Optima Batteries

4dFord/SC

4dFord/SC

Well-known member
Optimas seem to be getting a bad rap lately over on the HAMB. My Red Top has been going strong for 6 years without a hiccup (now watch it expire on this weekend's long trip). Several friends are also using them and have had no problems (other than one that arrived DOA and was promptly replaced by the dealer). Just wondering what experience others have had with them?
 
I have three red tops. Two are in my F250 and are two years old. The other is five years old and gets used for whatever I need it for. I recently used it to start a Caterpillar D3. I've had no problems with any of them.
 
Tom I had one fail four years ago that died a sudden death with no warning signs. It sat on the floor 4 years as I wanted to cut it apart as I suspected inner connection failure. The second one which is 4 years old failed on my return trip to Florida about 3 weeks ago 800 miles from home. This one still had a wisper of power with 6.5 volts being produced but no power when loaded. Again I suspected bad connections. About 5 years ago the Optima height was increased 3/8" and again I suspected this was to make room for a better connection. I got back in Fl. on Sunday and on Monday put another Optima in the 39. Called Optima and their warrantee is NOW 3 years with a full replacement anytime within 3 years of purchase IF you have the sales recept. If you don't have a receipt it is 3 years from when the bar code on the battery says it was made. Optima knows they will last 3 years so they won't have many replacements, they don't want to prorate them because they know after 3 years the life is on a failure mode. I myself am willing to pay $125.00 for an Optima that I'm sure is going to last 3 years WITHOUT the pesky fumes discoloring paint and acid causing rust on the battery box and frame. If you drive a car enough on trips and hot days this acid is a problem. I cut both the old ones apart and they both failed at the same spot. Acid fume ate the lead where it comes off the plates and goes to the terminal. There was less than one inch of space from the top of the round cells to the bottom of the battery terminal on the older one. The newer taller one had about 1 1/2"s of clearance. There is also a vent hole in the top side of the newer units and was in the top of the older units. I was thinking when I saw the vent that this let air in and caused erriosion of the lead at the top edges of the cell and on the 8 or 9 .025 x by about 1" lead leads from the cell to bottom of the battery terminal. The thickness of the lead connectors between the cells and at the top of the terminial connectors was 3/16" thick on the older units and 1/4" onthe newer ones. ON the older batteery these plates were getting thinned down. The acid fumes eats and thins the lead in this area and gets thin enough a heavy amp load from the started thinning them. Some cell ends are burnt with a gap large enough on all 8 or 9 cell leads that the lights or even in some cases the 3 amps from the coil can't be carried by this bad connection. Continued pushing of the starter foot switch will eat the ends right off. With a solenoid operated starter the amperage to operate the solinoid coil can't be carried across this burnt connection. The acid fumes in the top of the battery also eat the edges of the lead at the top (I don't know about the bottom) cells where they a rapped between the glass cloth saturated with acid. These are lead acid batteries only constructed differant without the liguid being loose. This corrosion around the top edges of the cells from what I read on another battery site is called "moseing" and acording to them can be reduced by being rapped with material. This other company also makes a big thing out of not letting vent air in the top area. This vent is to release gas but acorrding to them should not be released and they have a I think 2 pound pressure releif valve as a safty valve so the pressure is released but no air is let in. Again I'm willing to pay $125.00 for an Optima that will last at least 3 years but I think they need further improvements. This other site is www.deckabatteries.com/assets/base/0139.pdf G.M.
 
One thing I failed to mention is the charging voltage is very critical within a few tenths of a volt and on hot day which I operate in all year and running on a trips 12 hours, 625 mile a day in over 100 degree temperatures may contribute to failure. I run mine at 7.45 to 7.50 volts and will have to check with Optima on these conditions. I need as much charge voltage as I can safley put in for the lights at night and this may be some of the problem but not all of it. G.M.
 
With a battery priced as it is, all it takes is one oh sh!t to screw up all the atta boys. If they moved manufacture to a country with questionable quality control practices, the Johnson Control boys may start to lose market share.

Kerby
 
I had great success with the 6V batteries but the one 12V I bought was replaced twice before I switched to another brand. The 12V just couldn't perform for much more than 1 yr for me. No more 12V optimas for me. I was paying about $150 for them. Al
 
I use them in battery back up systems on sump pumps, we install in the area of 200 batteries per year, some of these batteries are customer supplied some we buy, we have installed the full range of batteries, almost all but Penn. The battery is installed and we data base track them, we load test them at 4 years and suggest change out at 5 years. Why have a back up with a dead battery? We have a data base that covers roughly 500 batteries, Including marines, wet cells, Chinese AGMs, Optimas, the full range. The consensus is that on average, across the board that there has been a slightly higher failure rate among all AGM batteries, maybe 10%, wet cells are actually lasting a bit longer than the average, 6 years, most AGM's are reliable to about 5, then in a risk situation such as a basement flood they should be replaced. We NEVER open the batteries, we take them to a certified recycler, while GM has taken his batteries apart to discover what is wrong, I would advise against opening them up, honestly there is not much to see, it's not worth the danger of burning your self, trust his findings. They are correct and common to the failure of almost all AGMs. If you do open them they will not be covered by any warranty and the recycler charges you to take them. I suspect that across the board that there has been some type of a safety upgrade that is causing the terminal to erode under less stress. In my opinion it's a crap shoot as to what brand to buy, I suggest warranty be your guide, also try not to buy a huge cold cranking amp battery for a warm climate, high cca will just unduly stress your battery in a warm climate. If all else fails, the wet cells are performing well by my data base.
 
I "had" good luck until my last one. I returned the 2 others as its replacement. On the third time they said it was the last I could get. This was for an OT vehicle w/ a properly functioning charging system.

I'm needing a good 6v for my roadster. A gel cell would be great. Anyone have any recommendations?
 
I went to a lunch anniversery party for a friend and his wife a few years ago. We sat at the table with one of his daughters who worked for a large well known auto battery manufacture. She was in charge of production on certain modles. All of the batteries that came off that line were all the same with no internal changes. The only differance in any of them was the plastic lables with the names they were made for AND THE WARRANTEE LABLE. You don't get any better quality you just pay more to get a prorated warrantee. I would guess if you figured the warrantee on say a 5 year one you would be better of with the same battery cheaper and take your chances. G.M.
 
I have had good liuck with my red top optima, it is 14 years old, I have only had to charge it some when I left the ignition on once (10 min charge, then hand crank start)

I have never used a battery tender, my generator charge rate is set at 15 amps, if I drive long distance I turn on the headlights (halogen) to prevent overcharging.
 
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