JamesHigdon Posted December 6, 2011 Report Share Posted December 6, 2011 I’m having battery issues I can’t figure out. Our shop is seeing an inordinately large amount of batteries going bad and I can’t find a logical link to the issues. We are seeing issues with both standard and AGM (Optima) batteries. I have NEVER had battery issues until a few years ago when our supplier switched manufacturers, from then on in heavy draw applications the standard “heavy duty” parts store batteries where going bad (shorting out) so we switched to Optimas in those applications. Now we are seeing a large number of Optimas going bad and I am trying to figure out why. Specifically we have one customer with two cars that have both gone through an Optima a piece and I can’t figure out why. Both vehicles see less than .001 volts draw sitting but the batteries go bad when sitting for more than a few days. The first is a’68 Vette whi ch has a 110 amp powermaster 3-wire and is converted to run a voltage sensing wire from the horn relay buss which then charges the battery through a 4 gauge wire to the starter then back to the battery with a 0 gauge wire. The second is a mostly stock ’74 F-100 running a mostly stock electrical system converted to run a Ford ignition module and TFI coil. When we charge the batteries we run them at 2 amps (10 if they are very severely discharged) and try to never jump start them (as per Optimas website info in both cases). The only common links in all of these batteries is that they come from the same store and we charge and maintain them with a Northern Tools Schumacher charger. Is a it possible a bad charger could be toasting batteries? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiTech Posted December 6, 2011 Report Share Posted December 6, 2011 the biggest problem i see with batterys ..is parking them alot .then driving only a short time .never charges them back up that way ..i would put 1 amp .or 1.5 amp .chargers on em full time .....when not using the car and truck ...see if that helps ..i know this works for my customers who park their car or truck for days at a time ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrungot Posted December 6, 2011 Report Share Posted December 6, 2011 I have heard of Issues with the Optima Red Top... I run one in the race car & Had one crap out last year.. but it was almost 2 years old. It will hold a charge forever when fully charged. I took Alt off & started using a trickle charger during week & on Race Day.. trickle... Seems to work fine now.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Posted December 6, 2011 Report Share Posted December 6, 2011 The only common links in all of these batteries is that they come from the same store and we charge and maintain them with a Northern Tools Schumacher charger. Is a it possible a bad charger could be toasting batteries? In doing my own research on battery chargers recently, I came across several reviews from people who said they had switched because their old chargers had taken the batteries up to 16 volts and held them there for extended periods, causing them to die. So it is not unheard of, in fact it didn't seem to be all that uncommon. I'm not sure if the reviews named names, but you might check the ones on Amazon for your charger and see what they say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KISS_Racing Posted December 6, 2011 Report Share Posted December 6, 2011 Try This: Good Reading... Optima Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwmbishop Posted December 6, 2011 Report Share Posted December 6, 2011 A lot of the jeepers I talk to are noticing the same regarding the optima. 5 years ago you couldn't find three guys out of 20 saying bad things about optima and now you can't find three saying good! There was a change in their facility a few years ago... can't seem to recal what it was right now - but if I remember I will repost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double D racing Posted December 7, 2011 Report Share Posted December 7, 2011 i had problems with a schumacher charger also,and an optima battery as well.found out after not making two races because of this situation,i re-worked both clamps and whah-la !!!problem solved.and the optima is still good, 5 years old.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesHigdon Posted December 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2011 Fancy that Kiss, I did the exact same google search last night and found enough info. that I knew I wasn’t the only one having issues so I came here to see what real local people where dealing with… Besides that, I am going to go ahead and check the voltage my Schumacher charger is putting out and go from there with that. Many other shop owners and techs I have spoken with are dealing with the same battery issues right now and it seems the issues relate back to plates being made out of thinner lead, breaking, contacting and thereby shorting. It is pretty well known that AcDelco batteries are lucky to make it past the first 3 or 4 oil changes due to thinner plates and I am concerned that is what we are seeing with this new batch of Optimas. I am going to check out my charger tomorrow and revisit this. Related to this, has anyone had good luck with any brand/style of battery? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KISS_Racing Posted December 7, 2011 Report Share Posted December 7, 2011 I have two yellow tops in my F-350 and had planned to put one in the Mustang before I sold it. I love my yellow tops and have had no problems... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwmbishop Posted December 7, 2011 Report Share Posted December 7, 2011 Optimas purchased three or more years ago are great - but replacements since then seem to have a higher fail rate. I know several people who had yellow and blue tops for over five years of service - replaced them in the past two and had problems. My best friend replaced both yellows in his jeep and one failed within six months (wouldn't hold a charge even sitting on the shelf) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KISS_Racing Posted December 7, 2011 Report Share Posted December 7, 2011 Mine are less than two years old. I should check date codes. Seems like if Optima knew of an issue we would find some sort of a recall? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesHigdon Posted December 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2011 Mine are less than two years old. I should check date codes. Seems like if Optima knew of an issue we would find some sort of a recall? Optima Battery Issues Debated The issue seems more related to Red Tops then Yellows or Blues. Seeing as how the Red Top is the lower line battery it would follow they have thinner plates anyways making problems more likely to begin with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwmbishop Posted December 8, 2011 Report Share Posted December 8, 2011 Seems like if Optima knew of an issue we would find some sort of a recall? Not safety related so they just replace with the prorated warranty... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salvagemotor Posted December 8, 2011 Report Share Posted December 8, 2011 Seems like if Optima knew of an issue we would find some sort of a recall? Not safety related so they just replace with the prorated warranty... in most race cars i see the red top. i just now after 7 years took my yellow top out of my race car and put it in my boat and replaced the one in car with a new yellow top.. the most problem i see at track is guys are using the wrong style charger and then they put it on a high amp .. i have never used more than 10amp most time only 2amps.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dy97 Posted December 15, 2011 Report Share Posted December 15, 2011 Related to this, has anyone had good luck with any brand/style of battery? ive had three red tops over time.. every one failed rather quickly and they were not in race cars.. had one yellow top in a race car that out lasted the car then went to a truck and went and went for ever.. .. as of lately i have had the best luck with duralast.. have a couple several year old ones in my diesel and have had the same one in my race car for a few years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiTech Posted December 15, 2011 Report Share Posted December 15, 2011 Related to this, has anyone had good luck with any brand/style of battery? ive had three red tops over time.. every one failed rather quickly and they were not in race cars.. had one yellow top in a race car that out lasted the car then went to a truck and went and went for ever.. .. as of lately i have had the best luck with duralast.. have a couple several year old ones in my diesel and have had the same one in my race car for a few years DURALAST ARE TOP ........NOT JUST BECAUSE I WORK FOR AUTOZONE I SAY THIS ..ITS JUST THE PLAIN TRUTH ...65 DLG FOR DIESEL OR BIGGEST SELLERS ..SO ANYONE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH OTHER NAME BRAND BATTERYS .LOOK AT DURALAST ..THIS NOT A PLUG FOR THAT BATTERY NICK ...WE RUN EM .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyhorse Posted December 15, 2011 Report Share Posted December 15, 2011 i have optimas in 3 street trucks, 2 everyday drivers...and one race car. i don't know exactly why but they are all pretty much in sad shape. even from back in warmer weather, i've just been recharging them more lately. 2 of them are less than a year old! i will NOT be going back with optimas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAPosse Posted December 15, 2011 Report Share Posted December 15, 2011 Related to this, has anyone had good luck with any brand/style of battery? I've always had good luck with Interstate and it would be my first choice. I have one in my primary vehicle (Toyota 4R) that the wife and kids drive/ride in most of the time. They are a little pricier, but again, I've always had good luck with them. In a pinch, I purchased a Duralast from AutoZone a few years ago for my car. It went bad on me on the first sub-30 degree day we had last week. It was a little under 3 years old. I will cut it some slack though because of the heat it endures during the summers and the fact the car doesn't get driven more than 15 minutes at a time very often. When it does, it's usually to HOT, TMS, STS, I37....you get the idea. No hassle on the warranty exchange however, and I have a new Duralast in my car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Posted December 15, 2011 Report Share Posted December 15, 2011 Another forum I'm on had a discussion on this topic and the overwhelming consensus was that the best batteries were Duralasts, Interstates, and Die Hards. As it happens, they are all made by - Johnson Controls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwmbishop Posted December 15, 2011 Report Share Posted December 15, 2011 Another forum I'm on had a discussion on this topic and the overwhelming consensus was that the best batteries were Duralasts, Interstates, and Die Hards. As it happens, they are all made by - Johnson Controls Don't group them all too closely - for example the DieHard "Platinum" battery is not a traditional platform. It is Absorbed Glass Mat construction as is the Optima. Optimas are also made by Johnson Controls (who do make most traditional wet cell platform consumer batteries like Interstate, Duralast, Everstart, and Diehard.) The Diehard Platinum AGM battery is made by Odyssey and has an excellent reputation (as well as being MilSpec). The odyssey is very pricey - but well worth the extra - some folks are thinking the optimas recent issues are related to their spiral wound mat design and machining changes that may have changed the winding tension or case expansion characteristics (makes ense - but that's pure speculation)- odysseys are a flat mat design so compression between the mat and lead is a constant (and their pure lead tin gives a better plate with higher impedance). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiTech Posted December 16, 2011 Report Share Posted December 16, 2011 usage has alot to do with life of batterys . your auto or truck system .charging ..starting load you put on the car or truck .plays a part .lack of driveing ...high out put sterio systems ...bad cables .bad clamps ......battery not bolted down ..the average battery life a is about three years....our hot temps this last couple of years is wiping batterys out ..i cant name off batterys i see daily at work i would not buy ...dont want speedzone in trouble ,, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAPosse Posted December 16, 2011 Report Share Posted December 16, 2011 I hear ya HiTech....I took that all into account when I decided to go ahead and put another one in there. I really think between the heat and the way the car is used it's rough on the battery no matter what brand it is. I've been working nights lately, and the car sitting outside on a sub-30 night pushed it over the edge - it started fine in the garage before I went to work that day. Like I said, rarely is it run more than 15 minutes at a time (usually closer to 10) because I live real close to work. I did forget to mention, I do the basic maintenance on my in-laws car. They have a Duralast in one of their vehicles that's over 4 years old and the last time it was tested it's got a lot of life in it - so I do believe they are good batteries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiTech Posted December 17, 2011 Report Share Posted December 17, 2011 yep day after day of short runs will take a battery out ..i have to take my jeep down the road a couple of time's a week just to charge the battery .it only takes me maybe two minutes to drive to work ,,1 mile ...i notice if i just drive to work and back .in few days the starter has alittle drag to it .slow start ..batterys will not charge up completely on new cars like in the old days ..to many things being run by the charging system now .....if you park a car more than drive it ..then its time to plug in a 1 to 1.5 amp .to it full time ..that goes along way in saving batterys ..i have alot of older customers who i dont see as often now that they have a 1. to 1.5 amp on their cars ..good luck .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAPosse Posted December 17, 2011 Report Share Posted December 17, 2011 Thanks for the tip! I've considered them in the past but never got past the research stage. You're the 2nd person to mention it to me...so I think I'll be taking the advice. Santa comes next week!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiTech Posted December 18, 2011 Report Share Posted December 18, 2011 Thanks for the tip! I've considered them in the past but never got past the research stage. You're the 2nd person to mention it to me...so I think I'll be taking the advice. Santa comes next week!! good luck . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.