Battery finally went - what to replace with?


SteveA

GT Owner/B.O.D
Mark IV Lifetime
Dec 13, 2005
3,697
Sandpoint Id
I'm at 4 years and going strong on my red top. Car sits for the winter with on a tender.
 

tpraceman

THEE GT OWNER
Mark II Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Feb 20, 2006
2,835
Washington Michigan
Odyssey - - 25-PC1400T (Replaces the Group 25 sized battery as a drop in replacement)
• Odyssey - - 75/86-PC1230DT (Replaces the Group 75/86 DT battery as a drop in replacement for Sears or Autozone)

As for the Optima Group 25 battery the 25-PC1400T is 9.46 x 6.84 W x 8.69 H. Compared to the Optima, the drop in Group 25 battery is a bit longer, wider, and almost an inch taller.
The 75/86-PC1230DT is 9.46 L x 7.08 W x 7.92 H. Dimensionally it is closer in length and height of the Group 25 Optima but a bit wider at the top due to the Group 75 side terminal configuration.
Both ODYSSEY battery models have the long side hold down ledges for securing the battery in the battery compartment.
If the battery compartment hold down has been altered to accommodate the Optima battery models then there may be a bit of an issue but maybe not too bad.



Kathy Mitchell
ODYSSEY Sales/Support Representative
 

fjpikul

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Jan 4, 2006
11,680
Belleville, IL
Raceman, height is the problem here. If your battery is even a little too tall, the tub won't fit in correctly. Ask GT Jack. When I put in my new Optima after last years Rally, I didn't seat it quite right at the rear, on the hold down clamp. Tub would not go in. Also, when replacing, someone a long time ago gave a hint to tie a string on the hold down bolt. I thought it workied very well that way.
 

tpraceman

THEE GT OWNER
Mark II Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Feb 20, 2006
2,835
Washington Michigan
Sir Frank, Good Tip! I'll see if it works on Black cars... Red heads always have a string attached don't they :)
 

MAD IN NC

Proud Owner/ BOD blah bla
Mark IV Lifetime
Feb 14, 2006
4,219
North Carolina
Red heads always have a string attached don't they :)

Tom - that is a great come back, and true..... ROFL!
 

Spirit

Heritage GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
... Red heads always have a string attached don't they :)
More than you can imagine.:bang
You been reading my mail again?:eek
:huge:
 

ChipBeck

GT Owner
Staff member
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Feb 13, 2006
5,783
Scottsdale, Arizona
My OEM battery lasted 7+ years. I hope to get another 7+ out of the red top replacement.

The chance of a new Optima lasting 7 years like the old USA built ones did is zero.

Chip
 

33Bravo

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Nov 3, 2006
688
Minneapolis, MN
A good use of an Optima from a Ford GT

I have a Touareg sitting in the hangar. (The Touareg seems to need more maintenance than the space shuttle… $5K to replace timing chain for example). I apparently left the interior light on, an ran the battery completely dead. As the existing battery is a PITA to replace – and not really not wanting to spend another penny on this car; what to do?

I tried putting chargers on it. The circuitry “protection” in all my chargers did not like 0 voltage. Then I remembered an old post (or video?) or getting a dead battery to take a charge. I brought a fully charged Optima that came out of the GT (replaced them with Die Hards – I figured 9 years was a lot) – and hooked up jumper cables between this known good battery and the dead battery. Then hooked up a tender – which liked the fact it sensed voltage. A few days later – all good!

I’ve kept the Optima’s around – and charged. Still not sure what I’m going to do with them but having them sure came in handy…
 

USA GT - STAN WHITE

FORD
Mark IV Lifetime
Aug 13, 2007
32
Gardnerville, Nevada
I don't know how else to get in touch with you. I'm in Gardnerville, NV. Sold my GT and would like to sell all my Misc. GT parts,
I don't want to ship all over the country. Maybe you or your group would be interested.

Thanks

Stan White
 

partssmann

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jun 1, 2013
771
Scottsdale, Arizona
Stan, sent you email on parts.
 
Last edited:

twobjshelbys

GT Owner
Jul 26, 2010
6,189
Las Vegas, NV
I don't know how else to get in touch with you. I'm in Gardnerville, NV. Sold my GT and would like to sell all my Misc. GT parts,
I don't want to ship all over the country. Maybe you or your group would be interested.

Thanks

Stan White

Stan, it looks like you can't get PMs. Please let me know what parts you have. I'm in Vegas so might be interested in coming up if it's a good mix.
 

BIGFOOT

GT Owner
Jan 18, 2012
744
Northeast
This is a good reference thread. I guess the Optimas are junk now (per Chip).
And others.
 

twobjshelbys

GT Owner
Jul 26, 2010
6,189
Las Vegas, NV
One still has to be able to get one from Ford, what are they substituting? I had mine preemptively replaced when I bought it and Rich put in the Ford battery.
 

jcthorne

GT Owner
Aug 30, 2011
792
Houston
You can still get one from Ford, but they are not the same battery since they moved production to Mexico.
 

Kingman

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Aug 11, 2006
4,072
Surf City, USA
My Odyssey is still going strong since 2009 (see earlier posts).

No gauge issues, and I've never felt compelled to attach any type of charger (though I do have the factory issued charger and a CTEK Multi US 7000.
 

TO AWSUM

Ford GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jul 4, 2007
1,512
Niceville FL
Here's the battery I bought which is working well. http://www.fordgtforum.com/forums/showthread.php/29532-Battery-Tribulations
 

Waldo

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Sep 7, 2005
770
Fort Worth, TX
So, it looks like I have another dead Optima. Is there a consensus that the Odyssey - 25PC1400T fits in the GT?
 

AMB

GT Owner
Aug 29, 2005
401
San Diego,Ca.
I would go with the Odyssey 35-PC1400T to keep the terminals away from from the frame!!!
I went with the Odyssey PC1200T!!!
 
Last edited:

Waldo

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Sep 7, 2005
770
Fort Worth, TX
I would go with the Odyssey 35-PC1400T to keep the terminals away from from the frame!!!
Although the Odyssey 75/86-PC1230DT has the second set of terminals on the front, they are far enough from the frame that I don't feel there will be an issue. As a precaution, I left the plastic inserts in the front terminals and wrapped some high speed bonding material (aka tape) around the sides of the battery to insure the terminal inserts didn't work their way out. There is much more room between the front terminals and the frame then I expected.

I went with the Odyssey 75/86-PC1230DT because it was about 3/4" shorter than the 25/35-PC1400T. Others had expressed concern about it fitting under the trunk liner, and I wanted to insure there wouldn't be an issue.

The 75/86 is also 4.5 pounds lighter.

Specs:

Odyssey 75/86-PC1230DT
Pulse (5-second) Hot Cranking Amps (PHCA) 1230
Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) 760
20Hr Nominal Capacity (Ah) 55
Reserve Capacity Minutes 110
Dimensions L x W x H (in) 9.46x6.99x7.92
Weight (lbs) 45.5

Odyssey 25/35-PC1400T
Pulse (5-second) Hot Cranking Amps (PHCA) 1400
Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) 900
20Hr Nominal Capacity (Ah) 65
Reserve Capacity Minutes 130
Dimensions L x W x H (in) 9.46x6.84x8.69
Weight (lbs) 50
 
Last edited:

DoctorV8

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Feb 28, 2006
1,173
Houston
My red top looks like it is dead.

Is everyone moving towards the odyssey now, or have some of you had luck with the newer OE replacements?