Optima Problems!!!

[the_josh]

i currently have a yellow top (main) and a blue top (aux) in my 4runner. I've been having problems with my blue top keeping a charge for the past few months but never my yellow top. my blue top on has one outlet hooked up to it to power the fridge but the fridge is on in the truck for trips. never once have i had a problem starting my truck

the major issues started last night...

i picked up my truck from toyota walnut creek and once i picked it up they told me they had to jump start the truck (which is something i never have to do and the truck sits in my driveway for days at a time) they stated the checked the voltage and it came out at 12.7 volts so it was good.

with my truck running i drive away and go to napa auto parts a few minutes away. i parked my truck and go inside. when i come out to start my truck its completely dead. like no interior lights, alarm going off dead. (the alarm will go off if it senses the battery has been removed or in other words, zero juice) i go inside and ask for a jump and it took a couple tries because it wouldn't stay running. so i leave my truck running and decide to buy a battery charger to give the batteries a proper charge. i got home and hook up the charger to the main battery with the charger selected on the 12v 10amp auto charge. i leave the truck for 24 hours


fast forward to tonight. i come home and see the charger still charging, it appears its at 75% and still charging. i remove the charger and try to start the truck and nothing, same exact situation like at napa auto parts the day before. both batteries are completely drained. now i don't know what the hell is going on. I've been frustrated with my blue top for some time but my yellow top has never let me down and down the are both the pits!

can anyone help?

 

[BrianSD_42]

do you have a dual battery setup or a separate battery in the back of the truck?

If you have a dual battery setup and want help/advice, can you post pictures of the setup, what type of controller ect?

:cowboy:

 

[jirehn]

Maybe the battery has no charge.So it is better to have an extra battery especially when you're going in far places.

 

[riceandpho]

could be the relay/ isolator have a problem, checks the fuses.

 

[KidVermicious]

Maybe the battery has no charge.

Pure genius.

 

[OptimaJim]

Hi TheJosh, I'm sorry to hear about the problems you've been having. To be honest with you, the first red flag went up for me when I saw the words, “I picked up my truck from...”

I deal with quite a few folks who bring their vehicles in for service somewhere, only to realize their doors were left open, a tech was listening to their stereo or something else was done to the vehicle that resulted in the battery being deeply-discharged. When that happens, shops usually wheel out a 200-amp charger and jump-start the battery, hopefully without cooking it in the process. I don't know what happened at the shop you dealt with, but at least you know they jump-started it and you did the right thing by attempting to fully recharge your batteries with a battery charger as soon as possible.

While the parasitic draw you measured sounds good, especially if your BlueTop is isolated and only used to power the fridge on trips, I noticed you also have an alarm on the vehicle and 23 milliamps sounds very low for a vehicle with an alarm system. If you can disconnect your batteries from your vehicle and any other draws and fully-charge them to about 13.0-13.2 volts (about 12.6-12.8 for RedTops and 34M BlueTops), they should be able to hold close to that voltage for 12-24 hours afterwards. If they hold voltage when disconnected from your vehicle, but drop voltage when connected, you probably have an electrical issue within the vehicle that is discharging them. What is your alternator putting out?

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
Optima Batteries - Automobiles and Parts - Milwaukee, WI | Facebook

 

[the_josh]

Thank you Jim for your response!

This is the second time The same Toyota dealership has killed my battery and had to jump start it, but this time is the worse because both my batteries are drained. So I'm not sure if this is part of their game they try to pull to say customers batteries ate dead or not.

I decided to remove the yellow top and charge it fully with the auto charger. I cleaned the terminals and all the battery terminals so once it's all charged I'll hook it back up and see how it goes. I plan on doing the same with the blue top. I have a few questions for you: in regards to The blue top, it's just used as my aux battery for jump starting myself and for powering the fridge. I had the battery discharged a good amount while using The fridge and it seems to never really hold a charge for long even after driving a long time. I did watch all your tech tip videos on YouTube and I noticed how the gentleman in The video stated that no matter how efficient a alternator is, it will never fully recharge a battery. Is this the reason why I'm not getting a whole lot of juice out of The battery? If so, how often should I remove the batteries and give them a good full charge?

In regards to the parasitic draw, I can recheck it. My alarm does have a backup battery so I'm not sure if that would factor to the really low number I listed?


Thank you!

 

[BrianSD_42]

what youtube videos? can you post a link?

Thanks

:roadkill:

 

[KidVermicious]

Hope this doesn't hijack the thread, but I am really impressed that Optima takes the time to trawl the web looking for customer service opportunities. That's the sort of thing that gets my loyalty, and makes me glad I'm running a red top right now.

Now if only Optimas were still made in the US (hint hint )...

 

[03_4x4Runner]

Hope this doesn't hijack the thread, but I am really impressed that Optima takes the time to trawl the web looking for customer service opportunities. That's the sort of thing that gets my loyalty, and makes me glad I'm running a red top right now.

Now if only Optimas were still made in the US (hint hint )...

I agree this is great someone from Optima replies here. I am a happy Optima owner also.

 

[OptimaJim]

Josh,

If you are deeply-discharging your BlueTop on a trip, it would probably be a good idea to check the voltage of both batteries upon your return or whenever they will be sitting for long periods of time and fully-charge them with a battery charger, if needed. The key to long battery life, regardless of brand, is to make sure that if they are discharged below 12.4 volts, that they don't stay in that state any longer than needed. When batteries are discharged below 12.4 volts, sulfation begins to diminish both capacity and lifespan. If your 23-milliamp draw includes your alarm, I'd be interested in knowing what the draw is without the alarm.

brianemc2_42, we have several instructional videos on our YouTube channel, which explain basic battery & charging system diagnostics. KidVermicious & 03_4x4Runner, I appreciate your feedback and will certainly forward your suggestions to the appropriate parties. We do still manufacture all of our own batteries, in our own facility and they are the only batteries produced there. We never re-brand or re-spec our batteries for any of our 30,000+ retailers worldwide and the batteries we are manufacturing today are the best we have ever built. I would expect Toyota would also build their trucks to their own standards, whether they are being assembled in their facility in Tahara or Tijuana.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
Optima Batteries - Automobiles and Parts - Milwaukee, WI | Facebook