my battery is gay.

ok, i recently got foglights and i cut the bumper lights to hook the foglights up. bad idea. everything went to hell, so i hooked them back up. now my battery dies and i have to get boosted off everywhere i go. could this be the alt. beig gay as well?

You can have your alternator and battery tested at pretty much any auto parts store.

I'd retrace your steps on the wiring and make sure that nothing is shorting to ground somewhere in the system.

well if i ever get it started i'll go up to advance and let them check it.

quote:

ORIGINAL: mikeywaynebygod

could this be the alt. beig gay as well?

ask your alt if it likes other alts?

on a serious note though, same thing happened to me a few weeks ago after the alarm was installed, every time i tried to start the car i needed a jump, i got a red top and all is well again.

i have a yellow top...

quote:

ORIGINAL: mikeywaynebygod

i have a yellow top...

boost the car, and check the voltage at the battery with a dmm. See if it's charging.

alright. if it's gone bad, then advance is gonna gimme my 189 bucks back.

x

quote:

ORIGINAL: slammins15

When I bought my optima yellow top I asked the techs at optima which battery I should use red or yellow and explained what kind of power my stereo has they said the yellow top was for me that was 8 years ago it still works just fine.

x 

quote:

ORIGINAL: slammins15

Whats your point ? You said yellow tops are no good for starting batteries optima tech told me to use one in my truck 8 years ago and it still works fine so my point is your yellow top is not for starting theory is wrong depp cycles can be charged anytime just like a regular car battery.

woah woah now. calm down the both of you. i took my yellow top back to advance and they replaced it. no big deal. my car works fine now.

Glad it worked out for you!! I read a few posts on S10fourm.com about some optima's goin bad prematurely, that is why i did so much research on the matter. I guess that must have happened to yours, atleast they took care of you and made it right at the store, that is all that counts really.

x


*EDIT by swartlkk* - Cleaned up derogatory comments

Ok because it seems that removing the offending posts such as I had done has twisted things more than they should have been, here's my take on the situation. Now I don't understand why things have to resort to foul language whenever discussions get to this point, but anyway, what's done is done. Any derogatory comments by anyone in this post has been removed.

Deep Cycle batteries, by design are made to withstand constant discharging. Most common batteries are not supposed to be run down as far as what deep cycle batteries can be. Now this doesn't mean that the deep cycle batteries can not do the same things as a normal battery. There may be some trade-offs in cranking amps on a deep cycle, where the common starting battery would exceed it, but it's the staying power or response to current draw where the deep cycle has it's merits. Where a common starting battery may have a high initial cranking amps, it will fall quickly. The deep cycle will maintain it's cranking amps much longer.

Here's some other information I found on the subject:

quote:

Starting, Marine, and Deep-Cycle Batteries

* Starting (sometimes called SLI, for starting, lighting, ignition) batteries are commonly used to start and run engines. Engine starters need a very large starting current for a very short time. Starting batteries have a large number of thin plates for maximum surface area. The plates are composed of a Lead "sponge", similar in appearance to a very fine foam sponge. This gives a very large surface area, but if deep cycled, this sponge will quickly be consumed and fall to the bottom of the cells. Automotive batteries will generally fail after 30-150 deep cycles if deep cycled, while they may last for thousands of cycles in normal starting use (2-5% discharge).

* Deep cycle batteries are designed to be discharged down as much as 80% time after time, and have much thicker plates. The major difference between a true deep cycle battery and others is that the plates are SOLID Lead plates - not sponge. Unfortunately, it is often impossible to tell what you are really buying in some of the discount stores or places that specialize in automotive batteries. The popular golf cart battery is generally a "semi" deep cycle - better than any starting battery, better than most marine, but not as good as a true deep cycle solid Lead plate, such the L-16 or industrial type. However, because the golf cart (T-105, US-2200, GC-4 etc) batteries are so common, they are usually quite economical for small to medium systems.

* Many (most?) Marine batteries are usually actually a "hybrid", and fall between the starting and deep-cycle batteries, while a few (Rolls-Surrette and Concorde, for example) are true deep cycle. In the hybrid, the plates may be composed of Lead sponge, but it is coarser and heavier than that used in starting batteries. It is often hard to tell what you are getting in a "marine" battery, but most are a hybrid. "Hybrid" types should not be discharged more than 50%. Starting batteries are usually rated at "CCA", or cold cranking amps, or "MCA", Marine cranking amps - the same as "CA". Any battery with the capacity shown in CA or MCA may not be a true deep-cycle battery. It is sometimes hard to tell, as the terms marine and deep cycle are sometimes overused. CA and MCA ratings are at 32 degrees F, while CCA is at zero degree F. Unfortunately, the only positive way to tell with some batteries is to buy one and cut it open - not much of an option.

Using a deep cycle battery as a starting battery

There is generally no problem with this, providing that allowance is made for the lower cranking amps compared to a similar size starting battery. As a general rule, if you are going to use a true deep cycle battery (such as the Concorde) also as a starting battery, it should be oversized about 20% compared to the existing or recommended starting battery group size to get the same cranking amps

Can we get back to the original issue. I want to know if his battery is really into other batteries

I though we needed to lighten up a bit...

haha... now im confused...lol not really.... so.... if his battery was "into" other batteries... I bet we could sell it on the internet....hahaha

It may be too *shocking* for the internet... Oh what am I saying! We could make a mint! LMAO!!!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.... wow. . . . . the sheer thought of a battery with another battery is re VOLT ing.... wow, i think i just killed that joke.. lol

Yeah, I was pushing it, but you.. Wow... That's all I can say... LMAO! Too funny!

quote:

ORIGINAL: a_tack
re VOLT ing.... wow, i think i just killed that joke.. lol

LMFAO!!! Good one...but OK, enough of the gay jokes, I 'm gonna get paranoid you're making fun of ME.

Ok, I don't know if this matters any longer, but I did give a call over to Optima. After waiting for a while to talk to a gal named Courtney (as specified by another member whom I don't even know if he's here any longer), I asked her about the differences between deep cycle and starting batteries (ie red top vs yellow top). She did state that the red top is an everyday use battery and compared with the yellow top, the cranking amps (what you get initially when you start the truck) is quite a bit higher when compared with the yellow top. Battery frame size comparisons yield around a 200 amp difference in favor of the red top. Now, that is comparing batteries within Optima. However, lets compare the Optima battery to a run of the mill 'stock' battery, the yellow tops CA rating (again for the same frame battery), is actually slightly higher. Another question I asked was about the recharge rate effecting the deep cycle battery when used in a daily driver. She stated that a deep cycle battery DOES NOT need to be drained often to maintain its 'health'. The ONLY downside to running a deep cycle battery is the CA/CCA available.

Oh and m00n... We weren't making fun of you. I couldn't resist, but Aaron... I don't know... LOL j/k!

Oh, I know you weren't making fun of me...I'm the first the jump on gay jokes...I think we're like Newfies in that we can make the best ones up ourselves!

I'm glad to see that you followed up, Kyle. This is some pertinent information.

haha... yea, I was just jumpin on the band wagon to make the tone of this thread a bit lighter...lol not pokin fun at anyone... just funny in general..