otpima redtop
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 495
Likes: 0
From: berwick pennsylvania
otpima redtop
yesterday got my car all back together and tried to fire her up but it wouldnt crank. i hooked up my new digital charger and walked away for a bit and when i came back the read out said internal cell short. i did the voltage check function and it wont take more that 6.1 volts. i bought this battery in the spring and maybe put 2500 miles on the car since. has anyone had any problems like the with there optima?
Pro
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 553
Likes: 6
From: Northern VA
I bought an optima yellow top for the simple reason that I knew that I always ended up forgetting to start the vette in the winter and always needed to recharge whatever battery I had in there. I've had nothing but problems with it and I've NEVER over charged it. I always charged it at the lowest setting (10 amps) and never more than 12 hours (only when completely dead). The thing still dies every 2-3 days of no use even when I disconnect it.
The VERY exact same thing happened to my Bronco with a yellow top too, Optima in my opinion is a piece of crap and I'll NEVER buy it again. I could have bought 2 delco batteries for the price of a yellow top and probably never had this much trouble.
The VERY exact same thing happened to my Bronco with a yellow top too, Optima in my opinion is a piece of crap and I'll NEVER buy it again. I could have bought 2 delco batteries for the price of a yellow top and probably never had this much trouble.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 20,393
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St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17
NCM Member '09
Optimas do die strangely...
Believe it or not, try dropping the battery (to land flat on it's bottom) from a distance of about a foot.
Charge it at 80 amps (or more, as long as it doesn't get hotter than 125 degrees) for 15 minutes...if it
gets to hot to touch, it is definitely a bad battery. <If it begins to accept the charge-not too hot to
touch, reduce your charge rate to 8-25 amps, and charge for 6-10 hours....allow 15 minutes to settle
before testing it again...
Believe it or not, try dropping the battery (to land flat on it's bottom) from a distance of about a foot.
Charge it at 80 amps (or more, as long as it doesn't get hotter than 125 degrees) for 15 minutes...if it
gets to hot to touch, it is definitely a bad battery. <If it begins to accept the charge-not too hot to
touch, reduce your charge rate to 8-25 amps, and charge for 6-10 hours....allow 15 minutes to settle
before testing it again...
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 3,566
Likes: 4
From: Mt Laurel NJ
St. Jude Donor '06-'07
yesterday got my car all back together and tried to fire her up but it wouldnt crank. i hooked up my new digital charger and walked away for a bit and when i came back the read out said internal cell short. i did the voltage check function and it wont take more that 6.1 volts. i bought this battery in the spring and maybe put 2500 miles on the car since. has anyone had any problems like the with there optima?
Yep, had one for two and a half years, would die after about two weeks, installed a battery tender, it worked for a year, then the battery would still die. I thought I had a short in the car, until the battery died completely. Took it back to Autozone and bought one of there batterys PLUS got $45.00 back, I would never buy an Optima again, I think they are junk.
Randy
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 54,124
Likes: 30
From: Cincinnati, Oh USA
For more than a hundred times I have typed information on lead acid batteries and how to take care of them. Optima batteries are lead acid batteries. You should not let lead acid batteries sit doing nothing for long periods (4+ wks), they don't like it, their plates collect lead sulphate and they are no longer a storage battery, they are a door stop. The best way to take care of a lead acid battery that is going to sit, is to buy and use a battery tender. Battery tenders constantly measure the battery voltage (this tells the state of charge) and they charge the battery when the battery loses 10% of charge and then they turn off.
Also, I disagree with 'Shifter's advice to charge the Optima battery at 80 amps! This is dangerous and will likely damage not only an Optima battery, but any car battery.
Also, I disagree with 'Shifter's advice to charge the Optima battery at 80 amps! This is dangerous and will likely damage not only an Optima battery, but any car battery.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 20,393
Likes: 431
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17
NCM Member '09
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 54,124
Likes: 30
From: Cincinnati, Oh USA
I've seen a flooded cell car battery being charged with 50 amps, and it violently boiled electrolyte and if the vent caps hadn't been removed, that battery would have exploded. I've never thought much about Optima batteries and now even less.
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Instructor
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 113
Likes: 4
From: San Ramon, CA
I wish I read this post before I got my second Red Top Optima battery. Died in less tham 1&1/2 years of low use. Was talking to the local distributer. He said they had an ownership change a while back and quality went through the floor since then. He has had many returns. Never again! I am going back to Interstate.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 20,393
Likes: 431
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17
NCM Member '09
Even though I sell them, I won't use one from the current manufacturer either. My first one, way back in
1992 lasted 7 years with no maintenance at all, it didn't die-the car was stolen! My second one was in the
trunk of my car, which removes it from engine bay heat....it just died 3 months ago, and it was 6-it was
actually labelled Interstate....
Teh current owners however, seem to be making an inferior product, but are more expensive now than
they ever were...
1992 lasted 7 years with no maintenance at all, it didn't die-the car was stolen! My second one was in the
trunk of my car, which removes it from engine bay heat....it just died 3 months ago, and it was 6-it was
actually labelled Interstate....
Teh current owners however, seem to be making an inferior product, but are more expensive now than
they ever were...
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 2,118
Likes: 0
From: St. Charles, MO Route 66 Corvette Club
I have a "Red Top" in my 89 Vette that was purchased back in 2001 and is still going strong. Perhaps it is the "previous" manufacturer. Thanks for all the good info submitted to this post. Very informative 
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 20,320
Likes: 248
From: Summerland B.C. Canada
I was thinking about changing to Optima for stereo reasons, but threads like this, make keeping my Walmart Energizer battery, a lot easier.
It's been working flawlessly for 5 years and it's still going strong.
It's been working flawlessly for 5 years and it's still going strong.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 495
Likes: 0
From: berwick pennsylvania
well its a few days short or a few days past a year old and it has got a three year waranty with it.i am gonna give them one more shot and then i am going to try a deka dry cell.
Pro
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 520
Likes: 6
From: Elverson PA
I saw this thread yesterday, and didn't post b/c I felt maybe my view was skewed.
I have had problems w/ my red top Optima from day 1.
One thing that has helped lately is I charge the sh#t out of this thing all the time. I did a search on charging glass mat batteries like the Optima, and it seems like there is more to it than a regular lead acid battery.
Here is a link: highlights include strange info like:
-never charge just one Optima battery at a time!
-charge it multiple times at different amperage to complete charge!
http://www.batteriesareus.com/index....id=2&chapter=0
I'm going to go drop mine!
I have had problems w/ my red top Optima from day 1.
One thing that has helped lately is I charge the sh#t out of this thing all the time. I did a search on charging glass mat batteries like the Optima, and it seems like there is more to it than a regular lead acid battery.
Here is a link: highlights include strange info like:
-never charge just one Optima battery at a time!
-charge it multiple times at different amperage to complete charge!
http://www.batteriesareus.com/index....id=2&chapter=0
I'm going to go drop mine!
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 495
Likes: 0
From: berwick pennsylvania
well if charging the is an issue i got a new digital charger that starts at 25 amp then goes to 12 amps then 6amps,
then when charged goes into maintenance mode. hopefull this will be better for it then my old straight voltage charger 12/6amp
then when charged goes into maintenance mode. hopefull this will be better for it then my old straight voltage charger 12/6amp
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 20,393
Likes: 431
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17
NCM Member '09
What I've come down to believing, is that once you experience trouble with the current Optimas, you might as well chuck it, it never gets better....at least from what I've seen from customers' batteries....
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 495
Likes: 0
From: berwick pennsylvania
i know deka makes a good battery. atleast an industrial one for forklifts. they beat em 24/7 at work for two yrs. then when the lease's are up then the get two new ones for eack new lift.might just go with one right now