Anyone heard a battery blow up? I HAVE! I left a garage let, well it fell on the top and just barely burned the top. This was a 3 month old Autozone battery. And it ended up making a boom and obviously going out last night. It was a 550 amp Duralast and it isnt covered or anything so I need a new battery. Im debating what to buy, I need something good but not to rip out my wallet. I recently put in a 105 amp Alternator that is internally regulated to, so if that means anythings.....
Maybe a couple reccomends from everyone smile.gif
Thanks...

Oh yeah, no battery acid or crap got on my engine or clean new parts, im lucky!

Basically, what do you look for in buying a battery? I know the higher the CCA the better. What about the Kragen Excide 840, it's only $54 and it is 630 cca, better than what I had before....

http://www.partsamerica.com/PartDetails.asp?SourceArea=SHOP&SourcePage=SEARCHRESULTS&MfrCode=ECC&MfrPartNumber=7884&PartType=5005&PTSet=A

Ok my last post... I always forget something. What about an Optima, maybe I'll just get one of those. i have an amp and stereo as well .

pnutkemist,

I have an Optima yellow top in my car. It is sad, but I honestly have to say that is one of the things that I am happiest with on the car. I have had it for 3+ years and have charged it once or twice. The car has sat for months at a time and is primarily used at the race track where it may be started 15-20 times per night.

Basically, the thing has just kept on ticking with start after start and little to no charge time. When this one finally dies, I will definitely get another.

Here is a second for the Optima's, I run 2 (yes 2) yellow tops in my truck which is LOADED with stereo equipment, TV's and other junk, no problems ever. I also run a red top in my chevelle with no problems at all. Also the CCA's on optima's are grossly underrated, I have tested a ton of them myself (I am a manager for Batteries Plus).

I have to disagree about Optima. I had to withdraw from several races over a couple years because of a dead Optima battery (twice in the semis). This was with a good alternator and the battery on the charger before going to the track. After getting home with the dead battery, it only took 20 minutes before the charger showed it fully charged (should have taken several hours). Maybe I had a bad one. It might work in a street car but it's not a good choice got a race car. Interstate is a good choice.

Thats a tastey 67' Tom smile.gif I like it. I'm grossely poor after my new fenders and hood, and evvverything else. I just got a higher power Excide. Im not running too much stuff, the new guages (5 autometers) my amp and stereo, nothing too extreme. So this will do the trick for now. The Optimas sound pretty slick though, but the price isnt grabbing me currently smile.gif

My wife's battery blew up and dented her hood.This was in a nissan. I went through 2 optimas like Pat Kelly they don't work for me. I had a mallory top cell at one point. that was the best battery by far! to bad they don't make them any more.

get the Optima. I bought one for my Chevelle in 89, lasted till 97. IN ARIZONA, where batteries typically die every other summer. In Az, you don't really buy a battery, you rent it.

I was working in a small garage at the time, they bought a brand new Sun battery tester. The Optima would kick out 900 amps on the thing. That is, until I smoked it by over amping it. Sun refused to warranty it, claimed we had abused it. I was in the doghouse for a week. :(

Killer batteries, I can't understand why Pat would have had trouble with one. I do know they don't like to be overcharged at all. That's how I eventually killed mine.

Tom

I know several others that had problems with them in race cars. One of them put it in his street car and it lasted for quite a while. These were all red tops. Mine is setting in the garage. The funny thing is, it would be working fine but then just quit. Moving up the staging lanes it would start the car fine, then suddenly nothing, no lights, no start, no nothing. After about 30 minutes the car would start. Since going to a Champion (Exite) battery this hasn't happened.

Sorry to the guy's that have had trouble but I haven't had a bit of trouble with the red Optima's. I have 4 of em the oldest I bought in 98 the truck has sat out all winter & it'll start if I go out there right now.
I've just had good luck with em I guess.

Jim

Sounds like alot of mixed experience on the Optima's. My neighbor just got one for his 68 show truck and he loves it, I thought I was going to get one after hearing about it. But it's a tad pricey after going broke on new metal. I just got an Excide from kragen tonight which is what Ive usually used in the past and never had a problem with. The only time I had problems was with an Autozone Durlast and it was kind of my fault :D but the optima's im still half way interested in the near future.... maybe when I add more power options like my alarm and door sylinoids...

Be careful

There may be another problem other than the battery

There not supposed to go boom -

I've had the same problems Pat has had with the Optima's. I have had 2 in my GTO. With a new alternator and charged between rounds- then it won't turn over in the lanes. Hook a jump box to it and it turns right over.

I installed the Optima in my driver last summer and it has worked flawlessly. I have no idea why I had such problems in the race car.

Optima in my caprice(LT1),my camaro(L98),my sons 71 rs camaro(400sb) and L98 camaro and his fierro, and last but not least my 70 SS with a 427 which that one is 6 years old and i have let drain to nothing bunches of times and I just recharge it slowly and it works perfect and i will never buy any other kind of battery. I have heard you must recharge them at a lower amperage and for a much longer time (2 to 5 amps for 30+ hours)

All batteries have recommended ways to charge their batteries. If the rules are followed you shouldn't have any problems with any decent battery. We have had very good luck with the Optimas, both a yellow and a red top one. They are pricey but have given us good service. I like the gel format better than the regular lead acid type as they don't seem to eat up the area surrounding the battery box. I haven't had any luck out of Delco or Champion brands and won't buy another one of either.

I've had bad luck with a red Optima. I now have the Yellow top Optima and it seems great, so far.

By the way, I have a 140amp alternator which supplies more than enough juice.

Theo.

i have a interstate in my chevelle...and i run a yellow top optima in my modified every weekend...i charge it all the time...havent had any problems with either

I have red-top Optima's in both cars - the one in the Chevelle needs to be recharged occasionally, and I have heard of more than a few horror stories regarding the Optima red-tops. The one in the Camaro has worked pretty well thus far.

Having worked at autozone and currently at checker, I have a good idea about how these batterys act. Checker's batterys [excide, autolite] aren't the best. Autozones duralast 2yr warrenty battery's [the golds] are very good ones. Checkers dry cell's are excide orbital's, and they seem to do ok. Also the optima's seem to do ok, but nothing better then a wet cell. As for everyone with the yellow tops in their cars, this is about the only situation where I see the dry cells fail early. You just don't use deep cycle battery's in a daily driver like that. Red tops only. Theres really only a few major battery manufacturers out there, everyone buys those and labels them how they wish....

Be careful

There may be another problem other than the battery

There not supposed to go boom -


Am I missing something here - I guess my point was that something that caused the battery to go boom. My experience is that batteries just die or will even expand if something goes wrong - won't take a charge, etc. But they never go boom

If a battery goes boom then replacing the battery alone may not fix the problem - the new one may go boom too and this time you might be be hooking up the battery cables

Anyone agree or dis- agree with this

I have a Die Hard Gold for my 66. I got it free brand new out of a car in about 95 or 96. Cant remember when. I havent had a problem with that battery once and I am still using it today. Although its not daily driver status.

i've seen a battery go boom, one of the mechanic's at my dads shop was tightening the positive terminal and touched metal with the wrench BOOOOM acid got on his glasses (lucky he was wearing glasses) and on his face and all over the car. The only thing we figured was that the battery was out gassing hydrogen and the spark set it off,

All batteries have recommended ways to charge their batteries. If the rules are followed you shouldn't have any problems with any decent battery.

Well stated.
Pat and others, the problem is most likely your charger.Optina batterys do require a different charging style...
My close friend use to have the same exact trouble with Red Top Optima's on his race car.Yep, the charger would say it was fully charged and good to go too...
That was not the case, in reality the battery was done for.

It was charged between rounds and at home in between races.
It failed after only a few races.The store replaced two of them before my friend called Optima.He told them what it was doing.They wanted to know about his charger.
It seems these Optima's wan't a different type of charger.
They gave him the part number for an Exide charger pt# 31013.
He put the new battery in and purchased the charger they told him of and never had a problem after that.

Now to me...
I have an Optina Red Top in my daily driver.It's the only Optima I have ever had.I just looked at the sale date marked on battery, it's 4/98.That means my battery is 7 yrs old.I have totally drained this battery a few times by leaving the lights on by accident.
What charger do I have...Exide 31013.
At one point I had this battery sitting on my bench for a one year period of non use.

This charger is rated as a Fully Automatic 10/2/60 AMP unit.
I just looked and it seems Exide stopped selling automotive battery chargers(??) as I can't find any new ones made by Exide.

At any rate these chargers slowly bring the charge up by giving short current bursts.On off on off under the regular 10 AMP setting, not deep cycle.

By all means if you get an Optima call them and get a recommendation and a part number of a charger they say will work.
Worked for my friend and it apparently works for me too.