Hey all - quick question on optima batteries and if they can be recharged....
I have a dual battery setup with a hellroaring battery isolator... both are red tops, which after doing some reading may not be the best solution, but that's how it came -- thinking maybe a deep cycle would be better for one of the two if I don't change the setup, overall. When I first got the cruiser - the batteries would always die within a day or two (still trying to chase down a bad ground, i think)... I had an older charger - maybe mid 90s - that I would keep hooked up to 1 battery and the metal ground and that would keep at least 1 of the batteries strong enough so that I could start. But after an extended time without the charger running (I tripped a circuit while no longer living at the location the cruiser is at and so it went approx 1 month without any charging). So I hooked backed up to the charger and let it go for a couple of days, and tried both batteries separately, both through the isolator, etc -- but although they say charged -- never enough juice to turn the engine over. So I took them both to O'Reilly's and had them hook up to a charger/tester. The settings they used were for regular batteries, not AGM, but they said that didn't matter. One battery charged within 30 minutes -- and the other took an hour, but was still low. I hooked up the 1 'good' battery but still not enough to turn over the engine. Let them both run on a new trickle charger (that said it was good for AGM type batteries), but after a day or so they charger displays a generic 'error' -- safe to say these batteries are dead? Any ideas as to whether I can test myself if they are good? The one red top definitely gets warm on top compared to the other when I try to charge.....Thanks for taking the time to read and answer if anything.
I was thinking of trying #2 below - but have resisted purchasing any additional batteries.....
Optima Product Support : Tech Tips
Paul
I have a dual battery setup with a hellroaring battery isolator... both are red tops, which after doing some reading may not be the best solution, but that's how it came -- thinking maybe a deep cycle would be better for one of the two if I don't change the setup, overall. When I first got the cruiser - the batteries would always die within a day or two (still trying to chase down a bad ground, i think)... I had an older charger - maybe mid 90s - that I would keep hooked up to 1 battery and the metal ground and that would keep at least 1 of the batteries strong enough so that I could start. But after an extended time without the charger running (I tripped a circuit while no longer living at the location the cruiser is at and so it went approx 1 month without any charging). So I hooked backed up to the charger and let it go for a couple of days, and tried both batteries separately, both through the isolator, etc -- but although they say charged -- never enough juice to turn the engine over. So I took them both to O'Reilly's and had them hook up to a charger/tester. The settings they used were for regular batteries, not AGM, but they said that didn't matter. One battery charged within 30 minutes -- and the other took an hour, but was still low. I hooked up the 1 'good' battery but still not enough to turn over the engine. Let them both run on a new trickle charger (that said it was good for AGM type batteries), but after a day or so they charger displays a generic 'error' -- safe to say these batteries are dead? Any ideas as to whether I can test myself if they are good? The one red top definitely gets warm on top compared to the other when I try to charge.....Thanks for taking the time to read and answer if anything.
I was thinking of trying #2 below - but have resisted purchasing any additional batteries.....
Optima Product Support : Tech Tips
Paul
