OPTIMA BATTERY

[Art Garcia]

so about 3 months ago, i got off work, went to start my truck, wouldnt start, wouldnt even crank.

so my girlfriend jump started me, we went to autozone, they tested my batterty and said it was weak. i procrastinated to get it charged. lately for about a month now my truck would sometimes start and other times it wouldnt. and just recently it wouldnt, i had to get it jump started. today i got it charged for quite a bit while i was working. i left work and went to autozone and they tested my battery weak again. i was leaving but it wouldnt start. i had bad corrosion on it and it was leaking acid so i went ahead and bought an optima red top.



my questions being?



their system said direct replacement is a 75-25 but even with the adapter it came with, it still moves a bit, only if you manually move it though. should i be worried? is that the right size optima battery i need? what size optima battery do you have? they took my duralast out which was size 65-DL. was this duralast ever the size it needed for direct replacement?

 

[Jerry Gerner 2]

I have a Bosch 65 series, 850cca- 1000ca. It fits perfect and works awesome. Don't go with the Gel Pack, yellow or red top Optima, they don't hold charges long once drained for whatever reason. The BEST batteries out there are made by Kinetik's.

:banana::driving::haveabeer::supercool:

 

[Art Garcia]

thats what i got, the red top, black housing gel battery



it was about 154.99

 

[Jerry Gerner 2]

I paid $97 for mine from Pep Boys ( one of a few things that I'd actually buy from them ).

 

[Art Garcia]

wass it the same one as the one i have describe.



75-25



red top

black housing

gel

 

[Jerry Gerner 2]

How long ago did you get it and from where? Different battery all together. If you have an Advanced Auto Parts or O'Reilly's, they'll test your whole charging system in your truck and see if anything is causing the battery to fail (old battery) that is. The new one should read just fine. You may have a drain somewhere ( bad ground, stereo equiptment draining the battery over time ). Try that and let us know what you find.

 

[David Ponder]

so my girlfriend jump started me...

And THEN you worked on the truck, right?



Sorry... Its Friday!

 

[Jerry Gerner 2]

:bwahaha::rofl:

I was gonna say something along those lines but I held back.

:haveabeer::banana:

:worthless:

 

[Art Garcia]

i need my questions answered about my new optima battery.



and my duralast that i had on there, it went bad, and started leaking acid. it was 5 years old.

 

[Jerry Gerner 2]

The old battery is garbage, take to a scrap yard and get the $5-15 depending on where you live. The new battery is good but if you have something draining your system then you need to find out what that is. Take it to the parts store and they'll test the system for you for free. Don't get me wrong Optima makes a have decent battery but I won't buy them anymore. First things first, get the truck tested.

:banana:

 

[Mark K 2]

I buy Interstate batteries. Been doing that for 20 years or so. They last about seven years here in the cold and heat of Wisconsin. Not bad for $65 or so each.

 

[Gavin Allan]

According to the Optima website, the following Optimas will fit your truck:



Group # Description

34 (8002-002) RedTop; Battery;

34/78 (8004-003) RedTop; Battery;

75/25 (8022-091) RedTop; Battery;

D34 (8012-021) YellowTop; Deep Cycle Battery;

D34/78 (8014-045) YellowTop; Deep Cycle Battery;

 

[Gavin Allan]

Duralast batteries from AutoZone work fine for me. Rated highly by Consumer Reports. Made by Johnson Controls. Good warranty.



Gold-Duralast/Battery Part Number:

65-DLG

Warranty:

8 YRNotes: *** 850 cold cranking Amps (1000 cranking Amps) *** 150 reserve minutes. -> 3 year free replacement <-

 

[EddieS'04]

Ditto on duralast gold. I had one last 8yrs. Back when the gold series was rated for 5yrs. I only had one to warranty, since switching to the duralast gold back in the early '90s. Negative post leaked acid on wifes '01 escape. That can happen to any of them. In 40yrs I never had success with diehard or interstate. Niether has family.

20yrs good service from duralast gold, I will stick with them.

 

[Art Garcia]

is there harm in putting in a bigger battery?



i wanna go bigger with the optima just so it fits better on my truck.

i have the 75/25 and its a bit loose from the back and the front. the sides are okay though

 

[Bill Koonce]

Your main (cranking) battery should be an automotive battery, not a deep discharge type. If you run accessories that tend to drain the battery all the way, you should purchase a separate, deep discharge battery for those accessories, and use a battery isolator to protect the cranking battery.



The Optima brand is great if you have the money to throw away on bling, or have a legitimate need for scroll-type cells. Most absorbed glass mat (AGM) batteries work just as well per dollar spent, can be mounted in any position, and are almost as good when it comes to vibration resistance.



A 600 CCA rating should be fine. If the temps fall too low, you're better off buying an AC powered battery warmer rather than fighting a losing battle putting bigger and bigger batteries in.



I've read that most car batteries are made by one of four OEMs in the US. That doesn't mean that all batteries from one OEM are identical, but it does mean that a no-name battery might work as well as more expensive name brands.

 

[scott degroot]

Personally I only buy Interstate batteries. The one in my Dakota is currently 5 years old and still going strong, that's saying alot for a battery that has to live in the Phoenix heat. My old Explorers' Interstate battery was 8 years old when I sold the the truck. I also like Optima batteries but in some cases they just don't fit properly in the space provided.