Optima Red Top is gone

MRausch82 · **Posted:** Thu Feb 16, 2012 10:24 am

Joe Romas wrote:

The terminal type is way over blown, the P1 fits perfectly!

BINGO!

That was the other thing I had forgotten to mention. I am extremely happy with my P1 in the 5 days that it has been in our Libby. It starts so much nicer, and cranks a hell of a lot faster. I am sure a new Optima would crank fast as well, but Optima as a company no sucks, that and the terminal issue was it for me. The useless customer service told me it was the correct battery for the CRD. I said BS, the terminals are not the same as the original. I finally, after a long runaround, got told the original is NLA. I explained that the fitment was not a direct swap. Most people would see that and shy away. The warranty has also changed, and not for the better...

audiboy86 · **Posted:** Mon Feb 20, 2012 1:13 pm

Odyssey PC1500 for sale for cheap just and open box item http://www.polyperformance.com/shop/Odyssey-PC1500-Series-Group-34-78-Drycell-Battery-OPEN-BOX-ITEM-p-2050.html

papaindigo · **Posted:** Mon Feb 20, 2012 2:10 pm

If you want the Odyssey that's a decent price as they usually cost more but as I understand it the Sears Platnium is an Odyssey in Sears colors. If so the Odyssey shown is the same as the Sears P-4 which is just a P-1 with dual terminals. The Sears goes for list ca. $220

hankdz · **Posted:** Thu Apr 05, 2012 12:08 pm

Hi to all who are touting the Sears P-1 Group 34 battery. I have been checking the specs on the Odyssy 1500 and the Sears P-1.

Here are the Odyssy performance features:
PHCA: 1,500 at 80°F (27°C)
CCA: 880A at 0°F (-18°C)
CA/MCA: 1,050 at 32°F (0°C)
HCA: 1,250A at 80°F (27°C)
Reserve capacity: 135 minutes
Short circuit current: 3,100A
Deep cycling capability: 400 at 80% DOD
Design life: 12 years
Typical service life: 6 to 8 years
Operation temperature range: -40°F
(-40°C) to 176°F (80°C)

Here is what I could find on the Sears web site:

Product Description

THE MOST POWERFUL AND RELIABLE DIEHARD PLATINUM AUTOMOTIVE BATTERY EVER!
4-year FREE Replacement, 100 Month Pro-Rated Limited Warranty
880 CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) - Reliable starting power in all weather conditions, due to the use of 99.99% pure virgin lead plates and tin-coated brass terminals
135 Minutes of reserve capacity - Ideal for luxury vehicles with multiple electronic accessories
Longer off-season storage time – Ideal for show cars & classic cars
AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) construction - Provides mounting flexibility & guarantees longer service life
Worry and maintenance-free operation - High purity grade acid held safely in place by glass mats makes a non-spillable design that gives mounting flexibility
Military-grade construction & proven vibration resistance – Ideal for off road applications

Most of the Sears stuff is propaganda. The item most concerning that is missing is the PHCA: 1500 at 80º F

Based on that, is the Sears P-1 really exactly, just like the Odyssy 1500, or is it a cheaper version knock off made specifically for Sears?

I have a valid concern that some of you who might use your Jeeps harder than I do but might not really rely on it like I do. We live off road. We don't go off road, we live way, way, way off road in a mountainous area that has iffy cell service, no AAA service and frequent power outages resulting from downed trees, ice on wires, etc. Did I mention we live way off road? My point is, if they are not exactly really alike, but just similar, would the current $40 list price difference really be a savings or might it be life threatening at some point?

dirtmover · **Posted:** Thu Apr 05, 2012 12:36 pm

hankdz wrote:

We don't go off road, we live way, way, way off road in a mountainous area that has iffy cell service, no AAA service and frequent power outages resulting from downed trees, ice on wires, etc. Did I mention we live way off road? My point is, if they are not exactly really alike, but just similar, would the current $40 list price difference really be a savings or might it be life threatening at some point?

I think that you're completely off base with your concerns. There are so many other thing on this vehicle that can fail and leave you stranded and the battery is way down on that list.

Batteries tend to fail in a way that will only prevent you starting the vehicle in contrast to most other failures which will happen at any time. Most people start their vehicle at home or some other civilised location. Unless you're in the habit of shutting down in the boonies restarting shouldn't be an issue. Living so far off the beaten track you may be better served keeping a backup or booster pack at home.

If reliability is such a high priority I would suggest you're possibly driving the wrong vehicle.

papaindigo · **Posted:** Thu Apr 05, 2012 1:03 pm

Best I can tell you is EnerSys owns Odyssey and Odyssey makes both Odyssey and the Sears Platinum P-1 battery, the latter apparently under contract to Sears dating to 2007. Looking at the Odyssey site (http://www.odysseyfactory.com/) and the Sears site (http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1260 ... 0600&aff=Y) the Sears battery has a better warranty and a better price (ca. $220 although they sometimes go on sale for under $200 vs $302).

IMHO the Sears battery is excellent and is what's in my CRD. 2n best, ca. $130 and almost as good a warranty, is the Interstate Mega-Tron plus 85 month (MTP-34). Others like other batteries but the consensus seems to be stay away from Johnson Control products.

Does this help; IMHO not much as the unfortunate truth is not matter what the quality of the battery it's not impossible for a new battery to go bad quickly with little warning (been there done that) or for the same thing to happen to an alternator (been there done that too). Afraid that sort of translates into if you are that far "off road" you might want to think about a dual switchable battery setup.

PS. dirtmover has a point but any vehicle of any quality or any age can suffer a surprise breakdown.

hankdz · **Posted:** Thu Apr 05, 2012 1:14 pm

Thanks for the info. To assuage your empathy for our lifestyle, we keep an extra Jeep around if things get too bad.

papaindigo · **Posted:** Thu Apr 05, 2012 1:28 pm

Extra Jeep on hand solves any concrerns I'd have. As to the battery I don't think you can go wrong with either the Sears P-1 (don't get the one with both top and side terminals which is P-3 IIRC) or the Interstate. Once they get to the end of their prorated warranty period I'd consider replacement or, at minimum, regular load testing. In my experience, which I'll admit is largely related to standard lead/acid batteries not AGM, unless a battery goes bad right away it will last to the end of the prorated warranty period but not much longer.

On the other hand my 2005 Red Top never completely died and is now in my boat or will be if it will hold a charge after little use last year.

tomasnc · **Posted:** Sat Aug 04, 2012 8:05 pm

So my Red Top was the problem....

Replaced battery and now the :furious:

@#%&%^*( CD player is not working.... AM/FM & SAT are fine.

Everything I tried has not worked. Dealer said to unhook bat and let sit for 4-5 minutes and re-hook. This didn't work! Six of my fav discs are in the machine.

Has anyone had this happen?

Philroy · **Joined:** Sun Jan 10, 2010 2:30 pm **Posts:** 2

The Optima in my 2005 CRD is still going strong. I'd be hard pressed not to replace it with one.

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Sun Oct 21, 2012 7:11 pm

Philroy wrote:

The Optima in my 2005 CRD is still going strong. I'd be hard pressed not to replace it with one.

That's what I thought - however my Yellow top only made 2 1/2 years -
Johnson Controls shut down US manufacturing in 2010 - all the new ones are made in Mexico
the quality's not the same.

Oh yeah - Welcome to LOST
check out the Noob guide http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=54207

Hexus · **Posted:** Sun Oct 21, 2012 8:04 pm

I went with the Duralast Gold series 34R, it's been perfectly non-evident, as I would hope for from any good battery.

mikey1273 · **Posted:** Tue Oct 23, 2012 3:07 am

I bought my CRD in August 2009, its a 2006. it had the original red top in it. At the time I thought that was great since they were supposed to be so good. Well the first good cold morning in November the Jeep failed to start. I also had a slow cranking issue a few times two months before the when it was quite hot. then i too it to Advance Auto where they tested the battery and said it was ok but they wanted to charge it some since it seems low but passed the load test. I was ready to buy a new battery then but didn't since they advised not to, when it later failed to start the Jeep then I was done with it. I replaced mine with an Auto Craft Gold Group 34 installed backwards. with 800 CCA its been working good since. BTW the made for Chrysler red top was only rated at 700 CCA.

Joe Romas · **Posted:** Tue Oct 23, 2012 8:21 am

The voltage of a fully charged Optima Red Top, even a brand new one is only 12.6 volts per their site, that's the problem and they won't go any higher :juggle:

Liberties in general have a starting problem if the voltage level is low because the computer(s) don't turn on and put the current drain of the glow plugs on a CRD into the mix and starting is marginal with a Red Top at best :dead:

.

And if your battery is not fully charged, as many are not, because of short trips lots of AC or for a number of other reasons it's down around 12.4 volts or lower :furious:

I proved this to myself by buying a new Red Top and still had slow starts. I ended up buying a Sears P1 for my CRD and putting the Red Top in my 2000 XJ where voltage is not as critical :JEEPIN:

I instantly noticed how fast the P1 turned the engine over the first time I turned the key :BINGO:

Red Top batteries are not bad just not good enough for a CRD :frankie:

But they seem to have gone down hill since Johnson Controls took them over :furious:

8wr_zj · **Joined:** Thu Oct 11, 2012 2:10 pm **Posts:** 5

FYI sams club has redtops for 169.99 right now yellow's for 174.99. i bought 3 yesterday when we were buying groceries. Sams club tulsa some kinda of getting ready for winter thing

audiboy86 · **Posted:** Wed Oct 24, 2012 5:00 pm

Well the only issue with the Optima batteries is Johnson controls own them now and the quality has gone to complete crap. But still not to bad of a price.

hankdz · **Posted:** Thu Oct 25, 2012 12:42 pm

If all you're looking for is the best price for a group 34, go to Sam's Club. They have a 3 year warranted group 34 Duracel rated 800 CCA. The Sam's in Lynchburg, Virginia price was $84 yesterday. Our original equipment red top is still performing at 6 1/2 years old, although I don't really relish chancing another winter.

Having said that, does anyone know if that Duracel battery is any good?

R2.0 · **Posted:** Wed Nov 14, 2012 7:06 pm

hankdz wrote:

If all you're looking for is the best price for a group 34, go to Sam's Club. They have a 3 year warranted group 34 Duracel rated 800 CCA. The Sam's in Lynchburg, Virginia price was $84 yesterday. Our original equipment red top is still performing at 6 1/2 years old, although I don't really relish chancing another winter.

Having said that, does anyone know if that Duracel battery is any good?

It's made by Deka, which has a good reputation and they still manufacture in PA near where I grew up.

My problem with Sam's is that they refuse to install a battery if it isn't in "the book", REGARDLESS of obvious evidence to the contrary. I brought my TDI there which takes a 94R, which they had. But the book said 41 (which is the gasser and older diesel battery). They wouldn't put in the 94R even when I showed them the VW OEM battery in the car, which was obviously a 94R and not a 42.

So I bought it myself, and they charged me the deposit, and said "You'll have to bring hack a battery to get the deposit back." "Oh, you'll get a battery" I said, and there's a tiny little motorcycle battery in the back of the CRD just waiting to be returned. :twisted:

hankdz · **Posted:** Thu Nov 15, 2012 12:54 pm

Thanks for the Duracell endorsement.
I bought the battery at Sam's in Lynchburg, VA. $88 with installation, core and taxes. If it lasts three years as warranted, I will be ahead of the game versus the Sears P-1. It is actually an 850 CCA, I misread the info first time around. No problem with installation. Battery is a little larger than the red top. The blanket misses encircling the battery by about an inch. One more thing that helped me decide to purchase the battery at Sam's is that Sears is going out of business in Lynchburg. They sold their store to Liberty University. No more service, no more parts, no more Craftsman tools, no more Kenmore appliances. What a bummer. My wife and I moved around a lot and we bought Sears stuff because we could get service in any part of the country. Suspect we will miss that aspect of Sears.

ChooChooman74 · **Posted:** Thu Nov 15, 2012 1:10 pm

Looks like my Battery will be taken out in a day or two. It isn't an original, but first below freezing start, and it starter was dragging like it was 0.

BTW, new 5V GPs worked great. Fired right up.

Optima Red Top is gone

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