Problems with yellow top

[gobraves00]

I have been having problems with my yellow top for the last couple of months.If the car sits for a couple of days it would be completely dead the next time I try and start it up. The battery would get extremely hot to the point you couldnt put your hand on it for more than a couple seconds. Luckily I saved my receipt from Autozone and took it back. I had to leave it for an hour for them to run a test on it. Came back and the guy said that it charged fully and was holding a charge, so he couldnt swap it out for me. he went to go get it and couldnt bring it to me because of how hot it had gotten. he got a towel and put it on counter. I asked him to show me with his meter that it says its a good battery. So he hooked up the hand held meter and began the test. a couple of seconds later "bad cell" popped on the screen. the only answer the gu could come up with on why the tester said it was good was because it was designed specifically for duralast batteries but could be used for any battery, guess not. he then said that this was the first time he has ever had to warranty a optima yellow top. hope this can help sum1

[Siverprobegt]

I have been having problems with my yellow top for the last couple of months.If the car sits for a couple of days it would be completely dead the next time I try and start it up. The battery would get extremely hot to the point you couldnt put your hand on it for more than a couple seconds. Luckily I saved my receipt from Autozone and took it back. I had to leave it for an hour for them to run a test on it. Came back and the guy said that it charged fully and was holding a charge, so he couldnt swap it out for me. he went to go get it and couldnt bring it to me because of how hot it had gotten. he got a towel and put it on counter. I asked him to show me with his meter that it says its a good battery. So he hooked up the hand held meter and began the test. a couple of seconds later "bad cell" popped on the screen. the only answer the gu could come up with on why the tester said it was good was because it was designed specifically for duralast batteries but could be used for any battery, guess not. he then said that this was the first time he has ever had to warranty a optima yellow top. hope this can help sum1

I had the same problem with the yellow top battery..The battery wasn't lasting as long as it use too...The problem is that the tester is to small,it couldn't put enough load on the battery,so it will keep telling you that it is good..Most battery don't have more then 600-700ca,yellow top is about 1000ca...I call the district manager,to get a new battery,never had a problem since.......

[gobraves00]

im just glad i had the reciept or i would of been out 160 bucks.and they ended up giving me the newer version which is stronger, so i was happy

[speedminded]

What model number (size)? They are bad batteries, they quit making the one for Honda's because of all the issues. I had a Red Top in my Land Rover for years with no issues (over 600 watts in lights run all the time) but the Yellow Top in my Integra died in 9 months...it would not take or hold a charge. I just assumed it was a bad copy so I went to return it and nobody carried it, not a single store anywhere and then talked to a Optima sales rep who confirmed they had quit producing the D51R. This was last summer so things may have changed by now. :dunno:


As for testing, they are full of shit -- it takes 5 to 12+ hours to test a deep cycle battery ;) It's not the normal hook it up to a tester and it gives you an instant reading and you can't correct anything with a sealed battery.


I don't think a single auto parts store will do all this...




3.1. INSPECT

Visually inspect for obvious problems. For example, is there a loose or broken alternator belt, electrolyte levels below the top of the plates, corroded or swollen cables, corroded terminal clamps, dirty or wet battery top, loose hold-down clamps, loose cable terminals, or leaking or damaged battery case?

If the electrolyte levels are low in non-sealed batteries, allow the battery to cool and add distilled water to the level indicated by the battery manufacturer. If this is not indicated, use 1/4 inch (7 mm) below the bottom of the plastic filler tube (vent wells). The plates need to be covered at all times. Avoid overfilling, especially in hot climates, because heat will cause the electrolyte to expand and overflow.

3.2. RECHARGE

Recharge the battery to 100% state-of-charge. If the battery has a difference of .03 specific gravity reading between the lowest and highest cell, then you should equalize it. (Please see Section 6.)

3.3. REMOVE SURFACE CHARGE

Surface charge is the uneven mixture of sulfuric acid and water within the surface of the plates as a result of charging or discharging. It will make a weak battery appear good or a good battery appear bad. You need to eliminate the surface charge by one of the following methods:

3.3.1. Allow the battery to sit for four to twelve hours to allow for the surface charge to dissipate.

3.3.2. Apply a load that is 33% of the ampere-hour capacity for five minutes and wait five to ten minutes.

3.3.3. With a battery load tester, apply a load of at least one half the battery's CCA rating for 15 seconds and wait five to ten minutes.

3.4. MEASURE THE STATE-OF-CHARGE

If the battery's electrolyte is above 110° F (43.3° C), allow it to cool. To determine the battery's state-of-charge with the battery's electrolyte temperature at 80° F (26.7° C), use the following table. The table assumes that a 1.265 specific gravity reading is a fully charged, wet, lead acid battery. For other electrolyte temperatures, use the Temperature Compensation table below to adjust the Open Circuit Voltage or Specific Gravity readings. The Open Circuit Voltage will vary for gel cell and AGM type batteries, so check the manufacturer's specifications.


TEMPERATURE COMPENSATION

Electrolyte temperature compensation, depending on the battery manufacturer's recommendations, will vary. If you are using a non-temperature compensated HYDROMETER, make the adjustments indicated in the table above. For example, at 30° F (-1.1° C), the specific gravity reading would be 1.245 for a 100% State-of-Charge. At 100° F (37.8° C), the specific gravity would be 1.273 for 100% State-of- Charge. This is why using a temperature compensated hydrometer is highly recommended and more accurate than other means. If you are using a DIGITAL VOLTMETER, make the adjustments indicated in the table above. For example, at 30° F (-1.1° C), the voltage reading would be 12.53 for a 100% State-of-Charge. At 100° F (37.8° C), the voltage would be 12.698 for 100% State-of-Charge.

For non-sealed batteries, check the specific gravity in each cell with a hydrometer and average the readings. For sealed batteries, measure the Open Circuit Voltage across the battery terminals with an accurate digital voltmeter. This is the only way you can determine the State-of-Charge. Some batteries have a built-in hydrometer, which only measures the State-of-Charge in one of its six cells. If the built-in indicator is clear or light yellow, then the battery has a low electrolyte level and should be refilled and recharged before proceeding. If sealed, the battery is toast and should be replaced. If the State-of-Charge is below 75% using either the specific gravity or voltage test or the built-in hydrometer indicates bad (usually dark), then the battery needs to be recharged beforeproceeding. You should replace the battery, if one or more of the following conditions occur:

3.4.1. If there is a .05 (sometimes expressed as 50 points) or more difference in the specific gravity reading between the highest and lowest cell, you have a weak or dead cell(s). If you are really lucky, applying an EQUALIZING charge may correct this condition. (Please see Section 6.)

3.4.2. If the battery will not recharge to a 75% or more state-of-charge level or if the built-in hydrometer still does not indicate good (usually green, which is 65% state-of-charge or better).

If you know that a battery has spilled or bubbled over and the electrolyte has been replaced with water, you can replace the old electrolyte with new electrolyte and go back to Step 3.2 above. Battery electrolyte is a mixture of 25% sulfuric acid and distilled water. It is cheaper to replace the electrolyte than to buy a new battery.

3.4.3. If digital voltmeter indicates 0 volts, you have an open cell.

3.4.4. If the digital voltmeter indicates 10.45 to 10.65 volts, you probably have a shorted cell or a severely discharged battery. A shorted cell is caused by plates touching, sediment (mud) build-up or treeing between the plates.

3.5. LOAD TEST

If the battery is fully charged or has a good built-in hydrometer indication, then you can test the capacity of the battery by applying a known load and measuring the time it take to discharge the battery until 20% capacity is remaining. Normally a discharge rate that will discharge a battery in 20 hours can be used. For example, if you have an 80-ampere-hour rated battery, then a load of four amps would discharge the battery in approximately 20 hours (or 16 hours down to the 20% level). New batteries can take up to 50 charge/discharge cycles before they reach their rated capacity. Depending on your application, batteries with 80% or less of their original capacity are considered to be bad.

3.6. RECHARGE

If the battery passes the load test, you should recharge it as soon as possible to restore it to peak performance and to prevent lead sulfation.

[gobraves00]

yeah, i dont think they would go through all that trouble at all.

side convo, is that zac brown in one of those pics in you bottom sig??

[Jaimecbr900]

I've had the exact same problem with mine forever. I always chalked it up to a drain, but I guess I should swap it out and see.

BTW, yellow tops don't have any more CCA's than any other conventional battery. It is merely a sealed deep cycle battery. I know from experience that Optima requires you send them back the battery for THEM to test it before they will warranty them out. If a retailer warranties them out for you, consider yourself lucky.

BTW Jason, noone checks their batteries like that. I'd be willing to bet not even the manufacturer. You can't check "specific gravity" on a sealed gel cell battery anyway. I think that procedure may be for conventional deep cycles like older boat batteries. Even the manufacturer uses an electronic machine and calls it a day. Remember, if they finally call it "bad" all they'll do is recycle damn near the whole thing anyway, so it's no big loss to them really. Specialized batteries may be different, but I know that most conventional car batteries are made in very few places. They just stamp the sides in the color of your choice and your logo, but the internals are identical. Johnson Controls was the biggest a long time ago, and I know they supplied big names like Sears and other retailers the exact same batteries just marked differently.

My uncle has worked for a company that builds commercial batteries in Pennsylvania for over 20 yrs. He told me that almost the entire battery is now made of recycled materials. EPA also keeps those companies under a very tight watch, so it's better for them to recycle vs. throw away.

[speedminded]

yeah, i dont think they would go through all that trouble at all.

side convo, is that zac brown in one of those pics in you bottom sig??yeah, that's Zac...went to high school with him...see my myspace for tons of pics in the last blog :goodjob:

[gobraves00]

went to college with him