Dumb Question - Any particular battery to get when replacing? (1 Viewer)

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Doug,

Are the Blue tops still sold at Costco's? I went to two different ones(one in Dallas and Memphis) and only found the red. It might just be a regional thing.
 
rgsiii said:
Doug,

Are the Blue tops still sold at Costco's? I went to two different ones(one in Dallas and Memphis) and only found the red. It might just be a regional thing.
They're at all my local Costcos. There are 6 Costcos near me and I've seen them in every one of them at some point during the past 2 months.

It could be a regional thing, but I'm sure if you asked for it, they'd be able to get them in for you.
 
how many folks have had a battery in their 80 fail due to adverse operating conditions? why do we need such expensive batteries?

I just bought a battery from a commercial battery shop. they carry optimas for hard duty but when i asked about reliability said they get a lot of returns on optimas for failoures for no reason. I bought their house brand heaviest duty size 27 truck battery. It cost less than 1/2 the price of a yellowtop and beats it on every stat except ability to take a pounding. I am doubtful batteries really get much of a pounding inside an 80.
 
The Costco blue tops are group 34s and so fairly small in the the group 27 Cruiser world. That's what I run in the FJ40 with excellent results. In the 80, though, the terminals would be placed poorly, but there are of course, work arounds. The Group 31 yellow or blue top have identical specs for both starting and deep cycle, but the blue has more convienently located terminals for use in an 80 series-though you do have to free up and move the negative a bit. The group 31s also hold 50% more power than a group 34. Only an issue in long rundown situations like winching or fridge use.

My reccomendation is that if you want an Optima, and you have an 80 series the D31M is tough to beat. There are other AGM batteries at the Marine store that look pretty good too. All are $$$.

If you want good bang for the buck, a Sears Diehard group 27 would be a good buy and replaceable anywhere.

Is there anything that makes less sense than battery size groupings?
 
I'm running the Optima blue top. Don't forget that most boats w/ inboard engines are running diesels, which often have demanding starters. So far, so good in the middle of my 3rd summer in Tucson on the blue top (4th yr total). I've heard some good things about the Odyssey batteries. Anyone try them?
 
Often overlooked...Napa offers a 15% discount for AAA members. Given the milage on my cruisers, AAA is a reasonable "investment." Sears, Excide, Optima - all good choices. Compare warrenty and price - pick what makes the most sense to you. Boring way to look at it perhaps...
 
semlin said:
... when i asked about reliability said they get a lot of returns on optimas for failoures for no reason.

My original Panasonic lasted over 5 years. I replaced it with an Optima about 3 years ago. That Optime died a sudden, painful, and humiliating death about a year ago in the American Toyota parking lot. It was exactly 2 years old when it died and I had to get a jump from a Camry. :mad:

I have lost confidence in the Optimas even though I now have 2 of them. Long story... basically I got caught in the "warranty game" of the place where I bought it plus I wanted identical batteries for the dual battery system (another long story.)

-B-
 
tea LC said:
(searched)

Went on sears.com and others to see my options, but I can't find any besides diehard and panasonic -

so, whats a good battery to get???

TIA


Where are you seeing Panasonic batteries for sale? That is what it came with from the factory and they were quite long lasting.

There are a LOT of threads on batteries. Search is getting better but still does not find all threads.

anyway, there are 2 common small Optima's that are quite a bit smaller than the battery tray, although they have plenty of CCA's, the small size shows in Amp Hour ratings (44 and 55 AH) , the 80 does not really need much in cranking amps.

Amp hours tells you how long you can power a device with the engine off. Or drive time with a dead alternator. If you plan on using electrical items without the engine running the larger this # the less likely you will have a dead battery, for normal use the small common optima's are plenty and they are easy enough to find.

The group 31 Optima is a bit healthier w/ 75AH, when I was shopping for batteries after measuring I did not think they would fit without trimming the tray. This has since been disproved.

There are also several people that have had problems with Optima’s, also many have not had any trouble.

From what I have read the only difference between the blue and yellow top is the blue top has extra marine terminals along with top posts, where the yellow has top posts alone or top pots and side posts, the side posts on optima’s are not to used because of their low capacity. And at least one 80 owner here has had the hold down bar cut through the plastic, short to them and start a fire. I would get a yellow top with just the single top posts.

If you want a standard flooded battery I would get the Wal-Mart group 27 marine starting, 115 AH and 600 CCA for $55, lots of power not much money and easy to return 24 hours a day 7 days a week any town USA. Most likely made by Johnson Controls, same people that make many other brands.

But I do not like flooded batteries, I have seen to many corroded terminals, battery trays and even bodies if the vehicle gets old enough.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showpost.php?p=345131&postcount=48




I picked up 2 Concorde Lifeline deep cycle batteries (more dual purpose then true deep cycle) group 27 same as the tray was built for, 575 CCA, 100AH even with shipping they were just a bit cheaper than the group 31 optima. The terminals are in the wrong spot, this was not a problem for me as I reworked the cables wile installing the dual batteries anyway.

So far they have been flawless, quite a noticeable improvement over my PO installed undersized interstate battery in both cranking and engine off use. Under the previous battery even fully charged the starter sounded weak especially in cold weather, if I left the doors open playing the radio all afternoon the battery would not start the engine. Both problems were fixed with the new batteries. (So far just using the main)




In general:

a starting battery will have many thin plates of porous “sponge lead” this gives it a lot of surface area in contact with the acid so it can produce hundreds of amps for short period of time for starting, expressed as CCA’s or cold cranking amps, High CCA’s are especially nice for starting large engines in cold weather where the resistance of the engine is highest and the output of the battery is lowest. But this porous lead degrades rapidly if is discharged for more than a quick start. This battery will generally not have an Amp Hour rating, instead the more vague “reserve capacity”

True deep cycle batteries such as used in electric forklifts and some photovoltaic systems yacht “house” batteries etc, they have fewer very thick solid lead plates, this allows them to discharge deeply thousands of times over their life, but there are not a lot of amps available instantly for cranking due to much smaller surface area. The power is available over a long period of time at lower amperage. This type of battery will not have a CCA rating, just amp hours. You are not likely to run into one shopping for automotive batteries.

The type that I think best fits the 80 series is a dual purpose battery, it is compromise with medium thickness plates that deliver less CCA’s but are more resistant to damage from discharge, and at least in my climate this provides more than enough cranking amps but will last longer if discharged. these will generally have both a CCA and AH rating.

Something to think about with CCA’s I have measured the starter draw at about 78A constant, >120A inrush, reading the specs for the starter leads one to extract that it could draw up to 200A or more, maybe it would see that in cold weather? I built mine for 200A continuous.

Would be interested if anyone else with a clamp on ammeter could measure and see what they get.
 
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Jim_Chow said:
I've heard some good things about the Odyssey batteries. Anyone try them?


I have heard good things about them also but they are expensive even compared to other AGM's like optima's, Orbitals, lifelines etc, especially if looking at amp hours, they also have fit problems, the 1200 fits just fine but is small similar to the small optimas. the 1700 will fit after modifying the battery (warranty?) they do not make a group 27 battery.


Post 17 and on for $/AH comparisons, good stuff in the rest of the thread also.
https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=25299


An interesting side note so far all of the Non Orbital/Optima AGM's I have seen have very similar construction methods, right down to the valve covers and bronze/brass terminals. hmmmmm
 
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rgsiii said:
Doug,

Are the Blue tops still sold at Costco's? I went to two different ones(one in Dallas and Memphis) and only found the red. It might just be a regional thing.

My local Costco and Sam's carries all three Optimas - red, yellow, and blue tops. I can check to see if they can special order the group 31 blue/yellow tops next time I'm there.
 

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