Odyssey Battery or Battery Odyssey

[Carnut]

I've had a running lifetime argument with my best friend Carl Fry on car batteries.

We both have had multiple numbers of show cars in our possession most of the time with several sitting for periods of time.

His theory has always been to buy the cheapest battery brand available, insisting a one year warranty $30 battery was a better bang for the buck than a top of the line 7yr  warranty $90 battery. His cheap batteries have always seemed to do him well and I've never had to help him jump start a car.

Of course my theory has always been to buy the top of the line most expensive battery around figuring the expense was worth it for less headaches and downtime.

Now after 50 some years of car battery buying I'm tending to come around to Carl's way of thinking.

I've had a couple new cars with OEM batteries that have lasted 7 years and I've always been lead to believe they are usually the same as a cheapo 1 or 3yr type battery. So I probably should have learned something from that. One was a 77 Chevy Pickup and one was a 02 Chrysler PT Cruiser, both batteries lasted 7+ years.

So, over the last few years the new type and style of batteries have come on the market and I've bought both the Optima and Odyssey batteries. My two $120 Optima batteries are still cranking along pretty well.

But my 4.5yr old $225 Odyssey in my 67 Charger has just died.

I'm a bit discouraged, I think maybe my battery theory may not be holding up well.

I put a auto store battery in my PT Cruiser after the 7yr OEM bat died and have had two go bad after only a year of use, the current one has lasted more than a year so far.

I'm thinking I'll just get another auto store battery for my Charger.

Heh, heh, over the past 44 years I've gone thru a bunch of car batteries in my Charger. Early on I always specified the largest size and cranking amp type I could find, if I remember right the biggest was a type 27. Think I started out using mostly Sears top of the line batteries and jumped on the Diehard when that brand came about. Went with Sears batteries because there was a Sears store in every town, so I should be able to get a replacement anywhere.

When JC Pennys came out with the 'lifetime' series of batteries I jumped on them. I do think I got my moneys worth out of them, but they went away after going thru a few replacements and eventually they transferred to a Firestone brand battery and I didn't like the battery that was being offered.

So the Diehard brand also began to deteriorate and I started looking at these high dollar alternatives.

And that's my battery story, I'm sure my friend Carl, who's a lot richer than me, due to superior investments and abilities, is chuckling at my battery problems.

[wayne petty]

parasitic draws are hard on battery life of stored cars...

the slow discharge and long term partial discharge creates sulfating problems..   the sulfate crystals spread out between the plates and force the ends out on the battery.. ( battery)    where is should be like this [battery] with flat ends..  the pushing and shoving breaks the individual grids inside.. reducing battery cranking power..  and eventually all the power fails..



parasitic draws can be handled by disconnecting the battery.   but as i have been told.. batteries discharge at about 1% per day.. when just sitting.. so in 30 days.. they are partly discharged.. whats funny..

i have let costco batteries sit for a year..   without being connected and hooked them up and found they still had 12.2 volts..  down from 12.6..   i did charge it before i started the car at 17 volts DC but with a current limiting power supply at 1/4 amp... for a day or two...      i have brought back big motorcraft group 65 batteries that were left sitting and were down to 0...  with a week on that setting..   but i did not try to charge it fast first.. or jump start that battery.. the fast input hardens the sulfate and prevents the battery from being recharged..


a stand by charger (battery maintainer)  is available from HF stores. under 10 bucks usually..

it will maintain the battery.. while the car is parked without overcharging the battery..

if you had a choice.. 12.7 to 12.8 volts DC.. as a long term voltage after the battery is fully charged is where it should stay...  

there are solar panels you can sit on the dash board and keep the battery full.. you should also check them with a digital volt meter. once in a while.. i have run into some that would not work.. dirty connectors where the wire plugged into the panel socket..  


more to come.. .

[Carnut]

Yep, on all my cars without 'electronics' I have used battery disconnects for many years for battery life and security.

I also have used battery maintainers on my cars with 'electronics' like this one:

[rooster]

Can't read the output of mantainer? Is it 2 amp or .2 amp?

I made 1 of these havent tryed it yet! Would use a small solar cell to power it.
http://ghurd.info/

[wayne petty]

continuing...

http://www.harborfreight.com/15-amp-three-stage-onboard-battery-charger-maintainer-99857.html

1.5 Amp Three Stage Onboard Battery Charger/Maintainer  30 bucks..

~~~~~~~~


http://www.harborfreight.com/automatic-battery-float-charger-42292.html

Automatic Battery Float Charger

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http://www.harborfreight.com/15-watt-solar-battery-charger-44768.html

1.5 watt Solar Panel Charger


~~~~~~~~

and the best thing they offer.. the green knob battery disconnect...

http://www.harborfreight.com/battery-disconnect-switch-97853.html


some of the HF stores may also have a black knob version of the battery disconnect... for side terminal batteries..
i could not find the number...


for bringing deeply discharged but NOT boosted or fast charged i happen to have one of these. current limiting power supplies..
i am not telling you to go buy one.. only that a similar version is what i have.. mine is decades old ..only goes to 18 volts DC 3 amps..  and my brother converted it into a current limiting supply some how..  added some circuitry..  but it was only 20 bucks at an electronic surplus store.. where conventional current limiting power supplies are well over 200 bucks used..  

http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/PS-3003/VARIABLE-POWER-SUPPLY-0-30-VOLT/0-3-AMP/1.html
http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/PS-3003/VARIABLE-POWER-SUPPLY-0-30-VOLT/0-3-AMP/1.html

[Carnut]

OK after the $250 battery died on my Dodge Charger after 4.5 years,
in preparation for a new (cheaper) battery I decided to put on new battery cables.

And being the feeble clutz I've become and suffering from a terminal case of poison ivy/oak, I managed to break off the post on the starter.

Not sure if the starter was still factory original or not, but I'm sure it's pretty worn out because I have to crank on it quite a bit to get gas pumped up to the carb to get it started after sitting, so I figured it was replacement starter time just as a maintenance issue.

I checked around on rebuilt starters and then checked on ebay and found quite an interesting thing.

All mopar starters for V8 engines are the same. The new factory mini hi torque starters are a bolt in replacement. So on ebay I find a rebuilt mini hi torque starter for a shipped price better than local rebuilt replacement starters and I didn't have to provide an exchange. I kinda like keeping the factory original starter around.

Well! After 9 hrs over 2 days I have a new battery, cables and starter on the Dodge Charger. Probably was a hour or so job if I was back in shape.

I still have a terminal case of poison ivy/oak, but I finally got the job done.

It was an interesting experience, the new mini hi torgue starter was pretty different. Had to make adjustments to cables and wiring, but it worked out well.

Heh, heh, those starters are the only thing that Chrysler ever designed that was interchangeable across so many of it's engines for so many years. Chrysler is not known for doing stuff like that.

The starter is working great, guess time will tell how long it will last.

I didn't get the worlds cheapest battery, but I did get an autozone gold line battery in a 27 series/grp. A big battery and with 1 gauge cables, so I almost have instant start on the engine, no starter noise at all after it's warmed up.

[taxpyer]

I have had big batteries last 11 yrs but when you buy a commercial battery usually they are "dry" and are filled when you purchase them.  BIG difference in battery life there.  Batteries have a definite shelf life and it's just the luck of the draw if you get one that lasts a good while. If the clerk brings one out for you in a dusty old box, hang on.
 
Price doesn't mean quality and nor does name brand this day and age. Seems everything we buy is a roll of the dice as to it's quality and value.

Sorry to butt in guys,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,