Optima battery gone bad overnight

[Gary Fowler]

My Kubota 900 RTV came with an Optima battery and it was working fine then overnight it went dead. It wont take a charge at all. I had it checked and it has 13 volts but only 30 amps output. The voltage it high enough that it shuts off the charging immediately. I replaced the Optima battery with a comparable sized NAPA 85 month battery for a little over $100 vs nearly $200 for a new Optima. The Optima was about 4 1/2 years old which is about the life span of a regularly maintained regular battery so I couldnt see paying double price for a battery that is not going to last more than a plain lead/acid battery.
This one was cranking over great and went dead parked in my garage overnight. Anyone else have instant failure on Optima batteries.

 

[Markcuda]

And to think, I was considering a Optima battery

 

[SpudHauler]

Gary I don't know if this is your situation or not but here goes.

I had a gel battery, not Optima, go bad after leaving the key on over night. Put 2 am charger on it because it was a motorcycle battery and no go. Tossed it and replaced it with the same. No problems since.

But, a month later I learned something. You are supposed to zap these batteries when they go dead like that with a 10 am charger and often times they will recover.

Worth a try.

Might have saved me over $100 bucks.

 

[DIXIEDOG]

I run AGM batteries in my bass boat and they do like the higher amp chargers....I use a 15 amp Dual Pro onboard charger on mine and it works great.:thumbsup:

 

[TOMMYHPX4X4]

well for almost 5 years of service it would be about time for a battery to crap out.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Every battery failure I have ever had, they start getting weak first and eventually go flat. This thing must have had a catastropic failure internally or something as it went instantly. I didnt mention that when I tried to crank it, it started to turn over for just a fraction of a second then went out to where it would just turn on the instrument panel lights. I suppose for folks running ATV and motorcycles on demolition courses or similar extra rough terrain, the $200 price tag for one of these would be worth it as that seems to be where they are recommended, however for my service which is mostly on flat level ground, I couldnt see the benefit of one especially if it wont outlast a conventional battery.

 

[xtn]

Sounds like it lost a cell inside.

I chose a couple yellow top Optimas for my truck. They're the deep discharge type. I figured I could run them down without hurting them that way.

xtn

 

[Skyco]

I've never been an Optima fan but some love them.
IMO they are too much money unless you need the ability to run them on their side or upside down.
They've lasted the same or less in my use as a regular battery, and of course cost double.

re: the VRLA* type mc batteries, I'm struggling with one now, bought in feb this year and dead/bad already. Fortunately it has a lifetime warranty

What I read is the VRLA (*sort of a gel battery, but not really) need a higher voltage charge than many chargers can generate to revive them. This does not necessarly mean higher amps will do it, the battery is only going to accept what it can, you can't force more amps in without raising voltage. As much as 20 v is recommended for a "dead" VRLA battery...only do that with it disconnected fo course lest you might blow vehicle electronis.

Here is an excellent resource about batteries, geared toward MC batteries but the principles are the same..
http://http://www.yuasabatteries.com/pdfs/TechManual_2009.pdf

 

[crazyal]

I think the big selling point is that they can take higher shocks than a standard battery.

 

[rekees4300]

"Anyone else have instant failure on Optima batteries."

My truck needed a new battery so have been doing research re Optimas. There are many reviews in many internet forums that are negative. One consistent complaint is that they will not hold a charge very long in an inactive vehicle. My truck sometimes sits 2-3 weeks between starts. Today I went to Advance Auto Parts (an authorized Optima dealer) to see what they had to say. First thing I noticed was that there wasn't a single one displayed in their battery rack or anywhere else in the store. I told the salesman I wanted a new battery without mentioning any brands. He displayed a list of batteries available in inventory that were compatible with my truck. Interesting that Optimas were on the inventory list but none displayed for sale. Also interesting that as the salesman displayed the list he quickly skipped over the Optimas and said "those are expensive junk"! Needless to say, I did not purchase an Optima!