Dave's got the right idea tho....
I guess it has been a few weeks since one of these threads has been introduced. FWIW, do a search on battery. 
Best battery
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Probably better to get a regular battery or a Yellow Top if its not a DD
Whichever you choose buy a battery tender and rest easy
Whichever you choose buy a battery tender and rest easy
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AGM vs Gel Cell sealed lead acid batteries (All you ever wanted to know about the differences in sealed lead acid batteries).
I have seen several posts from members here in the past reporting on their Optima batteries leaking. One member that comes to mind is Cobra4B. In his case, I believe he found that he had over tightened the battery hold down clamp which caused the case to crack. Too, over tightening the cable terminal bolts can result in the case cracking around them.
Last edited by GrayC5; Jun 24, 2008 at 03:14 PM.
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For infrequent use, this is certainly among the best batteries out there:
It carries the BEST free-replacement warranty period of any battery - a full 50 months! No, it is not an AGM battery, but I've never read of any leaks from this generation case design (2004-present).
It carries the BEST free-replacement warranty period of any battery - a full 50 months! No, it is not an AGM battery, but I've never read of any leaks from this generation case design (2004-present).
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The main difference between an Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) battery and a standard lead-acid battery is that in the AGM battery the acid electrolyte is absorbed in the glass mat making them less likely to leak. However, should the case of an AGM battery become cracked, they can sometimes leak a little from the acid that seeps from the glass mat. See following:
AGM vs Gel Cell sealed lead acid batteries (All you ever wanted to know about the differences in sealed lead acid batteries).
I have seen several posts from members here in the past reporting on their Optima batteries leaking. One member that comes to mind is Cobra4B. In his case, I believe he found that he had over tightened the battery hold down clamp which caused the case to crack. Too, over tightening the cable terminal bolts can result in the case cracking around them.
AGM vs Gel Cell sealed lead acid batteries (All you ever wanted to know about the differences in sealed lead acid batteries).
I have seen several posts from members here in the past reporting on their Optima batteries leaking. One member that comes to mind is Cobra4B. In his case, I believe he found that he had over tightened the battery hold down clamp which caused the case to crack. Too, over tightening the cable terminal bolts can result in the case cracking around them.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...Battery+Thread
My point was if you take a look at the design of the posts on the Optimas, theres a flange that would break off first before the case would be compromised. It would take some serious over tightening to pull the post out. The actual case is the gray plastic behind the yellow flange. Even then, leakage would be minimal because of the design. The electrolyte is in the absorbent mat. Mind you, I can see why over tightening the hold down clamp could do it.
The reason the origianl Delcos leaked is the poor design around the post. Thye redesigned this on the newer Johnson Controls built AC Delcos:
Optimas may have faults when theyre discharged but it takes serious effort to make them leak.
Last edited by DeeGee; Jun 25, 2008 at 01:27 AM.
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More Battery Recomendations
Hi, You've asked the question that brings out the controversary every time. Optima vs delco vs all the other brands. I like AC Delco, because I've never had one that did anything unusual other than what it was supposed to, and right now they have the best warranty in the business. That being said there were some delco's made for the early c5's that had a leak problem, that problem was eliminated after the first few model years. The current generation of Delco's have shown to be dependable.
But you should get whatever gives you a good night's sleep. The considerations you should look at are as follows.
1, Adequate Capacity
2, Sealed so as not to outgas and create corosion.
3, Fits Right
4, Good Warranty.
5, Fresh Date of Manufacture, and fully charged
6, Good Dealer Support in case of the rare defect.
7, If you are in a hot climate, get a hot climate model.
There are many that fit the above criteria, but I can not emphasize enough, if the car sits more than a few days at a time, get and use a proper battery maintainer, that is able to handle whatever battery you get.
Good Luck.
EDIT
Any side post battery, with the possible exception of the rare gel battery,(optima is not a gel battery), can leak from the terminal area, if the cables are either tightened to forcefully, and or the cable screw is a few millimeters to long as has happened in the past. If in the case of a to long screw, it either punches through the terminal, or in an effort to tighten the cable properly it is overtightened and cracks the gussets.
But you should get whatever gives you a good night's sleep. The considerations you should look at are as follows.
1, Adequate Capacity
2, Sealed so as not to outgas and create corosion.
3, Fits Right
4, Good Warranty.
5, Fresh Date of Manufacture, and fully charged
6, Good Dealer Support in case of the rare defect.
7, If you are in a hot climate, get a hot climate model.
There are many that fit the above criteria, but I can not emphasize enough, if the car sits more than a few days at a time, get and use a proper battery maintainer, that is able to handle whatever battery you get.
Good Luck.
EDIT
Any side post battery, with the possible exception of the rare gel battery,(optima is not a gel battery), can leak from the terminal area, if the cables are either tightened to forcefully, and or the cable screw is a few millimeters to long as has happened in the past. If in the case of a to long screw, it either punches through the terminal, or in an effort to tighten the cable properly it is overtightened and cracks the gussets.
Last edited by bestvettever; Jun 24, 2008 at 05:43 PM.
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Plain ole' Exide 60 (and an acid mat) starts me every time!
http://www.exide.com/products/automotive/exide_60.html
http://www.exide.com/products/automotive/exide_60.html
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This was said to be true of the 97-00 batteries, but is essentially NOT an issue now unless someone were to modify the cable connector.
The 04-present AC Delco batteries are much more robust and will not leak. I had a feeling a picture of an old AC Delco would surface, but I can assure you that any AC Delco you buy now is a completely redesigned version and will most likely last more than 5 years.
Consider that a Sears Platinum cost $180, whereas a side-terminal AC Delco for an 01-03 runs $99 at Summit Racing.
The 04-present AC Delco batteries are much more robust and will not leak. I had a feeling a picture of an old AC Delco would surface, but I can assure you that any AC Delco you buy now is a completely redesigned version and will most likely last more than 5 years.
Consider that a Sears Platinum cost $180, whereas a side-terminal AC Delco for an 01-03 runs $99 at Summit Racing.
Pro
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Leaking Batteries
Hi, yes that was one of the reasons, the other being cable screws being a bit to long. (See Previous Post).
It is no different than over tightening any fastener past the designed in stress point. Somethings gotta give, and in the early designs the terminal gusset would crack. They were made by Delphi for GM. The newer designs are now made by Johnson Controls and are designed to be much stronger at the terminal . In fact the design parameter was to design it so that severe overtightening would result in the screw breaking long before the battery case.
Good Luck
It is no different than over tightening any fastener past the designed in stress point. Somethings gotta give, and in the early designs the terminal gusset would crack. They were made by Delphi for GM. The newer designs are now made by Johnson Controls and are designed to be much stronger at the terminal . In fact the design parameter was to design it so that severe overtightening would result in the screw breaking long before the battery case.
Good Luck
