Need Group 34 Battery

commonsense

commonsense

Member #072
Location (City)
CHESTERFIELD
First Name
David
Last Name
Dicks
Was on my way to the meeting last night--or so I thought. Turned the key and.......got maybe 1/2 revolution out of the motor. I guess the battery is dead. It's got an Optima SC34DU Yellow, which I gather is just a Group 34 with dual terminals. I'm not spending $200 for a battery--and online reviews don't speak very highly of Optima batteries anyway. Sears is running 25% off sale right now. Does anyone have a better idea? Thanks.
 
Price of raw materials (Lead) has really impacted the cost of batteries. We have one of the worst applications, desiring high amperage, small size and then sitting uncharged for days/weeks/months at a time.

Sorry for your dilemma, David. But suspect the outcome will not be in-expensive.

I wonder if the less expensive (only a little) DieHard style battery offers any benefit over the pricey Optima's? I've always felt the Optima's took advantage (high profit) on the hot rod market.
 
I bought an AutoZone Duralast Gold. A little over $100, has a 5 year warranty, and AutoZones are all over the country.
I've never had a problem with it, but I also know AZ will check and replace it almost hassle-free.
 
Sears has a DieHard Gold, in either glass mat or traditional lead acid, for $131 on sale today. 25% off. The Superformance battery box is tiny (10 x 7 x 8), but a 47 will fit. I think I'm gonna go for one of these. I'm leaning towards traditional lead acid. It has 650 cca instead of 600 and I know lead acid tolerates the abuse of infrequent use. Not sure about the absorbed glass mat, or whatever they call it.
 
Appreciate the suggestion but I already went to Sears. Turns out the one I got has the terminals in a bad position. Not their fault. The Superformance cable is the size of fire hose and will not bend. And it's held onto the chassis with riveted on clips! It's easier to just order another battery with reversed terminals, and this is what I've done. Of course, no one in town has this one and it will be a week or more before I can get one.

I did learn one useful thing from the service manager there. He told me that the absorbed glass mat ones are sensitive to overcharging. In other words, don't do it! With this in mind, and our primitive charging systems, I elected to go with good old lead acid.
 
I don't know what is going on with everyone else's Optima, but mine is a Red Top that has been in there since 2009. Guess you have to drive your car to keep them in working order or something, that's the only difference in how I treat mine to everyone else's. I had bought a new one thinking it was going bad, but, it just needed a good charging and some driving after basically sitting all winter. Guess I got a good one.
 
The best thing you can do for a battery is to drive the car regularly and you do that far more than I do. In fact, one refreshing thing about this club is that the guys actually drive their cars. And in the rain too. This must be a first in the classic car community! But I'm just too picky about the condition of my stuff. Yes, I'm an idiot, I know. My Abarth got caught in an unexpected light shower and it took me four hours to clean the thing. Door jams, trunk and hatch jams. Engine compartment. And underneath. Yes, underneath. Don't get a lift if you want to sleep at night........

I just got another Saturn Sky Redline (I love these things) and it had never been in the rain. But 9000 miles......there was still dust and stuff. A few hours hard work and it's 'passable.' Just waiting for more parts and then a visit to Performance by Joe. And then to Gateway to see what it will do. I'm considering taking the Cobra too, on another day. But I won't do a clutch drop or speed shift it. Just leave the line at idle. This won't affect mph at the end, and I'm curious what it will do. The ET calculators say it will do 10.7 at 127. We'll see. Would anyone else be interested to take their Cobra to Test and Tune on a Wednesday night?
 
To those who have AGM style batteries (Absorbed Glass Mat) (Odessy, some Optima, others)

This style battery uses a little different technology than a traditional lead-acid battery and a standard battery charger WILL NOT charge and manage the battery properly. You need to invest in a charger that is designed specifically for AGM style batteries. C-Tek, some Battery Tenders, some Optima models.

If your battery charger doesn't not have specfic settings for AGM, it won't charge it properly and will probably cause it to fail. If an AGM is overcharged (possible with traditional lead-acid battery charger), it is likely to fail or not hold a charge.

FYI

Paul
 
I picked this off another site:

As with all gelled and sealed units, AGM batteries are sensitive to overcharging. A charge to 2.40V/cell (and higher) is fine; however, the float charge should be reduced to between 2.25 and 2.30V/cell (summer temperatures may require lower voltages). Automotive charging systems for flooded lead acid often have a fixed float voltage setting of 14.40V (2.40V/cell); a direct replacement with a sealed unit could overcharge the battery on a long drive

Advantages
Spill-proof through acid encapsulation in matting technology
High specific power, low internal resistance, responsive to load
Up to 5 times faster charge than with flooded technology
Better cycle life than with flooded systems
Water retention (oxygen and hydrogen combine to produce water)
Vibration resistance due to sandwich construction
Stands up well to cold temperature
Less prone to sulfation if not regularly topping charged

Limitations
Higher manufacturing cost than flooded (but cheaper than gel)
Sensitive to overcharging (gel has tighter tolerances than AGM)
Capacity has gradual decline (gel has a performance dome)
Low specific energy
Must be stored in charged condition (less critical than flooded)
Not environmentally friendly (has less electrolyte and lead than flooded)
 
Ended up getting a Group 34, with reversed posts, from Ellis Battery in Arnold for about $85. The guys there (especially Tom) couldn't be nicer. We spent about 15 minutes in the warehouse looking and measuring different models. The 34 ended up fitting like a glove. 2 year free exhange. 5 yr prorated. I think it's about 800 cca. Put a trickle charger on it, after it was installed, and it was fully charged overnight. They're highly recommended. The Diehard Gold I was waiting for (turned out it's not even available yet) was $171 before the sale, but would have been $131 even after.
 
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