1hander

i did do a search anf found of course more questions than answers...but im still in it for yor opinions because i value the opinions of other vette owners,,

i noticed for the last month..that when i started the car 05 ...that when i start it, it does not do the usual high energy rip over when it hit the start button, you guys know the sound im talking about..
and yesterday once i started driving i noticed the oil temperature low warning on the dic...and it would flucuate wildly 105...180....220....80....110...then eventually after about 4 miles of driving it would settle down around 8 deg below the water temp.

the first time i noticed it it still started but the starter did not make the same sound...about 1 week ago it started losing the passenger side window index memory setting ..but i always noticed after i started the car..
so in the interest of science for the last 4 days i have
1. onlyl turned on the ignition, and not the start sequence...
2. and every time i only turned on the igniton and opened the passenger door, the window would index properly ..
3. after trying that every morning i would immediately close the door,
4. and start the car (and notice the starter did not sound as energetic..
5. and once started, i would open the passenger door and the index would be lost
6. 4 mornings i checked it this way..and every time the same results..
last night, i put the redtop on charger ..slow charge setting then it switches to trickle charge,,

this morning i first turned on the ignition and the passenger door indexed properly..
the started it and immediately noticed the sound that i remember from the starter
and the passenger door indexed properly after starting

the redtop is only 1 year and 2 months old.. the alternator is charging properly..but i have not checked and cleaned the terminals

is that POS really dieing , if so what do you guys think about going to the tellow yop..
i cant believe the redtop is dieing..if iy actually is
the only thing thats been different around here is for the last 4 weeks, the weather has been extremely wet and rainy..

Dave S

Sure sounds like a bad battery, but I've had a Red Top in my '05 for the past 8 years & it's still running strong.....but I do regularly keep it on a tender (not a charger). There's always the possibility that an individual battery might be bad, but I would first suspect a bad connection either at the battery terminals, starter or engine grounds. Check the simple things first before rushing to change out the battery.

realcanuk

Optima batteries are crap since the company was sold a number of years ago.

theandrewo

1hander

Yea I heard they sold out... I never thought I'd have to leave the battery in a tender.. It should sit for weeks... But things aren't made like they used to be.. I drive it every other day.. Every 3 at the most infrequent.. So that battery should have no problem... But.. That red top has has more success in my car than any other battery.. So Im not ready to give up on it.. If this one continues to die... I'll try a Yellowtop... After that I'll stop trying ti find an invincible battery and just start putting cheap batteries in it if they are just going to keep dieing

realcanuk

Odyssey was started by the founder of Optima.... great batteries like optima used to be.

1hander

Good to know.. Very good to know

jrose7004

I'm on board with the bad battery opinions.

1hander

Unfortunately... So am I

1hander

I checked the terminals and the attached cables... And there was definitely corrosion.. Looked like rusty though.. Maybe cuz of the really damp weather..
I drove it today and it barely started.. I checked the battery and the charger said it was at 65%...

I cleaned it all up and tightened everything down and put it on charge again..

One of two things is happening
1. The corrosion was preventing the alternator from keeping battery properly topped off and I was slowly discharging g it every time I drove it

2. Or the battery is dieing.. Will post back after a week to see what it does

Thanks fir your input guys.. On what I know is a really old topic

dr_gallup

If you don't drive it regularly a battery tender is needed because these cars have a high parasitic draw when shut off. It's an electrical SYSTEM and everything in the system has to be good. Corroded connections can certainly make a good battery look bad. Load testing a fully charged battery is the only reliable way to determine the health of the battery. Auto parts stores will do this for free.

I second the Odyssey battery recommendation if you do need a new battery.

1hander

after doing research i figure that things like cars with high draws is what this battery was designed for, i can understand not driving it for 3 or 4 weeks but driving it at least twice a week, it should have no problem staying alive,
i checked the battery this morning adter a slow 3 amp charge all night then to trickle..its rated for 910CA and the load tester shows it failing at 910 and reads at 475CA... so as you guys stated..these batteries are ****..
ill be buying an oddysey extreme here shortly and well see how it goes..hopefully better..if not ill dwitch to cheap *** batteries, FAIL FAST ..FAIL; CHEAP..

old motorhead

Have you tried this method of charging the Optima battery?

Red86Cfour

Interstate has a two year full replacement warranty. Juuussst sayin......

1hander

also good to know..thank you sir

well, its definitely the battery takin a dump...yesterday i cleared all codes and had a 100 charged battery... this morning, i go to start and the starter was a bit lazy but it started...i shut it off and checked the battery and got 11.3v
also i got a **** ton of codes that i know are not atually real, and every one of them could easily be attributed to low voltage during startup....so the battery is on its way out. time for a change ..gonna try an odyssey extreme.

Cherokee Nation

Waste of your money.

1hander

Yup

1hander

it finally took a ****...lol.i tested it with my battery tester and gor 98 CA
if you could call it luck, i went back to pepboys where i got the battery and luckily found my receipt..
they tested it with there tester and got 90CA, they swapped it out for me, 3 year replacement warranty,
it onl y lasted about 16 months... so the battery issue is at least done for now,

i hooked up a meter to the battery and waited 30 minutes to make sure all systems were asleep, and the the craw was 34 milliamps, so theres no parasitic draw at least other than normal i would think.
but i found another..yje passenger side window is still sticking in the up position, if i give it a little help down , it goes down
i think the window regulator is telling me its on its way out
would you guys agree with that

saplumr

I haven't had any problems with my Optima Yellow or Red Top. My Yellow top's been in the Corvette for 6 years. I'm not on board with "Optima is crap".

sabastian458