Bad Battery?
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,884
Likes: 174
From: Melbourne FL
St. Jude Donor '09 & '11
Bad Battery?
I have a 10 year old Optima red top in my 05 C6. Forgot to put it on the battery tender and car wouldn't start (just the old click click click). so I charged the battery up to 13.1 volts and the car started (but barely). I drove it around for a while to charge it up then came home and parked it and it won't start. How can I be sure the battery is bad?
Moderator, Tech Contributor
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 15,433
Likes: 3,981
From: Cape Coral, Florida
10 years old ???…you should have replaced it 4-5 years ago !!…take it to Autozone and they will load test it. I would just change it !!
Last edited by C5 Diag; Sep 9, 2021 at 06:56 PM.
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 12,021
Likes: 3,556
From: Central MO
I had bad luck with 2 Red Tops, so I am not a fan. They take a special charging procedure when they have been drained, or many times they will not charge correctly. What I have read is that you take a regular battery, hook it up to the charger, then hook battery cables from the regular battery to the Optima. Once the charger says it's done, let the Optima cool down, then hook it back up to the charger to fully charge. It's probably worth trying. Or just get a new AGM battery since you already got 10 years from the Red Top.
Retired & lovin' it!
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 4,472
Likes: 546
From: Jackson NJ
I have a 10 year old Optima red top in my 05 C6. Forgot to put it on the battery tender and car wouldn't start (just the old click click click). so I charged the battery up to 13.1 volts and the car started (but barely). I drove it around for a while to charge it up then came home and parked it and it won't start. How can I be sure the battery is bad?
Team Owner
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 53,601
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From: Plantation Florida USAF(Retired) 1966-1990
U.S. Air Force
St. Jude Donor '05 thru '26
NCM Sinkhole Donor
I think you got your money worth from the battery. Time to invest in another, don't want to be stranded specially at night.
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