The battery that came in my Mustang was an Optima Red Top. It was also an 11 YEAR OLD Optima Red Top. since I got the car, its been doing the job just fine, but I have noticed it getting just a little worse progressively.
Well, I do believe that after a few hours of working on the inside of the car with the doors open and the ignition being turned on and off, it has met its maker. pretty close to dead as a door nail.
I was just curious to see what the life expectancy of one of these things is. I know its an Optima and all, but i think 11 years is pretty crazy. Im gonna take it to work tomorrow and put it on the charger just for shits and giggles to see if it’ll charge up and work again (i do plan on getting a new battery regardless)
Dam… I kinda wanted to know how long they would last myself, i had one in my car for a year now, puts out some good power, but ive drained it to like 5v before… And it somehow came back both times, but this was in the winter when it had nearly no power, if that matters…
i charged it, put it back in the car and to my absolute amazement, it fired right up! i then hooked up the battery tester and all of the cells are still good and the batter tester says that its at 93% of its full operating capacity (or whatever you would call that). im still buying a new battery because i dont want to take a chance, but damn 11 years and still going strong!
mine (red top) is at 5.5 Volts and hasnt been used since january, i am going to try to charge and test it tomorrow. i will post back with results. it is 3.5 yrs old.
Well, I do believe that after a few hours of working on the inside of the car with the doors open and the ignition being turned on and off, it has met its maker. pretty close to dead as a door nail.
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They do that, and this is normal according to what I’ve read about the battery. The reds are for cranking/starting only, and do not take well to use while the car is not running.
The yellows on the other hand are “designed” for extended use (audio systems, etc) without the car running and therefore don’t have this problem.
Got a yellow top with my car that looked beat and many years old, have had it for 3 years and fully drained it many times. It still starts the car right up perfectly every day.
I don’t see how any battery can last over 10 years if used regularly.
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It all depends on how it’s used, a lead acid battery theoretically can last forever, the phone company has huge lead acid batteries that are 50-60 years old. If they are not deep cycled and the charge is maintained properly (no overcharging). The stock factory delco battery in my wifes Saturn is going on 9 years old and it may go another 9, who knows? The car is driven 5 days a week to and from work, 13 mile trip each way so it has time to recharge after starting, and GM must have written some excellent software that controls the voltage regulator. While the battery in my POS van is the 3rd one I believe. There is a NAPA battery in there now that can’t be more than 3 years old (I will have to ask my sister for the receipt, it was her van) and it’s about done, barely enough power to start it, it’s gone flat twice this summer just from using a small air compressor to pump up my air shocks.
An Optima battery has an advantage over a normal battery since it’s electrolyte is gel and the lead core is wrapped in a circle, so it’s much more durable and less likely to leak, so if the conditions are right they can last the life of the vehicle.
Most impressive, out of curiousty what are you doing with the old one?
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honestly, im prob gonna keep it around as a spare haha. i fell victim to the typical Ford battery terminal corrosion problem yesterday, so i replaced the battery cables, battery, and the starter solenoid. so i should be good to go there.