My two year old NAPA battery ($162: 875cca/1020ca) took a dump and now I need to buy another battery. My last NAPA battery (same part number) lasted 2-3 years and I am ready to look for another brand/type of battery. My Challenger sets from December to March and it only gets driven a couple of times per week in good weather. I like to crank it a few times before every cold start to get the oil moving and this beats up on the batteries.

I have looked at the Optima Red ($186-$196), Odyssey ($240-$315), and I am waiting on a reply from Interstate (I cant find the part number that I need). I need a battery that can handle the cranking and setting in between start-ups. I am leaning towards the Optima Red (800cca/1000ca) because it is only $25 more than another NAPA battery that I have been using.

I need a 34/78 series (posts/side threads per picture) and I like the 800cca plus battery size. What have you used with good results?

Will the stock battery hold down work with the Optima brand battery?

Thanks

I wouldn't crank the motor over without starting it to circulate the oil, NEVER That is a old Chevy racers myth to stop dry oil start ups I do use a primer rod and drill motor to prime my motors that have set a long time, if more than a year
On the batterys do you have a low amp(under six amps) automatic slow battery charger? If so plug that in and use it two or three times a year for 24 to 48 hours. If you don't have one now buy one and use it
All my cars that are not daily drivers get RV- Marine deep cycle batteries so they can set for longer than 2 to 3 months without dying

Cab,

It won't startup immediately anyway on this E10 crapt. Even after I prime the bowls with the electric pump.

I do have a 2/6amp charger but this time the battery would not keep the charge.

Thanks!!

Somewhere around 15 years ago, my Challenger's repro red cap battery went bad, and I cheaped out and bought an Everstart for it at WalMart. My car sits from October or early November until April or May every year, though I never start it or turn it over during that time. And I disconnect the battery and never have it on a charger or tender while the car hibernates over the winter.
As of about a month ago, that very same battery is still going strong.

I had a yellow top Optima for about 6 or 7 years or so...It gave up the ghost in the spring and I went to the Red Top one.
I already had the battery box and didn't want to remove it so I just got another Optima...
Same as in your pic as I have audio attachments that require the side connections...No issues so far...for what its worth if mine sets for a couple weeks it takes a while for me to get fuel up to the carb also...

I may have jumped too soon on this issue. After I last used this battery (past weekend), I put it back on the charger and it read 10%. I let it charge completely assuming that it was bad and was not holding a charge. I just got back from having it tested and it tested great. It looks like I can hold onto this battery for a while longer and look for another starting issue.
Thank you and if you still have other battery options, please continue the thread.

Thanks

Best thing to do when your car is basically in hibernation mode, is to put it on a Battery maintainer. Not a charger, but a maintainer. Many brands out there. I personally use the Battery Tender and have excellent results of keeping the battery charged and maintained.
Ever since using the Tender, my battery has been going on 7 yrs now vs 2-3 yrs w/o using a maintainer. Many online stores sells it for less than the company site.

http://products.batterytender.com/Chargers/Battery-TenderR-Plus.html

I dont have faith in the parts house testers but assuming it is charged up now, is it cranking the eng OK now?

I will take the battery into another parts store this weekend for a second test. The battery went from 100% down so low that my MSD would not even light up while it was cranking in just 6 or so tries. Either this battery is still the issue or my starter is sucking it dry during cranking.

I now have my battery off and in the basement. It is in the single digit temps outside and my garage is just above freezing. If the battery is still good, the basement will help keep it that way till Spring.

Thanks!!

I have an AutoZone brand battery in both my cars. Both are at least 4 years old and no issues. My cars sit for 3-4 months at a time in the Arizona heat. Never used a battery tender. I only disconnect the negative post when I put one car away to drive the other.

I have an autocraft silver battery from Advance that was manufactured in September 2008. The battery is on a battery tender all winter. Its just a basic group 24, something like 575cca.

Reference: The Northstar #NSB-AGM34/78 is another high amp battery (880cca/1050ca/1500pulse) if anyone is looking. I found one local for $247 with core.
The Drakon 34/78(#40884)battery looks very similar and has the same 880cca/1050ca/1500pulse specs.

there was a comprehensive thread way back which had alot of Optima (& others) feedback, iirc something about a mfr change & things went down hill. I've had good luck with a regular "green" interstate & it'd sure be cheaper than the others

I found the "green" Interstate #MT7-75DT (715cca/895ca)for $112-$250 with very good reviews.

See if there are any battery companys in your area. We have a place called Bills Battery...lol. They sell every known battery and a stocking warehouse for ford and delco parts.

They have a battery load tester that truly tests a battery under load. The load tester is made by Auto Meter and cost about $550. bucks. I almost bought one a few years ago as I have a fleet of trucks with 2-3 battery's each. The only true battery tester IMO.

Anyway I go over there all too often to have truck battery's tested, know how to test them myself now if I owned the load tester as I watched countless times in 30 years of battery testing.

I like Deka batterys now a days. Have had real good luck with them. I used to be a AC Delco battery user, they lasted 3 or so years. The Dekas seem to be lasting longer.

I have had a Toterhome since 2002 with a inverter in it. Anytime I am plugged into land power the inverter is on charging the 3-12 volt battery's. The same battery's that start the Cat C-12 diesel engine. I keep it plugged in at home all the time all year long when it's at home. I have found my battery's have lasted longer than normal. I am going on 7-8 years on battery's right now. Been thinking about replacing them before next years travel season even though they are fine right now and were all this past summer. Hate to get stuck somewhere with dead battery's and a Cat diesel engine to get running. Now a days all our 12 volt lights are LED and use hardly any battery power.

But having a battery maintainer on your battery's does help there life span.

The Optima red top batteries have been good to me. I found them to be the cheapest on Amazon at $156 shipped for the one I needed.

I have seen it alleged that there are warranty issues when Optima batteries are purchased thru Amazon.

Last year I purchased a yellow top Optima for our 59 Vette which I had found online for a particularly good price but listed at a firm I had never heard of. Called Summit, they matched the price and I received it the very next day, no tax with free shipping.

They assert that they are authorized Optima dealer so no warranty issues are expected if ever needed.

I always disconnect battery when our cars are going to be not run for any period of time. If you should entirely discharge a battery as a result of vampire drain from certain components sucking up current when car is stored, they will never return to full capacity.

I use either Optima's smaller charger or a Save A Battery charger for maintenance, available thru Amazon. Had some bad luck with dealing with Battery Tender on a warranty issue one time. Also it lacks certain key features of the other 2 mentioned chargers,,,albeit Battery Tenders are less expensive,,,do not use a regular charger for storage maintenance, you can end up with a severely overcharged battery. You should use a so called smart charger.

I have wondered
"how is the best way to test a battery to determine its health and expected remaining lifetime?"

There is a standard test to determine the "internal resistance" of a battery's guts.

You let a fully charged batery discharge two different currents through two known resistances then solve a equation for the unknown.

I have a 15 year old Snap On tester
that measures the voltage drop when a load of 130 amps is applied.
If i added extra resistance that would reduce the load to about 65 amps i could use the two tests to calculate the internal resistance by hand.

I have thought about buying this $160 tester:

https://www.amazon.com/Associated-Equipm...uct_top?ie=UTF8

It automates calculating the internal resistance
plus gives you other estimations.