Optima battery

G-funk · **Posted:** Wed Apr 11, 2007 1:01 pm

I bought my CRD used so the Optima battery was scavenged by someone at the dealer. My question is what model Optima is in the Liberty? I’ve looked in the Optima books and check their web site but it’s not listed. Is it just a group 34?

BVCRD · **Posted:** Wed Apr 11, 2007 1:07 pm

Red top. The Mopar batts are a good replacement and I believe they actually carry more CCA's. If you plan on being upside down, then the Red Top is a better choice or any gel battery.

G-funk · **Posted:** Thu Apr 12, 2007 2:04 am

red top is the recomended starter battery for passenger cars, but there are a bunch of different sizes of 12v automotive battery.

I'm pretty sure it's a group 34/78. Anyone know for sure?

G-funk · **Posted:** Thu Apr 12, 2007 2:13 am

I just found it. it is the group 34/78.

Joe Romas · **Posted:** Thu Apr 12, 2007 1:35 pm

One of the selling points of the Optima batteries is they can take more vibrations and joilts. Both a diesel engine and off roading produce vibrations.

impulse · **Posted:** Thu Apr 12, 2007 10:36 pm

Optima batteries are not gel batteries. Gels require different charge rates (slower) and a lower votage . A common 12v automobile charger on fast charge will destroy them.

jinstall · **Posted:** Fri Apr 13, 2007 3:18 am

Wow according to the MSDS sheet you are correct I used to think they were gel batteries.

BVCRD · **Posted:** Fri Apr 13, 2007 9:57 am

impulse wrote:

Optima batteries are not gel batteries. Gels require different charge rates (slower) and a lower votage . A common 12v automobile charger on fast charge will destroy them.

I was joking. I don't know anyone who is currently useing their Jeep up side down.

I do use Gell in my sailboat because at times, it is near up side down.

retmil46 · **Posted:** Fri Apr 13, 2007 11:25 am

You can fry an Optima battery with a normal automotive battery charger as well. They actually have a TSB out telling the recommended types of chargers to use.

Basically, you DO NOT want to exceed 14.7 volts when charging an Optima. If you overcharge an Optima and cause it to vent, you end up boiling off what water is inside the battery and drying it out, trashing the battery.

This is where Optimas initially got a bad rep as starting batteries a few years back. People stuck them in older cars where the charging system didn't have battery temp sensing and tight enough voltage regulation, charging system ended up overcharging and cooking the battery, and it was dead in a matter of weeks.

They also had a problem with quality control for a while, before Johnson Controls bought them out. For a period of time, along about 3 to 5 years ago, they had something like a 10% failure rate - battery was dead upon delivery to the store - coming out of the factory.

Optima battery

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