Whats Latest Battery Advice?

[TO AWSUM]

I used Deka AGM part number 9A35/85 over 6 years ago and is still going strong. You don't have to buy an Optima or other high priced battery. The Deka battery is easier and safer to install than the Optima because the Deka battery posts are not located under the car framework which has the potential for shorting the battery during installation. The Deka is just as good a battery as an Optima.

Be careful not to lean on the fender while removing and installing the battery. Guaranteed you will put a dent in your aluminum fender.

 

[BIGFOOT]

For anyone concerned about changing out their battery I used the Deka recommended by TO AWSUM and there were no issues.
Easy to buy from many sources including Amazon. No core charge with Amazon.
That’s what this Forum is all about and what makes it great.

 

[2112]

So we know the Deka works (but is heavy).

Any one try Antigravity and can report back on fitment?

This seems to be the closest match

Group-35/Q85 Lithium Car Battery

Antigravity Group-35/Q85 Hi-Power lightweight Lithium Automotive Battery with RESTART Technology. Replace lead/acid battery in Hi-Performance Cars.

antigravitybatteries.com

My latest Optima is 2 years old and already showing it is getting weak.

 

[Art138]

So we know the Deka works (but is heavy).

Any one try Antigravity and can report back on fitment?

This seems to be the closest match

Group-35/Q85 Lithium Car Battery

Antigravity Group-35/Q85 Hi-Power lightweight Lithium Automotive Battery with RESTART Technology. Replace lead/acid battery in Hi-Performance Cars.

antigravitybatteries.com

My latest Optima is 2 years old and already showing it is getting weak.

I have had my optima since 2017…going strong; the key to longer life with these batteries is to keep them on a battery tender when not driving.

 

[2112]

I have had my optima since 2017…going strong; the key to longer life with these batteries is to keep them on a battery tender when not driving.

I have been on a smart charger continuously. That is why I am stumped.

Reading reviews, see a lot of reports that these are dying prematurely nowadays.

 

[bonehead]

Another thread revival. Just trying to keep the 05-06 forum alive, I guess.

Went to take out one of my other cars yesterday and it was dead as a doornail. Battery was 3 years old and always on a CTEK. Spent the better part of the day sourcing a new battery and installing it (which was no small feat in this particular vehicle).
Thought it would be a good idea to check when my last battery change was on the Ford. Turns out it was 6 years ago. Sheesh. No apparent issues, no electrical glitches, always starts up. But I don't want to get stranded again. What are thoughts on preemptively replacing the battery? I'm not jazzing to spend $250 on a new Optima for no reason and break my back R&R'ing a new battery, but I also don't want to wake up to a dead car again.

 

[fjpikul]

Come on cheapskate, batteries aren't that expensive and you can do it yourself. Better a battery now than gauges later.

 

[bonehead]

Come on cheapskate, batteries aren't that expensive and you can do it yourself. Better a battery now than gauges later.

Leave it to Dr. Frank to tell it like it is. Keeping old(er) cars running is expensive. I've got a few and most of them need something. Just trying to spread the monetary pain out. But more importantly, bending over the frunk with a heavy battery while it's 100 degrees in the shade is just not my idea of fun.
Have an oil change coming up. I'll tackle it then.

 

[drilling]

Leave it to Dr. Frank to tell it like it is. Keeping old(er) cars running is expensive. I've got a few and most of them need something. Just trying to spread the monetary pain out. But more importantly, bending over the frunk with a heavy battery while it's 100 degrees in the shade is just not my idea of fun.
Have an oil change coming up. I'll tackle it then.

This is what i felt. It was too damn hot even in Midwest today. And the battery is way too damn low.

 

[extrap]

Leave it to Dr. Frank to tell it like it is. Keeping old(er) cars running is expensive. I've got a few and most of them need something. Just trying to spread the monetary pain out. But more importantly, bending over the frunk with a heavy battery while it's 100 degrees in the shade is just not my idea of fun.
Have an oil change coming up. I'll tackle it then.

You could run a battery test on it ... and if it tests good but you still wanna change it, wait 6 months til it's (hopefully) cooler.

 

[fjpikul]

Go over to Tomy's air conditioned man cave. Or call Soroush. He's been MIA for quite some time. Don't let him give you any baby stories. Or maybe piano playing worries.

 

[bonehead]

You could run a battery test on it ... and if it tests good but you still wanna change it, wait 6 months til it's (hopefully) cooler.

I'll just change it. About 5 more months before the outside temp is habitable. I'll probably get to it before then, though.

 

[bonehead]

Go over to Tomy's air conditioned man cave. Or call Soroush. He's been MIA for quite some time. Don't let him give you any baby stories. Or maybe piano playing worries.

Tomy is waaay out there. I haven't seen in a while. I just saw Soroush a few weeks ago. Brought his wife and babies to my house for a birthday shindig.
I actually have a minisplit in the garage. Just doesn't work very well. Still a good 90 degrees in there but it does cut down on the humidity a bit.

 

[Vinithing]

Having some battery issues here. The battery for my ‘06 GT is less than two years old. I live in WI so I don’t drive it much at all in the winter or in bad weather. When not in use I put it on a Batter Tender Junior. It is wired directly to the terminals and fished through the front end via Rich Brooks.

The indicator light on the plug is green when plugged in. If I don’t drive the car for a month or so the battery always drains and the battery is dead. One thing I noticed is that the passenger break light comes on but not the driver side, not sure if that means anything but it is strange.

I take my battery to Auto Zone and they do slow charging that takes all day and the battery gets back to 100%. I install it and she fires right up.

I don’t know why the battery keeps draining, pretty frustrating. The original owner installed an aftermarket alarm which I don’t use and wouldn’t even know it had one unless they gave me the FOB for it. Maybe the alarm has something to do with my issue?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[twobjshelbys]

The charge to 100% time seems excessive. But once charged how fast does it decay?

A month to discharge doesn't seem unreasonable especially if you have always on parasites.

The trickle charger you have might not have less capacity than the parasites. There is a higher capacity Battery Tender that might help.

Two years on a battery isn't that old

 

[Vinithing]

The charge to 100% time seems excessive. But once charged how fast does it decay?

A month to discharge doesn't seem unreasonable especially if you have always on parasites.

The trickle charger you have might not have less capacity than the parasites. There is a higher capacity Battery Tender that might help.

Two years on a battery isn't that old

Hard to tell how fast it decays, I would say at least a month.

What are some possible parasites? Is there a way to find out and button things up?

I can certainly try the larger tender, in my research the Jr. should have been good enough but that’s a good suggestion.

 

[twobjshelbys]

Do you have an ammeter? A DVM category unit should work as long as you don't try to start the car. Disconnect the positive and put the DVM ammeter in and see how much current is being drawn. You could also take it to Autozone (the whole car) since I think their battery/charger health can read it but somehow they seem to do it without disconnecting terminals so I don't know how accurate it is... Check the spec on the DVM to see what current range it can tolerate and if it's good to say 5 or 10A it should be OK. If the parasites are pulling more than that you've got something that ought to be on switched power that isn't... Can you unplug your aftermarket alarm?

 

[partssmann]

I had same issue with another car, green light showing but was bad Battery Tender Junior.

 

[Howard]

Try replacing the BT Junior with a CTEK. The Junior is a low current model for motorcycle batteries. I've had no luck with Battery Tender, and never a problem with CTEK.

 

[extrap]

I still use Battery Tender Jr's cuz they're inexpensive and 'usually' seem to work, but there have def been times when one shows green but the battery is no longer good. I'd call them a hit-and-miss Harbor Freight level of quality / reliability.