How long does your Optima battery last?

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I just replaced a red top Optima. It still worked- sorta- but just wasn't charging fully anymore. It was 8 years old.
 
67Dart273 said:
What are the details of your charging system, IE one wire? Mopar "dual field?"

14.6 is too high, but also, you need to measure it with engine / regulator warmed up. The regulator is temperature compensated.
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The charging system is stock mopar, dual field alt, I will measure it at temp this weekend. I went over all connections and measured voltage at all points, batt, alt, solenoid and starter. saw no voltage drop. the car seems to charge fine, maybe battery just going.
 
I use a 10 amp automatic Schmacher that is 38 years old to charge my Red Top from time to time to keep it topped off. I agree I think overcharging them will kill one.
 
340doc said:
The charging system is stock mopar, dual field alt, I will measure it at temp this weekend. I went over all connections and measured voltage at all points, batt, alt, solenoid and starter. saw no voltage drop. the car seems to charge fine, maybe battery just going.
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Quite often with these types of systems, you have a voltage drop between the battery and IGN terminal on the VR, or a ground problem with the VR. EIther or both "add up" and add charging voltage.

This is easy to check
 
I have one that's been in service for 7 years. Since the car sits alot I hook it up to a battery tender and that seems to work.

That said I just got one for another car that died in two weeks. Showed a full charge on a voltmeter, but still kept demanding more juice from the charging system. After changing all the usual suspects with no fix, the battery dealer did some more in depth testing and found one faulty cell. The replacement seems to be doing fine, but they gave it a good charge on an Optima charger before I took it away. it took two days for the charge!
 
67Dart273 said:
Quite often with these types of systems, you have a voltage drop between the battery and IGN terminal on the VR, or a ground problem with the VR. EIther or both "add up" and add charging voltage.

This is easy to check
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Hmmm, will check voltage at ING terminal at REG, should it be same as battery voltage?
 
In my opinion, Optimas are pretty much the worst, most finicky AGM ever made. I have had a couple of them in the past and they have been nothing but problematic for me....even on a CTEK battery charger/tender.

Being in the car audio and electronics business, I much prefer XS Power, Kinetik, Shuriken and Odyssey as a high performance AGM battery. Yes they are expensive, but well worth every penny if you want a battery that has ridiculous reserve and that will last a very long time.
 
14 years. Car stored outside, for up to 7 months per year, in the snow, at up to -35*C, with pos disconnected. Tremendous value. Iso field alt with constant voltage reg. One piece wire from alt to ammeter. Installed in trunk; neg cable bolted to rear stub frame, engine grounded to front stub frame. Same alt frame, albeit with periodic bearing and brush changes. The CV reg had to be replaced once due to overcharge (went to 20vdc at idle).
 
14 years on one and 7 on the second. Both pre Mexico . Still using both. Going to find a good US made replacement soon.
 
TOP said:
14 years on one and 7 on the second. Both pre Mexico . Still using both. Going to find a good US made replacement soon.
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Both batteries still in cars the orange top must be 16 now and 9 on the red. Just started using battery tender this year. Think i should put a new battery in trunk for a spare. Bought a 6 volt for an old tractor i have lasted 2 years.
 
I've had the same red top Optima battery for over ten years now. It has been in my 1970 Challenger RT 383, 1965 Pontiac and now my 1970 duster. I never had to boost the battery in all that time. I do use a AMG battery charger during the winter months, that charges the battery and then feeds it a trickle charger as it is needed
 
My red top is over 12 years old. About 3 years ago I left my brakelight switch went out and my brake lights stayed on for about a week. The battery was reading around 2 volts, I figured it was time to replace it but I put it on a slow trickle charge for a few days and it came back. Been using it for 3 years since then.
 
Mine won't last at all cause I'll never buy one. There are plenty of batteries on the market just as good or better for way less money and more warranty.

We sell Motorcraft batteries at work that have a 3 year free replacement followed by a 100 month pro rate. Read that again. That's the dead best battery warranty you can get and it's half the price of an Optima.

Optimas go bad just like every other battery. Those of you who buy them, keep bein suckers and they'll keep sellin um to you.
 
I don't know, I have a red top Optima 10 years old now and still good! I've NEVER had or heard any other brand last this long?
 
72Duster440 said:
My red top is over 12 years old. About 3 years ago I left my brakelight switch went out and my brake lights stayed on for about a week. The battery was reading around 2 volts, I figured it was time to replace it but I put it on a slow trickle charge for a few days and it came back. Been using it for 3 years since then.
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Here's a little lead acid Die Hard story. I'll cliff note it much as possible.

Bout 1975 Daddy bought a Die Hard from Sears. He kept it ten years. Bump to 1985. He got an Autozone battery because "he was scared" the Die Hard would quit suddenly, leaving him stranded.....even though it never once refused to crank his 65 Falcon.

So, rather than let it go, I took it for a Chevelle I had at the time. I took the caps off, turned it upside down in the yard (in defiance of the EPA) and drained it. Flushed it out good with the hose. Got all kinda crap out of it. Filled it back up with electrolyte, threw a charge on it and it was good to go. That battery made its way through the next like 6 vehicles I owned.

Fast forward to 1990. My son had just been born in May. The battery in our beat up 78 Malibu wagon took a crap at the worst possible time. Yup. The old Die Hard was in the shed on the shelf, just waitin on its next job. I charged it, threw it in the Malibu and it was good to go until I divorced my first wife in 1994. After that I lost track of the infamous Die Hard. That's 19 years of DOCUMENTED KNOWN service. For all I know, it's still kickin somewhere.
 
The guys from Roadkill brag about getting Red top batteries from Optima that are returned under warranty. They claim that the owners are at fault for the unnecessary returns but they don't explain any further. Something needs some splain'en Lucy.
 
Optima suck..went through 2 of them they don't hold a charge if the car sits for awhile..got an Exide hold a charge just fine..
 
stroked340 said:
Optima suck..went through 2 of them they don't hold a charge if the car sits for awhile..got an Exide hold a charge just fine..
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I left my red top connected all winter last year on accident, it sat from October to April and it cranked over just fine when I tried it. Maybe you have a slow drain on your battery if it does from sitting.
 
I've got 3 12v red top optima's and a 6v red top. Oldest is about 6 years old now. The 6v in our 55 coronet has sat for months and fired the car off straight away with no charge needed. The only times I've put any of them on a charger has been my fault for killing them, and they've always taken a full charge afterward. I've yet to replace one.

I've never had a "Die Hard" last more than two years. Which means my 6 year old Optima has saved me about $100. Maybe die hard's used to be ok, but none of the one's I've bought in the last ten years has been anything other than a piece of junk.
 
72bluNblu said:
I've got 3 12v red top optima's and a 6v red top. Oldest is about 6 years old now. The 6v in our 55 coronet has sat for months and fired the car off straight away with no charge needed. The only times I've put any of them on a charger has been my fault for killing

them, and they've always taken a full charge afterward. I've yet
to replace one.


Never had a good diehard, maybe one in the 60's

I've never had a "Die Hard" last more than two years. Which means my 6 year old Optima has saved me about $100. Maybe die hard's used to be ok, but none of the one's I've bought in the last ten years has been anything other than a piece of junk.
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Had a 1 yr old Red top go bad in a guys Road Race car I was working on. I was able to get Advance to replace it for free tho.
I bought an Advance AGM battery for my GTS project. Then... I promptly pull all the stickers off of it and made it my own MOPAR battery.
WIN_20160115_134400.JPG
 
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