes to charge battery, then went home. Pulled into garage, shut it off & tried again. Started right up. Shut off & tried again. Nothing. No start, no clicking, nothing. Opened battery disconnect & hooked up battery tender. Went back about an hour later & it fired up, shut off, fired up, about 6 times with no issues.

The vehicle has a dash mounted clock that will draw down the battery if left connected for several days. I wouldn't think it would drag it down in an hour or so. I'm thinking the battery is faulty, or the starter may be heat soaking. The engine does have headers, but they are not wrapped around the starter.

 

[~JM~]

PS. Battery is mounted in engine compartment on drivers side firewall.

 

[~JM~]

After a full trickle charge from the battery tender.

Battery reads 12.8 V.

Hit starter & battery dropped to 10.5 V range.

Replaced battery tender.

 

[Quick6'n'-K.C.]

The battery should not drop down to 10.5 volts while cranking, or trying to crank. I would swap in a spare battery see what that one drops to. It MIGHT drop to 11.7 volts.

Its the battery, its weak and has no cranking voltage. Take it where you bought it, see if they can load test it to the cranking amps that the battery is specified at say 600, hit 600 or so and see where the volts are,.... if the volts are less than 11.9 or so at peak cranking amps, ditch it and get a new battery,. You may need a 1000 cranking amp battery if its high compression.....

Your starter needs a heat shield by the way lol

Thats what i would do!

 

[~JM~]

I'm hoping that it is the battery.

This project was many years in the building, then sidetracked & set aside when things were tight. Just returning to it & trying to work out the bugs.

Thanks.

PS. Compression is 9.5:1

 

[WH1]

I went through the same thing with a red top from Advance Auto. Everytime I'd try to get them to replace it they would have to put it on their deep charger which would revive it. I never could keep it charged or get it replaced. I was told I had to use their (optima) trickle charger which was $300. I now have a $59 Service Auto battery on my trickle charger. I've had it for 7 years now.

 

[Mark E.]

Optimas are not the same anymore. Having great luck with Odyssey 1500's.

 

[87GN_Bart]

Optima POS had one paid large for it never lasted long, went with Delco no problems since. They are all hype once they need charging they are never the same.

 

[~JM~]

I had Optima batteries in my Dodge/Cummins truck & my Jeep. They lasted a long time, but eventually took a dump. This replacement battery is nothing like the previous ones. The Jeep's battery box is real tight & was set up around an Optima.

 

[2QUIK6]

Every Optima Red I have had got a dead cell within 3 years. I use yellow tops now in my boat and have had good luck, as well as Die Hard AGMs, but haven't had them but 2 years at the moment.

 

[TurboBuRick]

optima red = junk

 

[earlbrown]

I bought a used red top from a junkyard about 3 years ago. I would go dead from sitting all the time. If I slow charged it (I never fast charge a battery) then started the GN damn near everyday it would be fine.

Now, years later it can sit for weeks and bust my 4.2 right off.

First battery I ever had that healed. :/

 

[Backndagame]

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