Battery issues

[bakers4v4_6]

Does anyone else have issues with batteries holding a charge? I've went thru 4 optimas in the past 5 years. Biggest problem is I don't drive my car often or at all some years but no matter if I unhook the positive cable from the battery and or put it on a tender or its hooked up seems like whenever I wanna drive the car the battery is dead and a cell or 2 in the battery are shot. I don't get it. Same problens if it's a month or 6 months. It's like something in the car is destroying the batteries ?!?

 

[George Wax]

I have been using a battery tender & have not experienced battery drainage. Currently using a Ford Motorcraft battery. I wonder if Optima battery requires a specific procedure in order to avoid battery drainage.

 

[01yellercobra]

The Optima requires the correct charger and tender because it's an AGM. That being said, try a different brand. Optimas quality went down hill a few years ago. I had a red top I bought when they first became popular and it lasted 10 years. It was still good when I traded that vehicle in, but it was spinning a little slower by then. I bought a yellow top and it was dead in 9 months. I've been running Duralast since.

 

[96gt02]

the optima requires the correct charger and tender because it's an agm. That being said, try a different brand. Optimas quality went down hill a few years ago. I had a red top i bought when they first became popular and it lasted 10 years. It was still good when i traded that vehicle in, but it was spinning a little slower by then. I bought a yellow top and it was dead in 9 months. I've been running duralast since.

this all couldnt be more true,
first make sure you are using an agm charger
second optima batteries suck try something else, nothing but issues i used to sell them

 

[Swannyvill]

+1 on charger. Agm require different maintenance than a SLA batteries.

 

[bobbystang]

I've had the same problem as you and funny thing is I to have a Optima battery. That's crazy because I barely drive my Mustang also and what I would do in the wintertime is disconnect the whole battery so it wouldn't drain which did work and then I'll just connect it to start it up in the garage in the winter and now I just literally pulled it out today but that's crazy and I always thought it was something wrong with my car n it was the battery the whole time no more optimas anymore .what do you guys recommend as a good battery just the regular DURALAST or what?

 

[96gt02]

Anything thats not an optima, optima batteries do not like to sit, they are better when used daily thats a big part of the problem

 

[99COBRA2881]

Try an odyssey battery yeah they're expensive sorry. The odyssey battery in my race car is an atv power sport battery it likes the cold and sat for over a year. Put my optima battery charger on it and it was still 80% charged. These little odyssey batteries don't have a fu-ck to give about not being used regularly. Next full size battery will be an odyssey.

 

[bobbystang]

Actually mines a autocraft from advanced auto not optima but my car is doing same thing and ever since I took off viper alarm off it seems to have started after that any ideas?

 

[01yellercobra]

Actually mines a autocraft from advanced auto not optima but my car is doing same thing and ever since I took off viper alarm off it seems to have started after that any ideas?

Are you sure you got all the pieces of the alarm out? I did have a battery drain because of an iPod hook up I had years ago. Once I got rid of that the drain went away.

 

[bobbystang]

You know from my knowledge I got a professionally installed and professionally uninstalled and he said they took all the pieces out but honestly you never know and I'm not technical enough to rip it apart to find out what piece might be possibly lingering in there

 

[01yellercobra]

You could always do the circuit drain test to see if you can find where the draw is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFCT-YZbU5o

 

[bakers4v4_6]

Thanks guys I think I will test it for draw but prolly buy a new one just sucks current is still under warranty and advanced only wants to give me replacement optimas only difference is last 2 were yellow tops. With no difference. I used the proper charger and always unhook the positive when not in use so I doubt it's a draw issue. I think it's the optimas. Never had this problem with the original battery. Course I drove it a lot more 10 years ago lol

 

[Dirks9901]

Went through the same thing, it's already been said, get a new battery that not an Optima


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[olgreydog7]

Batteries will drain slightly when sitting, even if unhooked. Like others have said, ditch the Optima, and get a battery tender.