Hello all,

I have a built 1985 IROC-Z (383 stroker, some additional LED lights, sound system with a 300-watt amp but nothing else too crazy), and I have some battery issues/questions.

The issue is that I'm going on my 3rd Optimum red top (N997525RED, 720 CCA) in the last 6 years. I don't drive the car much at all, and last year was even less than normal. If the car sits for more than a week, the battery goes completely dead and I have to jump the car to get it started. I'm guessing that the constant draining and then jumping & charging is killing the battery faster than it should.

I live in Michigan and don't have the car out year-round. I typically get it out in April, drive it through September or October and then winterize it. This includes hooking it up to a Battery Tender. Last spring, when I got the car out for the year, the battery was completely dead. I removed it, took it to a local auto parts store (AutoZone or O'Reilly's, I don't remember which. They tested it and said the battery was good and it just needed to be charged. I charged it using my Optimum charger and it seemed to work fine. I then hooked the Battery Tender back up and monitored the voltage and from what I can tell, the Tender was working fine, too.

Towards the end of the summer, I went to drive the car and the battery was once again dead. This time, I hooked my Optimum charger up to it and after it got to around 75%, I got an error message, saying that the battery was bad or wouldn't charge.

My alternator is a Jegs Powermaster, 140 amp. The gauge inside the car says that I get just over 14 volts when driving, and anytime I've had the alternator checked with an external meter, it's tested fine. I don't think there is any sort of charging issue.

I've also tried multiple times to determine if there is a parasitic draw, but I've never found anything.

I think that at least part of my issue is that (1) I typically don't drive the car but once every few weeks and (2) when I do drive it, I'm not driving it long enough to get a nice, full charge.

Anyway, my two questions:

1) What are some good, direct-fit alternatives to an Optimum battery? I was doing some research online and found an Odyssey Battery from Summit (https://www.summitracing.com/parts/ody-75-86-705) that is pricy, but people tend to give them great reviews. Or I could go with some sort of basic battery if that's better.

2) Is there any advantage of installing a battery cut-off switch? I'm not super keen on having to jump under the hood every time I want to drive the car (and when done driving), but really I'm sort of doing that already when I have to charge the battery before every time I drive.

 

Hi Fronzizzle, a couple of points here;

The brand name is "Optima", and not "Optimum", and yes Odyssey is a better battery, the whole "ya get what you pay for" thing applies here (maybe not everywhere, but here).

If your 101% sure you've got no parasitic draws, and that your battery tender is functional, I don't see what else it could be beyond bad luck with the batteries themselves.

This thread may provide some insight;

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/afte...-batterys.html

And lastly, if your running any kind of ECM , it'll loose any of it's learned fuel trims & such every time you disconnect the battery with a cut off switch.....

 

I live in Ohio. I don't drive my car that often and have had similar issues I run AC Delco Batteries in all my car now. I un hook them when not being driven and put a battery tender on them. I haven't had any issues at all with mine.

 

AC Delco is a brand name owned by Delphi. Delphi doesn't make batteries. They buy em from somebody. Either Exide or Johnson Controls, same as virtually ALL batteries on the market today with the exception of the Optima and similar gel-type ones (Die Hard, Interstate, all the store brands, ... ALL of em). Doesn't matter what name is printed on it; it's one or the other. Which one is it?

If it's an Exide, they're GARBAGE; quit buying them, and look for a Johnson Controls. Back in the day the very top-line Die Hard was a JC, and all the Die Hards were Exide, as an example. Can't say about today. You might have to do some actual research beyond "Internet fix my car NOW!!!"

Regardless, if the batt goes dead from just sitting, there's a "parasitic draw". Current is flowing somewhere all the time, or at least, enough of the time to drain it.

THIMK about how a battery works. There's a metal (lead) and an acid (sulfuric). When they combine chemically, energy is released, in the form of forcing current to flow. Eventually all the acid molecules in the fluid have combined with lead atoms to produce lead sulfide, and at that point, the batt is "dead". Charging reverses the process: current is forced through it in the opposite direction, the lead and sulfate ions are re-dis-assembled, and the batt can once again produce electricity for a time.

Time was, batteries were specified in a meaningful unit that actually told you something physically measurable about them: amp-hours. A good battery might be 80 amp-hours. Such a battery could sustain a current of 80A for 1 hour, 1A for 80 hrs, 4A for 20 hrs, etc. ... the product of amps times hours, along with the voltage (13.2V nominal), tells you how much energy the batt held. Nowadays they use "cold cranking amps", which is meaningless drivel: pablum for the masses, designed to sound vaguely "technical", but worthless. If I may quote one of the GOATs, "as a tale told by an idiot; full of sound and fury but signifying nothing".

For a super simple solution, install a 2-wire connector (batt & gnd) that hangs out somewhere eeeeeezy to get to, like just under the edge of the bumper or something, get a trickle-charge "battery tender", install the mating connector on it, and just plug it in when you park the car. For a longer-term solution, find the draw. SOMETHING is allowing current to flow when the car is turned off, thus draining the batt. To really REPAIR it, you need to find it and do away with it.

Common things causing this are mostly aftermarket: stereos (the amp usually gets hard battery, not switched), alarm systems, remote starters, and so on. If you have any such, try disconnecting them altogether, and see if it gets any better.

 

I'd check for a current draw first off. Unhook the pos. terminal at the battery, get a multimeter that reads DC amps. Hook one lead to batt. terminal and the other lead to the cable end. Have the meter set to the maximum setting to handle the initial draw, then go down to a ma setting. If you get any real reading start pulling fuses until you find the circuit with the excess current draw.

 

The majority of the ACDelco Batteries (installed on the Vehicle Assembly Line, and over the Parts Counter) have been relabeled Deka Batteries for the last 12 or so Years.

These Batteries have been "Hit or Miss"...
Some Models have been excellent (going nearly double the rated life-span) and others have been a Horror-Story (failing in under a Year).


I believe Deka also obtained a Battery Contract for Harley Davidson as well (around the same time... 12 or so Years ago).

 

If a new battery goes dead within a couple weeks then it's certain that you have a parasitic draw while the car is parked.

If the battery is fine until after you store the car for a while then you might have the wrong battery charger and it's over charging the battery and drying it out. Those AGM batteries don't have much fluid in them, they are very intolerant to overcharging.

This website will make you smarter than most people if you want to learn more about batteries and battery charging, https://batteryuniversity.com/

 

do what tom3 said and find your current draw. once a battery is drained down to absolute zero, the charger wont even "see" it anymore and wont even turn on in many cases. if it sits in that condition for a few months, it can become sulfated on its plates, which can be unrepairable in some cases.

 

So the question now becomes, exactly how did you attempt to determine if there is a parasitic draw ?

 

I live in canada have purchased Two ACDELCO batteries for my '72 buick GS over 21 years with no problems. Longevity is what it is all about.

 

I've always had good luck with Dekka batteries, but I'm sure there are exceptions...

 

Just replaced my Optima battery last weekend. Bought it in October 2001. I'd say I got my money's worth out of it. Replaced it with an Interstate AGM. Went with that one over the Odyssey because it came with a 48 month warrantee. If it sucks, then I'll replace it with the Odyssey.

 

Like I said...
They seem to be "Hit or Miss" in terms of life expectancy/ Performance.

 

that is by far the oldest working battery i have ever heard of. i replaced a 17 year old electric pallet jack battery a couple of years ago, and that one had the record by a few years lol. the owner just used it to pull a pallet or 2 off of a truck each day. forklift batteries can go 10-11 years or so if well taken care of.
most typical car batteries will give up the ghost by 8-9 years if lucky.

 

With regard to optima (red tops) they're not deep cycle so do not like repeat charge/discharge cycles. Had the same issue with one, switched to a yellow top, problem gone. This was back in the 90s when they were better made i guess. Eventually the yellow bought the farm and by then optima's reputation as well. Been using odyessy ever since