OK. I have heard a lot about Optima batteries, I have a 2003 50th Anniv vette and a lot of the vette owners rave about them. I ordered a 34R, hope it fits good. I notice there is not a lot of slack on the negative cable to the battery.
Battery help… Still have the OG from manufacturer...
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OK. I have heard a lot about Optima batteries, I have a 2003 50th Anniv vette and a lot of the vette owners rave about them. I ordered a 34R, hope it fits good. I notice there is not a lot of slack on the negative cable to the battery.
OK. I have heard a lot about Optima batteries, I have a 2003 50th Anniv vette and a lot of the vette owners rave about them. I ordered a 34R, hope it fits good. I notice there is not a lot of slack on the negative cable to the battery.
It will be a little smaller than the battery in this picture...All Optima batteries are short, but they come with a spacer that clips to the bottom to make them tall enough tot fit.
I think the hardest part about getting an Optima to fit is the Pos cable. It has a 90 degree bend in it that takes some force to get to the post on the battery. but don't worry, both cables fit.
nice try but at 1amp, it will take a long time, sometime more than 24 hours to charge. when your battery gets discharged like what you had, you need a charger with desulfate capability. also to prolong the life of the battery if you drive short distances all the time, it's recommended that you fully charge your battery every 6 months or less and use a charger between 2-6amps charger. slow charging is the key.
The new model...
I went with an AutoCraft Gold from Advanced Auto Parts. Couldn't afford the Optima which I wanted so bad!!
I went with an AutoCraft Gold from Advanced Auto Parts. Couldn't afford the Optima which I wanted so bad!!
You are right. Unfortunately, I don't know much about my car or the battery for that matter. Timing was also an issue... I couldn't leave it charging for 24 hours unfortunately. Instead of worrying about it, I just purchased a new battery. At least I know now :boxing:
It will be a little smaller than the battery in this picture...All Optima batteries are short, but they come with a spacer that clips to the bottom to make them tall enough tot fit.
I think the hardest part about getting an Optima to fit is the Pos cable. It has a 90 degree bend in it that takes some force to get to the post on the battery. but don't worry, both cables fit.
Just a last question, the Optima pages are a bit unclear on the charger required for these batteries. I dont have one that calls out AGM batteries, just this one that I use for my car batts (REGULAR) and my boat batts (DEEP CYCLE). Is the AUTOMATIC & REGULAR settings OK for the Optima? I usually use the 10 AMP setting when I need to charge vs. the 20 AMP setting.
Just a last question, the Optima pages are a bit unclear on the charger required for these batteries. I dont have one that calls out AGM batteries, just this one that I use for my car batts (REGULAR) and my boat batts (DEEP CYCLE). Is the AUTOMATIC & REGULAR settings OK for the Optima? I usually use the 10 AMP setting when I need to charge vs. the 20 AMP setting.
You can use a 10A standard charger for a standard (not deep cycle) Optima battery. However, your charger has a 2A setting, and as a rule of thumb the slower the charge the lesser the impact on the battery. AGM batteries are good at moving energy fast, whereas the Gel Cell batteries have a slower discharge. The Optima is technically neither; it is a DRY CELL battery (red top). That said, your alternator charges 75-150 amps, so the battery can absolutely handle a 10A "trickle" charge. On the "gel cell" setting on your charger it will automatically regulate the the length of time the battery is charged at the current setting, and it will do it in timed periods.
So in short, your charger will work, it would be best to use it on the 2A automatic, gel cell setting to better match the batteries charge and discharge rate. You can charge it on 10A if time is a factor.
True Gel Cell batteries (deep cycle) have a very slow discharge rate, thus they have to be charged very slowly to avoid damage to the battery and shortened life. Dry Cell batteries (Optima Red Top) can be treated like a normal AGM battery, yet a slow charge is still better for both dry cell and glass mat batteries.
It will be a little smaller than the battery in this picture...All Optima batteries are short, but they come with a spacer that clips to the bottom to make them tall enough tot fit.
I think the hardest part about getting an Optima to fit is the Pos cable. It has a 90 degree bend in it that takes some force to get to the post on the battery. but don't worry, both cables fit.
OK, got the Optima 34R installed. Seems to fit just fine and so far so good.
Thinking about removing the negative cable attachment to the vehicle and moving that bolt a little closer to the battery, the cable is taught from the neg post to the bolt due to the Optima post being a bit more set-back than the Panasonic.
Thanks for the help,
Bob
OK, got the Optima 34R installed. Seems to fit just fine and so far so good.
Thinking about removing the negative cable attachment to the vehicle and moving that bolt a little closer to the battery, the cable is taught from the neg post to the bolt due to the Optima post being a bit more set-back than the Panasonic.
Thanks for the help,
Bob
if you have the battery tight, the cable will be fine.
I'm Sure you will enjoy it.
jackz
New member
Replacement Battery
2005 V-8 100k
Still have original Panasonic battery..no problems.
Wish they still made those.
Checked for a future replacement at the local Costco.
Catalog calls for 27F series, which Costco doesn't carry nor can I special order.
Interstate makes their batteries btw.
A 24F series doesn't have enough CAmps @ 700.... or so I was told.
Looking at Optimus, pricey,yes, worth it ?
I'm not sure.
2005 V-8 100k
Still have original Panasonic battery..no problems.
Wish they still made those.
Checked for a future replacement at the local Costco.
Catalog calls for 27F series, which Costco doesn't carry nor can I special order.
Interstate makes their batteries btw.
A 24F series doesn't have enough CAmps @ 700.... or so I was told.
Looking at Optimus, pricey,yes, worth it ?
I'm not sure.
