Really Optima... Really?

PalmettoRunner

PalmettoRunner

New member
So on July 25th of this year I purchased an Optima red top from Autozone, this morning I went to start the truck and got nothing... NOTHING! I figured it might have been my mistake seeing as I was doing my ISR last night maybe I left a light on or something. So I go to work, 6 hours later I go to leave and its completely dead again! I get jumped again go to the same Autozone and the battery tests fine... go to crank the truck and there is once again nothing, the battery went from being fine to dead in a matter of cranking the truck.

Ended up getting it replaced under the warranty but I'm wondering if there is maybe something draining it that I need to find. I haven't had a problem cranking the truck since I got the battery it just all of a sudden died last night. I'm running a 1.5 farad cap and a 500 watt amp could they be draining it? The stereo has been in the truck since I purchased it and never gave me a problem with either the old battery or new battery.

If it was the battery what a bummer, I thought these things were pretty bullet proof. What are your thoughts?
 
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Yup sounds like your alt is on its way out. i run way more stereo than you and no problems with my redtop its been 2 years on mine. Alpine Type X pro components and Type X sub Powered with V12 amps.
 
I was at Auto Zone on Saturday picking up some wire to wire up my flood lights and 2 people came in with red top optimas that were dead. One said he just bought his 2 weeks ago and the other said he had his for about a month..I think I'll stick with my $80 battery.......
 
It is because of the Columbia heat. It is the hottest place in the US next to Death Valley and Phoenix. Two years of graduate school there allows me to say such.

Take a DVM, set to DC, hook the leads up to the proper terminals, and see how fast the battery discharges from around 14.1 volts once the 4runner is turned off. If it is rapid, and/or it drops below 12.35 when you start the 4runner again, the alternator is dying for it isn't charging the battery sufficiently.

I do know folks who have had their share of Optimas go south on them. Try a Duralast Gold next time. Hopefully though it was the battery and you are good to go. Wintertime will tell ya if that is so.
 
Just spoke with a friend's father who is a manager at a Batteries Plus in northern VA (retired engineer). He told me his father said they average about seven returned Optimas a month for what is is worth to ya.

He usually recommends an Odyssey for those customers willing to pay extra.
 
Just got back from Advance... everything tested fine (battery, starter test, and charging system). Guess it was just a bunk optima, at least they offer a warranty. Probably won't be buying another one though! :gun6:
 
not bash on optima but i had a similar experience. had a red top on my previous vehicle and had to get it waranteed after 3 months. charging system was ok and had no drains. that one lasted 2 years before i had the samething happen...never again. maybe i just got a bad batch...i hear really great things about them but i will buy a die hard when my runner battery goes out
 
I too have went through a few Red Optimas till I went on their website and read about how and what kinda charger to use on them. Those C-Tech charges are recomended and since I started to use that charger(charged battery when it was brand new) I've now gotten 3 years so far, knock on wood.



shayne
 
Did the battery ever actually test dead? From your description, it sounds like it tested good and then you got no crank at all. I'm thinking maybe it's a bad/corroded wiring issue, a loose connection, or the maybe the starter contacts are worn. Do you hear any clicks when you're trying to start it? If the battery tested fine and then dead a minute later, then I agree it's the battery, but it sounded like you never actually tested it when it was dead.??
 
Yes, it got tested fine once then I went to crank and got nothing. The lady had another guy come out he tested it as fine, went to crank and got nothing then he tested it again and said it was at like .6v.
 
The red-top I purchased for my LC about 3-3.5 years ago is still doing great.

Had a buddy with a new-to-him Tundra go shopping for a new battery, I recommended the Optima. The Batteries Plus and Autozone stores he went to actually DISCOURAGED him from buying one because they are now "garbage" and being returned dead in droves. Apparently, sometime recently they began producing them in Mexico (or ?) and they are now very sub-par.

My two cents, just passing on what my buddy was told. Sad.
 
terminal was the first thing i thought of, I replaced the damaged ones on my truck in a pinch with some cheap auto parts store terminals and now about every two months I go to start it and they the second I try to crank the drop the connection. I've been holding off until I get the second battery in so I can just re-wire everything at once.

On the other hand I gave up on Optima batteries years ago. They started off as amazing quality, then sold off to Interstate, and it was over from there.
 
zcruiser said:
x2.

I am former Red Top Optima turned Die Hard and happier for it.
Click to expand...

X3

You get an Odyssey for about 2/3 of the price and 4 years free replacement. Not to mention deep cycle ability and massive CCA/CA.

This is coming from a guy that has an Optima Red top in the '97 and a Yellow Top in my Supra. I've been converted.
 
A lot of battery testers do not work very well. I've used testers at bmw dealerships that would do the same thing, They test ok but the battery doesnt hold charge. The problem is the tester doesn't actually put enough load on the battery. I use to just turn the lights on for about 20 seconds before testing it and then it would fail the test completely. I recently had my battery warrantied at autozone and it tested good even though it only had like 1-2 cranks before it would die. after a whole day of charging and testing it finally failed there test and i got there duralast gold which actually seems to be a.decent battery so far. I also never get the recommended size. I try to always get a bigger more cca battery that i can fit reasonably.
 
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