well, the wife took my car to run some errands today. it's pretty cold for us down here (mid 30's - i know, that's fall weather for you NE guys), and i get a call from her that the car won't start. she explains symptoms, and it sounds like classic dead battery.

so, i talk her through getting a jump, she comes home, and my Optima shows a 12.9 V charge, but as soon as i draw any power from it (ie even turning on the parking lights), the voltage dips to ~9 V.

WHAT?!

now, i never mentioned it before, but i bought my original yellow top back in Feb 2004. sometime w/in the year (around January 2005), it freaked out and wouldn't take a charge. so, i brought it back under warranty... presto! new battery. i figured i had a bad one, and life goes on. (i never drew either of them below 11 V - so much for deep cycling.)

well, it's been about 11 months now, and today *wham* #2 fails. this time, not under warranty (as i was given the greater of the store's 3 month warranty, or the remainder of the Optima's).

both times, the battery folks are absolutely astounded that this has happened... Optimas are perfect, we never have failures, etc...
i give them a ring and then they inform me that the Type 51R is out of production till next year (??), they have none in stock, and that their local store closed, but their store 60 miles away is open... thanks Katrina.

needing a battery for a meet tomorrow, i debate on what to get... knowing the other store might still might step up and replace the 2nd defective (??) battery, i don't want to invest much. i call around and most cheapies are around $40 or so. in the process, i find a blemished type 51 Yellow Top locally, that the owner offers me $50 for. *shrug* i take it, and install it, and everything is good...


well, for the next 10 months or so.



anyone have issues like this w/ their Optima batteries? i'm left confused as all heck...

also, anyone have any points regarding the Type 51 vs 51R? it's not an exact replacement, but fit well enough...


*edit* after only 7 months, i've now lost this replacement: https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showt...dpost&p=8055208

 

Have you had your charging system checked yet?

 

Replace you battery, always(never happens) to change your alternator. You change one, or the other, but not both and the problem will show up soon again.

Your alternator can be drawing excessive amperage from your battery.

 

This doesn't sound right to me.......

 

This sounds wrong in several different ways.

Just because a battery goes bad doesn't mean the alternator is at fault, nor should you swap out a new alternator everytime a battery dies (what a waste!).

The alternator doesn't sink any power from the battery, it sources it, and if the alternator was giving up the ghost like that you'd notice the car failing to run after about 10 minutes.

 

As I mentioned this long long time ago in that big heat of battle between batteries, it's either you get it or you dont get it as far as your optima working. There are people no had absolutely no problems with them, and there are people who constantly have issues. Unfortuneatly, it has to happen to you Many of my local dealers have problems with Optimas too. I would walk into their showroom and see many many optima yellow tops getting ready to be shipped out for warranty. Some of them are threatening to stop carrying the because it's costing them more money to keep the customers satisfied.


The thing with these battery, and I'm sure you just experienced it first hand, is that they are not true deep cycle batteries. True deep cycle batteries are almost nonexistant for the public, unless you can rig yourself a forklifter's battery into your engine bay . They have been tested that after a drop to 9.5v, they substantionally lose their charge. They just handle lower voltages a bit better than conventional batteries, but can still be prone to damages.


My advice is to get some regular interstate batteries or something of the likes. As long as you have very good warranty, you're good to go. I use to have an optima battery in my old car also. It was very good to me until it simply got too old (over 4 years old). I went to costco and bought their "deep cycle" marine battery (yes for boats). Couldn't have been happier. Though I doubt it will fit in the s2k engine bay


Maybe someone else can shine light on this topic since one experience doesn't count for all

 

I agree. I did this in my old Miata. I had to get a custom battery rack, though. It worked in the Miata, because the battery was in the trunk, so there was room to work with. Not too much room in the S2000, though. The Marine battery worked really well for me.

I have not tried Optima. I just get a standard battery from AutoZone with a 3-4 year warranty. If something craps out, I bring it in and get a new one. I am not running enough stuff to warrant a deep cycle yet, but I dont think I will fork out twice the $ for a battery that has the same warranty as others.

Sucks to hear Phil. Hope everything works out.

John

 

I don't know how this applies, but I had a red top optima blow one of the vent caps and spray acid all over my car. It was in the trunk of my hot rod, ruined a lot of work, and etched all my stainless and billet back there. I did get a new battery and it's been good for a few years now. So much for the "safe" battery that can be mounted in any position.

 

Yeah Phil I've had my Yellow top for years now with zero problems. I've drained it down very low to the point that I need to jump it. Put the charger on it, started the car, and still I've had no trouble.

Considering how many of these batteries get sold, there are bound to be bad ones out there..., but I wouldn't think you'd go through that many Yellow tops. I would get the charging system tested.

 

^agreed

maybe the alternator is going crazy or something. Though I wonder why its lifespan is so short. Try another battery. If it does the same, then I guess it's not the Optima battery afterall