I just purchased an optima red top battery 34/78, I've heard these batteries can go months without being charged. I have a CTEK charger also which I did intend to hookup during my storage period, approx. 5 months (Canadian weather). If I hook up the CTEK to this type of battery will it harm it in any way, or should I hook it up during the storage period?

Thanks,
Rob

 

Hook it up! It will not hurt your Optima.

 

you got the hookup use it

 

I wouldn't count on the battery going months without losing the charge. Hooking a battery tender up to it will not harm it at all - I used one on mine all the time for over seven years.

 

Mine is on it all the time.

 

I'd say you got some bad advice

The Red Top is an AGM battery. The advantage is because the absorbent glass mat holds the electrolyte material, they are less prone to leaks. Its not impossile but you' need to try really hard.

The down side is they don't like being discharged Once they have been discharged the often can'tbe coaxed back to life. My Vert sat on a boat to England for 8weeks and the Red Tp was DOA.

There's no problem with hooking a CTEK type charger to a Red Top. In fact it's advisable. I have my Yellow Top on a tender whenever it sits for longer than a week.

The other option is to disconnect the battery leads if you don't plan to use the car for 5 months. Under those conditions the battery will sit happily for that time. Pop the CTEK on for a few days before you disconnect and make sure the battery is fully charged. Then put it back on a few weeks before you plan to use it and you'll be good to go. If you do that, make sure you have the secuity code for the stock radio or turn the security feature off.

 

The most unique things about the RedTop are its shape and color.
The rest is just marketing.
They leak and die just like other batteries.
Their design means they are less prone to leaking, and they are more vibration resistant, but they don't like being discharged and there are many posts of dead RedTops well within the warranty period.

Put a battery float charger on it

 

Put the CTEK on her. I have to tell you though, I drank the Optima Kool-Aid and was very disappointed. I had a yellow top that kept crapping out on me, even with a Battery Tender. I finally switched out and went to a Sears Platinum. Good luck with the Red Top and make sure you use the CTEK on a routine basis.

 

I always have a float charger on my red top to keep it working in top order

 

I have the optima red top battery and the CTEK unit. I've used it through two winters of storage and have no problems with either item. I put it on if I'm not going to use the car for more than a week too. It only takes a minute to hook up, so why not?

I prefer to leave the battery in the car, hooked up, in case of an emergency, were it needs to be moved out quickly.

 

put it on and don't let your agm run down or make sure you have a good warranty. my napa gold agm died after 1 year, They replaced it for free. Will be buying ctek next week.

 

please advise how you get the security code, and how do you turn the security feature off? Thanks! Re post above: The other option is to disconnect the battery leads if you don't plan to use the car for 5 months. Under those conditions the battery will sit happily for that time. Pop the CTEK on for a few days before you disconnect and make sure the battery is fully charged. Then put it back on a few weeks before you plan to use it and you'll be good to go. If you do that, make sure you have the secuity code for the stock radio or turn the security feature off.

 

You can do a search on Radio Security, but a brief return stated;

"If the theft security light does not blink on the radio when turned of the code was not enabled and you don't have to do anything to unlock it after battery swap."

So I would start there, the security code is not something thats enabled by default (mine wasnt and I left it that way). A new owner has to turn it on, so your car may very well not have a security code enabled in the radio. Take a look.

 

The CTEK is both a full and float charger - it will use the right mode depending on how much your battery is charged or discharged. Hook it up, plug it in and change the mode to the snowflake setting, and you're good to go.

 

i have a yellow top in my 78 that is obviously not a daily driver and i keep a CTEK on it all the time when it is "dormant". never had a problem (4 years at this point). go for it. you got bad advice.

 

This will get you a new code. You can “unlock” your radio and then “re-lock” it with a new code if you wish.

Radio must be in LOC mode NOT in INOP mode.

If you have activated the Theft-Deterrent feature of your radio and loose power, the radio goes into LOC (theftlock) mode. With the ignition on, you must use the MN and HR buttons to enter you personal code in order to unlock it (The instructions are on page 3-27 in your Y2K Owner’s manual). If you fail to enter the correct code eight (8) times, the radio goes into INOP mode. You have to wait an hour with the ignition on before the radio returns to LOC mode (go for a long drive somewhere).

Procedure:
01. Turn the ignition ON (The radio displays LOC)
02. Hold down the Radio Presets 2 and 3 buttons for six seconds
03. The radio display changes from LOC to a three-digit number. Write this number down. Don’t take forever, fifteen seconds max before the next step.
04. Press the AM/FM button
05. The radio display changes to another three-digit number. Write this number to the right of the first one.
06. You now have a six-digit number, the first three digits are from STEP 03 and the last three digits are form STEP 05
07. Call 1 800 537 5140 08. Press 1 then # (pound). You’ll hear “Invalid Code, try again”
09. Press 139010 then # (pound). You will be asked to enter your four or six digit code followed by * (start)
10. Enter the number from STEP 6 then * (star)
11. Listen to the four-digit number and write it down. It will be repeated twice
12. Turn the ignition ON (The radio displays LOC)
13. Use the MN and HR buttons to enter the code from STEP 11
14. Press the AM/FM button. The radio display changes to SEC Your radio is now “un-locked” and usable.

The Theft-Deterrent feature is STILL active! If you want to disable it, use the instruction on page 3-27 in your Owner’s manual. Use the code from STEP 11 instead of your personal code.

This tip originated from LOTZAHP.

 

Same here....yellow top on float charger...battery is about 8 years old......
On long trips I carry a charged battery jumper box in the trunk in case the yellow top decides to die at the wrong time.

 

I ran an Optima Red Top in my '00 and kept it hooked to a Battery Tender Plus when not being driven - even if it was just for a day or two. Never hurt the battery so I'd say hook it up.

 

I have used a red top and a cteck for about a year and no problems.