I have a 38 Chevy pickup with a 350 chevy. The bed of the truck is all oak and stainless for the clean look. I have an OPTIMA battery mounted under the bed between the exhaust pipes in a race car battery case with the battery mounted upside down. The first year no problems. second year car wouldn't take a charge. I used a battery charger specially made for AGM GEL batteries. Battery would not take a charge. I took it back to FARM & FLEET they said there was nothing wrong with it. I contacted the Optima sales mgr. and he Fed-exed a brand new battery at no charge. Now, I am starting a new season, so I put the battery on a charge with the battery charger made for GEL batteries. The charger shows that the battery is at 100%, but nothing, when trying to start car. I have 2 battery indicators that both show the battery is dead. WTF!!!!! Same problem that I had last year. I even hooked this battery to a different car that runs great, and it won't start. Is there another kind of battery (GEL) that I could use. I don't have any place to install a conventional wet-cell. battery. I am at a loss! Thanks, Bob-Hampshire, Illinois
Are you letting the batteries run completely down before charging them? I know gel cells don't like that.
hook it up in parrallel with another battery and charge it for a bit, then remove the extra battery and see what happens.
I hear they make great boat anchors obviously no love lost for optima here, for some reason they arnt to optimal any possible way you could re-config your battery box and run a conventional battery? maybe move your box down a little so you can put a normal battery in there sitting upright?
How hot is the battery getting.....................when they get HOT the plates seperate.........any 'bulging' of the case.....?? . .
We install a lot of Optima batteries in our customers cars. Optima batteries are two kinds of good, No Good and Good for Nothing.
How about an Odyssey battery? Click here: Odyssey Batteries - High performance deep cycle AGM Odyssey battery
Once they stopped making them in the US they have become crap. I would agree with the boat anchor comment but a leaking optima may hurt the fish....
I have the same dilemma as we speak. I am on the second Optima in my coupe and just yesterday had to call AAA for a jump and was told battery has 12.6 volts but no amps. Battery has been on a Battery Minder all winter but apparently that wasn't enough. I run the battery in an ABS battery box in the trunk with a fuel cell. At $189 plus tax for a gel I'm thinking of just going with a conventional battery. It seems like the concerns are sparks and off gassing? Well, a spark is a spark Gel or otherwise and is off gassing a concern in the trunk with the fuel cell? The cell has the filler in the trunk and vent tube to the outside. I have done a search on the HAMB on this topic with different opinions. Still thinking this through and would also appreciate some feedback.
My optima just quit on me, well not quit but it was getting weak, it was installed in September of 2002, so I got some decent life out of it. But I guess from what I've been reading is the new ones are junk. I got a sears diehard platinum AGM battery to replace it, I don't know if it can be mounted upside down but maybe worth looking into it.
I've been having the same problem,would not maintain a charge and used a gell cell charger and only 1 year old, took it back to O'reillys under warranty, but dont think it will last very long
I agree. I have an Optima on a 69 Camaro for 9 years. Never fails to start even now. My 48 Pontiac is on it's second Optima in 3 years. I agree they used to be good but are now crap.
An Odyssey PC680 can be had for $115.00 from Portable Power Systems in Denver. Anybody got info on one that's cheaper?
Just search optima, good gravy the later ones are junk. Must be couple dozen threads about how bad they are. My sister works for Enersys they manufacture the Odyssey. She got me the poop on that from the engineering department. Great batteries, mount any configuration, lots of grunt for the size, run a battery tender to keep the charge while dormant and no problems. Kinda pricy but if you have built yourself a situation where you need it then that'd already been figured in right?
They, Odyssey , are a dry cell technology. 100 percent completely safe for passenger compartment mounting. I got a call into my sister to triple verify upside down mounting , that will be coming direct from the engineering department. Ill let you know what they tell me this time. Lotts more cold crank amps from a smaller package with them also. Example, and personal experience. H-12 case (SHOVELHEAD Harley ) 8"w x 5"d x 6.5"h with 350 ish CCA 925 series Odyssey - 925 cranking amps for 5 seconds 870 cranking amps for 10 seconds 765 cranking amps for 20 seconds Short circuit current over 2400A 28 amp hours 50 minute reserve capacity with 25amp load Female brass terminal w/M6 SS bolt Length 6 15/32" Width 6 7/8" Height 4 7/8" Weighs 24 lbs
Hi Bob, I'm sorry to hear about the problems you've been having and I'd like to help. I don't know what kind of charger you are using, but our batteries are not gel batteries and should never be charged on gel or even gel/AGM settings, as those settings will not fully-charge an Optima and could damage it over time. In most situations, our batteries can be treated and charged just like any other lead-acid battery. While our batteries can be safely mounted in a variety of orientations, we do not recommend mounting them upside down. I don't know how hot your exhaust pipes would make your battery case, but all batteries generally perform better and last longer when they are not subjected to extreme temperatures. I am glad to hear you didn't mount your battery inside your passenger compartment without proper venting provisions, as that is a legitimate safety concern for all lead-acid batteries. Even though our batteries and many others (both AGM & flooded) are considered sealed batteries, all lead-acid automotive batteries can vent gas in extreme situations. For that reason, we always recommend that any battery installed in an enclosed location be properly-vented to the outside. Our group 27, 31, 51, 34C, and 78 batteries all have ports for connecting a vent hose. Although people do it anyway, we would never recommend installing an unvented battery in any enclosed space, because there's a legitimate, albeit unlikely, safety risk involved. For example, IF there is a voltage regulator failure, and IF the battery is severely overcharged, and IF this goes unnoticed, and IF the battery vents because the internal pressure exceeds the release pressure of the vents, the gasses are both flammable and toxic. This may sound like a lot of ifs, but attorneys and engineers get paid to plan for every worst-case scenario. Bob, what was the voltage of your battery when you went to charge it? Did you leave it connected to your vehicle all winter or use a maintenance charger of any kind while it was in storage? As Da Tinman indicated, some batteries can get deeply-discharged to the point where a battery charger will not recognize or charge the battery. In those situations, the parallel charging technique he referenced can recover those batteries. We even made a YouTube video, explaining that process. This is a charger issue and not unique to Optima. In fact, it has become problematic enough for other manufacturers, that they have decided to simply void the warranty on their batteries, if they are found to have been discharged below a specified voltage level. 70dodgeman, I'm sorry to hear about the problems you have experienced with our batteries in your customer vehicles. Please PM me the contact information for your business, as we'd like to get in touch with you and see if we can assist you. bangina40, I'm sorry to hear about the problems you've had as well. How long did your first battery last before it was replaced and how long have you been using your current battery? Did AAA load-test the battery? apound, what were the circumstances surrounding the replacement of your previous Optima? Jim McIlvaine eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc. www.facebook.com/optimabatteries
quote from the Optima dude Hi Bob, I'm sorry to hear about the problems you've been having and I'd like to help. I don't know what kind of charger you are using, but our batteries are not “gel” batteries and should never be charged on “gel” or even “gel/AGM” settings, as those settings will not fully-charge an Optima and could damage it over time.A In most situations, our batteries can be treated and charged just like any other lead-acid battery. While our batteries can be safely mounted in a variety of orientations, we do not recommend mounting them upside down. BI don't know how hot your exhaust pipes would make your battery case, but all batteries generally perform better and last longer when they are not subjected to extreme temperatures. A. Not what i was told when I did that to mine...that was the excuse i was given to why mine failed. B.. under hood temps would be pretty high dontcha think?..probably a lot higher than air flow around an exhaust system out at the back of a car? Most batteries under hood are within inches of an exhaust manifold.and hot operating temp of a radiator.where my lead acid batteries have been doing real fine, since the design and build of most cars so what "situations" cant you use a regular charger?..and is that printed some where that the buyer would be able to read it? In that first statement you contradicted what another Optima person told me..and why I was not warrentied on 2 of these batteries..(the last 2 i will ever blow my cash on) Im glad i dont waste my money on these anymore..I purposely engineer them out of anything i build.. you and the other guys at optima need to get your stories straight you do know what they say about providing a customer with quality?..they will tell their friends..piss em off, and they will tell the world. ya'll got some quality issues..theres no hope of getting me back, but you may be able to snow a few others
I'm using an Odyssey PCM680 and have it mounted behind the passenger seat. The first one lasted about 3 years then died last month. Bought a second and put an AGM/Optima BatteryMINDer PLUS tender for it - so far, so good.
My first Optima lasted about 9 years. Second one.....???? Only one year on it so far....guess I'll find out in a few years....
Same with Interstate conventional type batteries. Don't last near as long, leak around terminals, made in Mexico.
I will never buy an Optima again thought I was laying out the coin for the best. Wrong I had it replaced 3 years in a row under warranty. It finaly ticked me off so bad I just went and bought a wet Deca and no more problems and no more grief.
I shorted the terminals together on mine on accident and even melted a chunk out of the ground terminal and it is still going strong. I don't have the alternator hooked up to mine so I just put it on a cheap regular charger when it gets low since my car is not on the road yet. It got low enough one time that overnight on the charger it didn't take a charge but a day later it was up and ready. Most Battery Manufacturers that we deal with say optimum battery temp is 77 degrees +or minus 3 degrees to get the most life out of them. Under the hood or next to the exhaust under the car is more heat than they like but that is where we have to put them. Luckily I mounted mine under the car between the frame rails but I have no exhaust running under the car. One of the guys I work with just bought a new Ford Edge about 6 months ago and the battery in it has already failed, and I imagine it is a Motorcraft battery.
I own 3 auto repair shops and sell Optima batteries. The first one I had lasted 8 years and sold me on them. Now it seems like I have to warranty most of them I install. I guess when they started making them in Mexico ?? OptimaJim feel free to PM me as I am looking at replacing the Optimas I have sold with something different.
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