battery shopping
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 7,501
Likes: 1
From: Maine
battery shopping
i'm headed out to buy an optima red top... 34/78 800 cca .... 2 questions.... i have a 97... i noticed on their web site there is an adapter plate for under the battery.. will i need that??? and if i get one of those 9v cigarette litghter things will that work so i don't have to reprogram anything?? thanks.....
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
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From: NJ
St. Jude Donor '05-'08
Originally Posted by jman1
i'm headed out to buy an optima red top... 34/78 800 cca .... 2 questions.... i have a 97... i noticed on their web site there is an adapter plate for under the battery.. will i need that??? and if i get one of those 9v cigarette litghter things will that work so i don't have to reprogram anything?? thanks.....
I also did not need anything special to put it in. When you take yours out though you should check to see if there was any leaks in your old battery and clean that area up. I took out the plate where the battery sits (well I did it because I dropped a socket down there
) and when I did it I noticed some leaves and dirt stuck down there.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2002
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From: Vancouver
2015 C5 of Year Finalist
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10
Originally Posted by Wicked Weasel
On my 01 I just switched out the OEM battery for the Optima. I did not lose any of my car settings. Not sure if 97 is different or if your stereo has the protection setting on. If worried you might want to get the code of your stereo or there is a post somewhere around here telling you how to reset the stereo in case something did happen.
I also did not need anything special to put it in. When you take yours out though you should check to see if there was any leaks in your old battery and clean that area up. I took out the plate where the battery sits (well I did it because I dropped a socket down there ) and when I did it I noticed some leaves and dirt stuck down there.
I also did not need anything special to put it in. When you take yours out though you should check to see if there was any leaks in your old battery and clean that area up. I took out the plate where the battery sits (well I did it because I dropped a socket down there
) and when I did it I noticed some leaves and dirt stuck down there.
Well said. I think that covers it. If you don't have your radio on it's security setting and you don't mind loosing your radio presets then just take out the battery. I take mine out for the winter and have only lost the radio presets. Cheers for the new battery. 
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I switched to an Optima Red Top (same model as you are looking at) in my '00 and all the stock holddowns worked just fine.
Lepus-temperamentalus
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 5,827
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From: Roswell Ga
Yeah, I saw that on the Optima site too and it drove me nuts.
Just go buy it from sears and it comes with what you need. The hold down they supply is meant to curve around the center cylinders of the battery rather than just grab the flat edge like a standard batter. I think it is probably a bit more secure. Just my opinion.
Just go buy it from sears and it comes with what you need. The hold down they supply is meant to curve around the center cylinders of the battery rather than just grab the flat edge like a standard batter. I think it is probably a bit more secure. Just my opinion.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 7,501
Likes: 1
From: Maine
just got back and just installed the optima red top.... was a piece of cake and i did not even lose the radio settings..... 
felt pretty good firing it up too!!! made me wanna take it for a cruise but i'm sure it wouldn't get out of my driveway......
felt pretty good firing it up too!!! made me wanna take it for a cruise but i'm sure it wouldn't get out of my driveway......
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 994
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by jman1
i'm headed out to buy an optima red top... 34/78 800 cca .... 2 questions.... i have a 97... i noticed on their web site there is an adapter plate for under the battery.. will i need that??? and if i get one of those 9v cigarette litghter things will that work so i don't have to reprogram anything?? thanks.....
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 994
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by jman1
i'm headed out to buy an optima red top... 34/78 800 cca .... 2 questions.... i have a 97... i noticed on their web site there is an adapter plate for under the battery.. will i need that??? and if i get one of those 9v cigarette litghter things will that work so i don't have to reprogram anything?? thanks.....
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