Optima Red problems

[buickboy]

I just had my second Optima Red go so dead. it would not even take a charge. Anybody else experiencing this issue with Optima's? If it is my car killing the battery that's one thing, but it takes a year for these batteries to die.

Mitch

 

[Grumpy]

I have those battery's in all my cars here (4) ... never have had a problem ... does your car sit for a long period of time????

 

[Russ Merritt]

Grumpy's are the only ones I've ever seen work.........

Seems every Optima I ever saw other than his are DOA......

Life support required.......

 

[fuzzyGN]

In my experience, the biggest problem with the Optima's is that once they need a charge, they are a motha to get back up. I too own several, one in almost every car I own (which is a bunch). They are tough batteries. To charge them up properly, you must do it with a super beefy charger and on "slow". Even from 12.2 volts back up to 12.6 can take several days to do it properly. Sure on a fast charge the voltage will come up but it won't stay charged. I usually have to slow charge for about 2 hours, then fast charge for about 20 minutes to knock the gel(?) (they don't have plates) clean and then go bak to a 2 hour slow charge. The battery will stop taking a charge if one tries to charge them for a long period of time. I usually charge the battery up to a little over 13 volts and then let it sit overnight. If it stay close to 12.8 then you are done. If it drops to anything below 12.6, it needs a couple of more hours. Don't rely on the cars charging system to "bring up" an undercharged battery becasuse it won't. It will keep the car going just fine for many months but will never bring the battery back up to a proper static charge. Again, this is from experience dating back to about 1991. Results may vary but that is what I have learned and what works well for me.

 

[Mr. T-Type]

I went through 4 of them in a month before I just gave up and went with Interstate.

 

[PhilM]

I have one in my car now, and I usually dont let it sit too long, but when I did, it died. It also doesn't support the stereo or incar computing for more than 10min or so - too long and it wont turn the engine. I have also had a Blue top marine in there which is lots of deepcycle but little CCA wrt to the RED and YELLOW tops. The blue was horrible to get a charge back onto. The red is a little better but I probably wouldn't buy another one. I think they are fine for ppl who dont work on their cars a lot since it will always be charged up within a short amount of time. You let em die, they seem to want to stay dead!

I had an interstate in my first car and 3 years later, I gave it to a local buick guy and he's still driving around on that battery. I think i'll go that route next time.

Phil

 

[SloGN]

wet acid batteries rule

i used to work @ advance auto for 5 yrs. I sold several of the optima red tops when we first started carrying them in our battery line-up. and with in 4-5 months every one that was sold came back for warranty.



The great thing about those batteries are that they can be mounted in a high vibration/ weird location without the worry of acid coming out. but i think the life span is short.


You just can't beat a wet acid battery. they have been around and they are still the most common in use wonder why?

 

[GNTurbo6]

I got a yellow top in my Camry which has a stereo system. I have to take long drives in it to charge the battery at all. For a while I would have occasional problems starting the car when I only drove it short distances around town.

 

[Russ Merritt]

I see a trend forming.......

 

[TurboDave]

I just had my second Optima Red go so dead. it would not even take a charge. Anybody else experiencing this issue with Optima's? If it is my car killing the battery that's one thing, but it takes a year for these batteries to die.

Mitch

I had the same problems with mine. Odly enough both that I tried in my GN had the same symptoms. They couldn't seem to hold a charge while sitting for more than two weeks. And when driving, their level of charge wouldn't come up properly.

Took them back to Sears and got a diehard put back in, and experiencing no such problems again.

Sorry but Optima's might be nice for a race only car, but they suck for a daily driver, especially one that sits for a week or two at a time between uses.

 

[TurboDave]

In my experience, the biggest problem with the Optima's is that once they need a charge, they are a motha to get back up. I too own several, one in almost every car I own (which is a bunch). They are tough batteries. To charge them up properly, you must do it with a super beefy charger and on "slow". Even from 12.2 volts back up to 12.6 can take several days to do it properly. Sure on a fast charge the voltage will come up but it won't stay charged. I usually have to slow charge for about 2 hours, then fast charge for about 20 minutes to knock the gel(?) (they don't have plates) clean and then go bak to a 2 hour slow charge. The battery will stop taking a charge if one tries to charge them for a long period of time. I usually charge the battery up to a little over 13 volts and then let it sit overnight. If it stay close to 12.8 then you are done. If it drops to anything below 12.6, it needs a couple of more hours. Don't rely on the cars charging system to "bring up" an undercharged battery becasuse it won't. It will keep the car going just fine for many months but will never bring the battery back up to a proper static charge. Again, this is from experience dating back to about 1991. Results may vary but that is what I have learned and what works well for me.

I also tried that before giving up on them. Just plain too darn much trouble to go through for no real advantage. Maybe if I were a serious off roader and needed the "safety aspect" of the jell then maybe so. But not for a daily driver street car.

 

[Louie L.]

Optimas suck on race cars too. I had one when they firts came into the market over 12-13 years ago. That was a good one. But apperently they gotten too big for their own good. The quality has certainly gone down fast. My last one was about 3 years ago and it was a BIG POS. Never again. Same thing with their yellow tops.

 

[BlackBandit]

I bought my GN in 2001 and it had some off brand battery in it. Went on a deployment (I was in the Navy) for eight months from the end of 2002 the middle of 2003. Got back, pulled the plugs, cranked the car until it got oil pressure, installed the plugs and started it. That battery finally gave up the ghost around the end of 03. Bought an AutoZone battery, went on a five month deployment, came back and same thing. Pull plugs, crank, install plugs, start, drive. I've had terrific luck with regular, no frills, lead acid batteries and see no reason to reinvent the wheel, especially for however much it is they get for an optima battery these days. That's my experience and .02. james

 

[GNTurbo6]

The battery that was in my Camry was aparently from 1997. I replaced it in 2004 or 2005. That's pretty impressive.

 

[Grumpy]

ok ok ok ok I am goin out an ripping all of mine out hmmmmmm that red top battery may be the big "secret" that makes Melissa's car run low 10s in street trim

 

[salvageV6]

My yellow top is going on 9 years in the WE4 daily driven all winter up here.

I had a red top (Pep Boys) that only lasted 3 years same as all the Sears Die Hard Gold batteries I used to use, they suck too.

I replaced it with another yellow top.

The one in the WE4 doesn't have too much reserve anymore but works fine for me.

Large stereo in that car also.

We shall see this year in below 0 temps.

 

[machinegun]

I have a red top in my roadmaster and a yellow in my suburban and another red in my GN. I have so far never had any issues with these batteries. Mine seem to work just fine. Daily driven ones have been in fro a couple of years. The quality maybe lower than it used to be but mine have eorked fine. I ourchased the red ones from advance. The yellow I bought from re evaluating about 2 years ago.

 

[Grumpy]

well it got really cold here last night .. all my battery's were dead this morning .. SOOOO whats the best one out there

 

[salvageV6]

18* ain't really all that cold.

Both my cars started.

Anyone ever take an Optima apart?

Just wondering if it can be done easily, I want to see if I can fix the bad cell in the Pep Boys red top. :smile:

So far dropping it a few times on the driveway hasn't done much.

 

[garyk1970]

ive been in mobile electronics for twenty years and optima is the best.ive encountered this problem once (with my camper)and turned out i was overcharging the battery untill it cooked.