lowKut

iTrader: (3)

A lot of people that I know swear by Optima Yellow Top batteries and I was somewhat a devotee to the yellow top brand for 6+ years until recently I am now highly disappointed .

My first yellow top that I put in the car 3 years ago when I added my sound system work great until June 2009, it would die here and there which I got a new replacement. My second yellow top worked pretty OK for about a year until it start to die after I turn the car off the battery would go completely dead & I would have to jump start it each and every time. One month ago I purchased my third yellow top and the same issue reoccurred all over again, battery die every time I turn the car off. I decided to re-build my alternator (150AMP) thinking it would rectify the issue. Today when I installed the new alternator my dilemma became worst, all my head /fog lamp start to dim and blink continuously, the battery indicator on the dash came on 5 times.

Questions: Do Optima Yellow Top batteries lose its potential after it goes bad and you re-charge it?

Can you damage the battery by jump-starting/boosting it and not trickling charge it since it’s a dry cell?

I think I will do away with the yellow top and return to a diehard or another good brand of batteries and use a second dry cell battery to run my aftermarket audio equipments.

pppphhhssss i need to vent

dealer374

I just replaced my original battery with a Duralast gold. Works fine, what do you have for a audio system what is wrong with just running a cap for it? My buddy runs two yellow tops in the trunk for his system and it works pretty good

Papajorgio

iTrader: (7)

I went through at least 7 optima batteries, 2 of which being red tops and the rest were yellow, they usually last about 2 to 3 years but i have gotten some lemons that took a dump within a year or so, i would say go kinetik, oddyssey or even shuriken (made by metra) unless your optima is still under warranty, so far ive warrantied all but two of my optimas for taking a dump within the 2 or 3 year warranty date, i dont play my system without the car running so most of the time the alternator(185amp) is taking care of the current draw not the battery and still under those conditions the batteries fail, ive also never seen an improvement of any kind while running an optima versus a regular lead acid automotive battery although your not supposed to deep cycle a regular battery and the yellow top is made to be deep cycled.

after all is said and done ive lost all faith in optima and dont plan on running them anymore, only reason i still run an optima is because as long as they keep failing under warranty i get a free replacement, they may work well as a secondary battery but as a starting or cranking battery highly not recommended, sorry kinda venting here myself but just for reference ive had optimas fail on my daily street cars made for racing with no system at all, all they had to do was start the car and they couldnt even handle that simple task,

but for your question there not supposed to be rapid charged from dead only a trickle charge something like 2amps overnight, and yes ive had the cells in my optimas lose there ability to store a charge overnight, so i would have to charge it everyday until i changed it out, ive had some other optimas lose a cell or 2 leaving them completely useless,

oh and capacitors will assist the charging system in preventing peaks or spikes of current that are known to hurt batteries and or the alternator but thats about it, having a high output alternator is an important first step, the battery is there for running the vehicle while the engine is off or starting the vehicle thats about it, when the charging system cant keep up with the draw from your stereo and other equipment thats when i starts dipping into the battery for the extra current thats not being supplied by the alternator,.. and thats where battery damage for normal lead acid batteries begins,.. well before i start rambling...



Good Luck and i hope you resolve your battery issue

dealer374

2jz - Love the sig is that a family guy ref? Patty Tanager the Cadddy Mananger, yeah it rhymes big whoop wanna fight about it

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

Optimas are POS batteries. I'm being a harsh but they certainly lack quality control. The yellow tops are not close to being a true deep cycle battery.

Back when I knew an owner of an auto parts store, he would tell me the Optima Yellows were the most warrantied batteries ever by a good margin.

/rant

rgarjr

iTrader: (1)

I had a yellow top one and the thing didn't last me that long, took a dump.

Lexmex

I've had my Red Top 34/78 in my RX300 for just over 5 years. 2 years ago, I started having issues when I wouldn't use the vehicle for a few days since I worked at home. I would have an infamous 1:00 a.m. on the clock and would have issues with the center console lighting up. Recently, I've had the same issue, but it appears with this battery that I have to use the vehicle every few days or it will not go.

There are better options out there, especially given the weight of an Optima, and I'm looking at alternatives already mentioned above and perhaps even a lightweight Braille (though pricey).

Papajorgio

iTrader: (7)

hahaha thanx, yeah family guy, i thought that was the best line after saying anything that you do, so a little bit of infringement going on ,

but braile makes an awesome battery, nice looks and size as well, but pricey is an understatement, for what they do there a expensive, but if you drift or race they are very light alternatives to the pigs in the dry cell market...

aznaznazn

phew good thing i decided not to get the yellowtop when my battery died. I also went with the duralast gold and it has been doing ok so far.

still need to do the big 3.

lowKut

iTrader: (3)

So, I removed my new (re-built) alternator and take it to Pepboys to take advantage of their free alternator testing. The result of the test was FAILED I remember reading a post on the 2nd GEN GS forum of a member stating a bad Optima Yellow top killed 2 alternators for him is such a thing possible?

My audio set-up is not that big:
I have 1 1500 watt RMS mono amp & 1 500 watt RMS 4 CH, 2 Kickers L7 subs, 4 6/12 components speakers, 3 TVs.
&
My spring project is a custom rear deck with 4 10" speakers. I am tired of the bass now and need to go w/ some extream loud speakers.

thanks bro
Love the signature I always crack-up every time the Family Guy character says it & he is like a little midget

OptimaJim

lowKut, I’m sorry to hear about the problems you’ve been having and I’d like to help. First and foremost, if your battery is discharged to the point where your vehicle needs to be jump-started, you should fully-charge your battery with a battery charger as soon as possible. Relying on your alternator to recharge a deeply-discharged battery can lead to a cycle of dead batteries and jump-starts, until either your battery or alternator fails.

Under normal conditions, our batteries can be re-charged like most other lead-acid or AGM battery. However, our batteries are not gel batteries, so “gel” or “gel/AGM” charger settings should be avoided, as they can damage our batteries. This video offers general information on battery charging- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dNwNFZnLbc

Have you done the “Big 3” upgrade yet? Can you tell me what the key-off load is on your car? This video explains how to test this- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yPlx4MBNRU

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries

lowKut

iTrader: (3)

Jim - thanks for your response and willingness to help.

I am currently working on completing the Big 3 upgrade. I will be able to get you an answer on the key-off load over the weekend as my work schedule during the week is quite long.

thanks again,

Mark

lostthumb

I've had good luck with both the red and yellow tops. My red top lasted 4 plus years and the yellows I have just recently installed them in a F150 and my GS430.

Percy

7 years for my first red top. 5 years and going strong for my second red top.

Yellow top on the other hand isn't doing so great. Doesn't seem to hold a full charge for very long.

lowKut

iTrader: (3)

Hey Jim,

Sorry for the long response time. I have been extremely busy for the last couple of weeks but just wanted to give a brief update. The shop where I got the alternator re-built which was defective the first time around re-built it for the second time. I've installed the new alternator w/ a regular Duralast (loaner) battery which is working like a charm now. Car starts so easily and the battery is fully re-charging without any issue. When I have the time I will have to swap my yellow top back-in and will let you know the outcome of that.