Battery finally went - what to replace with?


RALPHIE

GT Owner
Mar 1, 2007
7,278
Didn't Sears get bought by K-Mart?

Yes - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sears
 

Xcentric

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jul 9, 2012
5,213
Myakka City, Florida
The Sears Platinum battery was an Odyssey with Sears branding. If you know the size, you can probably cross-reference it with Odyssey. Or, just ask Odyssey what fits our cars. It will cost more than Sears and have a 36 month vs. 48 month warranty. I bought an Odyssey for my truck from Amazon. When it failed after one year, Amazon sent me a replacement, no questions asked.

http://www.odysseybattery.com/contact.aspx
 

junior

GT Owner
Mar 9, 2007
1,152
So Cal
No luck with the Odyssey via their website, search yielded this:


No Matches

Year: 2006
Make: Ford
Model: GT
Engine: 5.4 Liters 5409 CC 330 CID V8
Model #:
BCI #: N/A
Install Notes: No specific installation notes
 

Xcentric

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jul 9, 2012
5,213
Myakka City, Florida
If you know what you want, they will help you. I can't make it any plainer than that.
 

Kingman

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Aug 11, 2006
4,072
Surf City, USA
Junior.....when I return home this weekend from travel, I'll forward along the Odyssey model # that I have in my ride. I haven't had any issues to date.

I'm kinda plain like that.
 

junior

GT Owner
Mar 9, 2007
1,152
So Cal
Thanks !
 

Howard

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Apr 26, 2007
1,149
Florida/North Jersey
I replaced my OEM battery with a non-Sears AGM of the same size. Look up the size catagory of the old Sears/Optima and find a well stocked battery store. The replacement, I believe will have front and top terminals, and you must cap the front terminals to assure they do not contact the front chassis. While you're in there, it's a good time to refresh the ground connection to the chassis and possibly add a second ground connection.

Howard
 

MDT

GT Owner
Jun 24, 2006
209
When I first went to the Odyssey site this is the battery they recommended. http://shop.odysseybattery.com/p/25-pc1400t-a?pp=12
I know they don't recommend it any more, not sure why. I did have a problem getting the front lip to get "latched" under whatever is supposed to hold the front of the battery down. However, that may just be my lack of skill. (Any tips appreciated)
 

tpraceman

THEE GT OWNER
Mark II Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Feb 20, 2006
2,835
Washington Michigan
When I first went to the Odyssey site this is the battery they recommended. http://shop.odysseybattery.com/p/25-pc1400t-a?pp=12
I know they don't recommend it any more, not sure why. I did have a problem getting the front lip to get "latched" under whatever is supposed to hold the front of the battery down. However, that may just be my lack of skill. (Any tips appreciated)

Thanks for the tip. I emailed them and asked them to do some research for best fit. I'll engineer a adaptive mount if needed. So hopefully I'll get a favorable response. These guys make some super batteries
 

Kingman

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Aug 11, 2006
4,072
Surf City, USA

I purchased an Odyssey PC1400T/25 for $229.99 at Ace Auto Parts located at Magnolia & Adams back in 2009. http://shop.odysseybattery.com/p/25-pc1400t-a

Now, my receipt does not include the added (-a) in the part #, so there may have been some type of change since 2009.

I seem to recall the discussion here about these batteries when I purchased mine. You had to make sure to purchase the correct battery with the hot & the ground on the correct sides due to cable length, and as you can see, the pic from the Odyssey site shows this to be the placement you want.

Now as far as the tray fitting correctly, it was a bit snug at first, though now it fits perfectly.
 
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SaskGT

GT Owner
Dec 24, 2013
47
The Odyssey battery I purchased is a 75/86-PC1230 and it fits. The 25-PC1400 was too tall for my car. Not sure if it makes any difference, but these are Canadian numbers.
 

Kingman

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Aug 11, 2006
4,072
Surf City, USA
I just checked and I had also compiled this cross-reference:

Sears Diehard Platinum - - 22850080 Model# P-3 Platinum Group Size 75/86dt
Sears Diehard AGM - - Same as above
Autozone Duralast Platinum AGM - - Same as above
Optima Red Top - - 25-OR
Odyssey - - 25PC1400T
Odyssey - - 75/86-PC1230
 
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jcthorne

GT Owner
Aug 30, 2011
792
Houston
Thanks! The Odyssey group 75 is available from Amazon for 267 w/ free shipping and 3yr warranty. It does look identicle to the Sears other than the red top. Thanks for posting.
 

junior

GT Owner
Mar 9, 2007
1,152
So Cal
Thanks Kingman !
 

tpraceman

THEE GT OWNER
Mark II Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Feb 20, 2006
2,835
Washington Michigan
From: Battery, Odyssey [mailto:eek:dysseybatteries@enersys.com]
Sent: Monday, May 19, 2014 10:44 AM
To: Thomas Phipps
Subject: ODYSSEY Inquiry

Good morning Thomas,

Let me tell you a little about the product and the maintenance requirements so that you can share this information with other if we do have something that will work. I would need to know which OPTIMA model battery you or your group has been using to cross reference it to a similar sized ODYSSEY battery. Note: The original Optima wound thin plate technology originated with Gates manufacturing in 1973 and was transferred to and developed further in our Warrensburg manufacturing facility (now EnerSys) in 1983. That original wound technology was sold when the flat thin plate pure lead technology was developed in the early 90s. That original Optima technology was sold multiple times before finally being purchased by Johnson Controls and they have since moved Optima manufacturing to Mexico. The original Optima’s were a great product and did very well however we are getting more and more frequent calls from dissatisfied Optima customers that used to be diehard fans.
ODYSSEY batteries are AGM Lead Acid batteries however the TPPL (Thin Plate Pure Lead) technology requires that the batteries be maintained at a slightly higher voltage than other standard lead acid batteries on the market. Proper charge maintenance is critical to maximizing the life and performance of the ODYSSEY battery. ODYSSEY Battery 101…
Most conventional batteries are considered fully charged at 12.6-12.7V. The ODYSSEY TPPL AGM battery is not considered fully charged unless it has a resting voltage of at least 12.84V. The usable energy of the ODYSSEY battery is from 11.2V (0% state of charge) OCV to 12.84V OCV (Open Circuit Voltage should be checked after a minimum of 6-8 hours rest period with no loads). When the battery goes below 10.0V OCV it is over discharged and the battery voltage is are getting into the chemical part of the battery and can cause permanent damage. At less than 8.0V (less than 10.0V OCV as of the April 2014 warranty update) OCV the ODYSSEY limited warranty deems the battery over-discharged due to abuse or neglect (usually unintentional). The ODYSSEY charger/maintainer or any approved maintainer can maintain the ODYSSEY battery indefinitely in or out of the application provided it has enough charging current to counteract the parasitic loads of the application. If the battery becomes over-discharged (below 11.0V OCV) then the sooner the battery can be fully charged the better. If the battery remains connected to the application during storage or extended periods of non-use, to prevent over-discharge and maintain the battery at a full state of charge, an ODYSSEY program approved maintainer would be required and/or disconnecting the battery prevent over discharge. There is a link to a list of ODYSSEY approved 12V chargers located on the ODYSSEY website Product Support page for your reference. http://www.odysseybattery.com/documents/ODYSSEYapproved12VchargersOct2013.pdf.
The list of approved 12V chargers is provided due to the many chargers that are programmed for the vast majority of batteries on the market that prefer low amp charging and lower float voltages that do not fully charge or maintain the ODYSSEY battery properly. The minimum recommended charging current for an ODYSSEY battery is 40% of the 10 hour amp hour rating of the battery for cyclic or deep discharge applications (about 25A for a single 65Ah rated PC1500), a constant float voltage of 13.5-13.8V and no constant voltages exceeding 15.0V in any kind of de-sulfation/reconditioning/equalize mode. At greater than 15.0V the battery can overcharge, overheat, and/or go into thermal runaway. Maintaining any ODYSSEY battery at less than 13.5V will bring the battery down and maintain it in an undercharged condition causing sulfation and premature failure. This would not be considered a manufacturing defect failure.
For seasonal applications (non-daily use applications that set for more than 3 days in a row frequently) regular use of an approved maintainer that meets the charge voltage requirements noted in the previous paragraph is highly recommended during the season and/or a disconnect switch. The preferred storage method is to fully charge the battery before storing and disconnect the battery from the application (shelf storage mode). Stored in or out of the application with no loads, the battery would not require charging for up to 2 years at 77°F or until it reaches 12.0V, whichever comes first. The self discharge rate increases significantly for temperatures above 25°C (77°F) and for every 10°C (18°F) temperature increase the storage time to recharge is decreased by half. Charge maintenance is critical to maximizing the life and performance of the battery. Freezing will not harm the battery and self discharge rates reduce significantly at colder temperatures.
It is recommended that the ODYSSEY battery be charged if it is less than 12.65V (about 80% state of charge) when put into use per the ODYSSEY Owner’s Manual (link provided on website Literature page for your reference). Automotive alternators are meant to top off a slightly discharged battery and maintain a fully charged battery. Most standard alternators/stators are not meant to be deep discharge recovery chargers and can become damaged if consistently used like one as well as not fully charging the battery with limited use. A battery discharged to below 80% capacity may not reach a full state of charge, regardless of how long you drive the vehicle using a standard alternator. Typical alternators only run at full amp output for a very short period of time before reaching its charging voltage and dropping into a very low amp trickle charge.
Low amp trickle charging a discharged ODYSSEY battery is very inefficient and can contribute to the premature sulfation of the battery. Constant duty alternators have constant charging current that is high enough for a long enough period of time (when driven/ridden) to get the battery to a full state of charge efficiently. Once the battery is at a high state of charge (at least 85% SOC), an approved low amp trickle maintenance charging is able to complete charging process without prematurely sulfating the battery. The Cyclic Charge Voltage range printed on the top label of the battery is the recommended voltage at the battery from the applications charging system (alternator or stator). At less than 14.1V the battery may not be getting fully charged for infrequently used applications. You can verify the battery voltage by checking the voltage at the battery at least 8 hours after application use (or off charge) and if the battery voltage is not at least 12.84V then the battery is not considered fully charged. Voltage readings taken right off charge or after use (alternator/stator charging) will be inflated and inaccurate so for a true OCV reading, you should wait at least 8 hours before checking the voltage (OCV) with 24 hours being preferred.
Any lower amp (less the 25A for PC1500) charger that floats between 13.5-13.8V constant voltage at the battery and never exceeds a constant voltage of 15.0V in any kind of automatic reconditioning, equalize, de-sulfation mode can be used as a maintainer for the PC1500 series battery models provided the charging current is high enough to counteract the parasitic loads of the application and maintain the acceptable voltage in float mode at the battery. With proper charge maintenance, the battery should have a service life of 2-3 times that of the same sized (Ah rated) battery in the same application with the same usage. The battery has an 8-12 design life and have been known to function successfully well past the design life of 12 years.
Thank you for contacting EnerSys/ODYSSEY. Please contact me if you have any questions, concerns, or need further assistance. Sincerely,

Kathy Mitchell
ODYSSEY Sales/Support Representative
 
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Kingman

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Aug 11, 2006
4,072
Surf City, USA
Holy Moly!! Thank you Thomas.
 

Xcentric

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jul 9, 2012
5,213
Myakka City, Florida
Yeah...Odyssey tends to be overly helpful.

I got an Odyssey for AGM and deep cycle. I run an ARB FreezeFridge in my expeditioning 4WD.

The problem is the finicky charging requirements. My truck sits a lot and is stored in a garage without power. As a result, the battery never seems to be at full charge.

I don't think it is ideal for the GT unless you are always keeping it on a tender.

The Optima maintains full voltage better than the Odyssey, as measured with my ScanGauge.
 

THamonGT

GT
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Wow, after reading all this special information on the Odyssey battery I'm really confused. I also noticed that the battery tender is not recommended for use on this battery? It's a damn shame the Optima battery quality has gone to Pot as I've had good luck with them in the past but don't want to take any chances.
 

junior

GT Owner
Mar 9, 2007
1,152
So Cal
Holy Voltage Batman, you ask them what time it is and they tell you how to make a watch.
 

BlackICE

GT Owner
Nov 2, 2005
1,416
SF Bay Area in California
My OEM battery lasted 7+ years. I hope to get another 7+ out of the red top replacement.