I Just Destroyed My Optima Yellow Top...

[hawkeye08]

O'Reilly's and Napa carry fusible links as well as dealers..

 

[HHR]

I am 99% sure the Optima is good. I charged it overnight using a 6 amp charger. The first four hours showed a 4 amp rate and the when I checked it this morning, the needle was at zero amps. Voltage is now stable at 12.82V.
Won't be putting it back in the car until I find the short.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Thanks for the update and you found the outcome we expected. As long as that battery is charged a couple times a year even is sitting over in the corner on concrete should be good years later. A battery with a shorted cell will max out at 10.5-11v.

I have found with a 6 amp manual charger if the rate will drop below 1 amp overnight the battery is healthy.

 

[Soundguy]

I am 99% sure the Optima is good. I charged it overnight using a 6 amp charger. The first four hours showed a 4 amp rate and the when I checked it this morning, the needle was at zero amps. Voltage is now stable at 12.82V.
Won't be putting it back in the car until I find the short.

check it in a few hours.. if it holds at 12.6 or so, and don't drop in a day.. I'd say it dodged a bullet..

 

[HHR]

check it in a few hours.. if it holds at 12.6 or so, and don't drop in a day.. I'd say it dodged a bullet..

I threw the battery in a snow bank and left it for a couple days. I had to chisel an inch of ice to get at the terminals today and it's holding at 12.62 V.

 

[CJONE]

I threw the battery in a snow bank and left it for a couple days. I had to chisel an inch of ice to get at the terminals today and it's holding at 12.62 V.

Sounds like you are good to go with the battery! CJ

 

[Soundguy]

i guess so!

 

[HHR]

Update: The problem turned out to be a wire running to the Special Equipment Option (SEO) fuse block under the dash was rubbing on a metal brace. My continuity tester was giving me false positives and leading me to think a bunch of other stuff was shorted. The car is back on the road and everything is working great (including the Optima).

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Thanks for this follow up post. Glad the results were positive.