The Solution to your Corvette Battery Problems: The Odyssey Battery

[Rob]

Here is an excellent review on the new Odyssey side terminal batter for 1969 to 2003 Corvettes from Hib Halverson

Corvette Action Center | Tech | The Solution to my Corvette Battery Problems: The Odyssey Battery

 

[WhalePirot]

Also found the Optima Red Tops unacceptible

Three tries, two vehicles, all failures; never again, despite the reported popularity, which is a typical response to the marketing hype, which is what I feel surrounds that battery.

Interestingly, my Delco experience from the 'old days' was identical. Sadly, Delco is now reduced to the ilk of other imported 'seeming quality' and familiar products.

I am having good experience with Interstates (supply BMW for our '7' at 1/3 the cost). My Corvette 's relocated battery presents some size issues, but I will definitely look at this American-made battery next time.

 

[MikeyK]

I want one for my '96

Here is an excellent review on the new Odyssey side terminal batter for 1969 to 2003 Corvettes from Hib Halverson

Corvette Action Center | Tech | The Solution to my Corvette Battery Problems: The Odyssey Battery

I want one for my '96 and don't mind spnding the bucks, having trouble finding one that I can walk in and buy, where is the best place to buy one ?

 

[Hib Halverson]

I think the Odyssey Battery web site has a retailer list.

 

[MikeyK]

Odyssey

I checked that out, no common auto supply or repair in North Florida, only multi-batteries plus, etc and too far away, called a couple of marine places,
don't handle them. If they have a good product and can make enough of them they should set something up with common auto parts stores like Advance .. strange. Thanks for the comeback.

 

[Hib Halverson]

I checked that out, no common auto supply or repair in North Florida, only multi-batteries plus, etc and too far away, called a couple of marine places,
don't handle them. If they have a good product and can make enough of them they should set something up with common auto parts stores like Advance .. strange. Thanks for the comeback.

The majority of customers of mass-market auto parts retailers (Advance, Kragen, Pep Boys, etc.) will not spend the money an Odyssey costs, consequently, they don't sell them.

 

[MikeyK]

battery

I am going to call their coreprate office tomorrow, I called a batteries plus and they said they don't even handle automobile batteries ? I want to go
to a AGM type, seems a lot of folks dislike the Optima, Excide is supposed to have one but every one I call doesn't handle them, very strange. Any suggestions ?

.​

 

[WhalePirot]

Almost bought

I almost got one, then, as I was reading info on their warranty, etc. I learned that they require a very specific charger (listed on their site) or the warranty is void. The battery has 15% more lead surface area, so it delivers more CCA for the given size. One F**d truck site said warranty claims were getting 'sticky'.

I opted for 12% lower CCA and to NOT double the already high purchase price, via a 5th battery charger added to my tools. While I like plenty about the Odyssey, and would love to see more quality, American-made batteries available, I just didn't think it fit my usage very well. FWIW, others make GSM batteries with similar characteristics, up and not; no personal knowledge of quality.

Odyssey's trickle charger requirements for the 1500 series I shopped specify 2A minimum; regular charge must deliver <16 VDC and at least 25A; uniquely high, from what I found. The shelf life and long term charge holding is superior, but for computer or other e-drains, cautions abound to NOT let it get discharged. If so, the battery must either be returned to them or their special charger utilized, or it will not recover. It seems any longterm storage needs a maintainer that will 'cover' the drain of the ECM, etc.; an Odyssey taking care of itself for a couple years.
Glad I did more looking before buying. Thought y'all might want to know.

Side note. A pal said these guys sold the rights to Optima many years ago and they are made in China.

If I am wrong on any of this, I have no problem learning so.

 

[Hib Halverson]

I have the Odyssey Warranty, as posted on the EnerSys web site (publication No. US-ODY-WS-12 Feb 2012), on my other monitor.

The Odyssey warranty does not state an Odyssey battery charger is required. Clearly, what "WhalePirot" found found on a "Ford truck site" was inaccurate information, perhaps posted by an Odyssey competitor.

With respect to charging, the warranty does say if a trickle charger is used, it should be a unit with a regulated output that keeps the charge voltage between 13.5 and 13.8V, however, no specific brand of trickle charger is listed. I'd think a trickle charger that regulates voltage is a "well...duh" with any high-end, aftermarket battery.

As for how Odyssey actually handles warranty claims, I know a guy who had one of the early-style, Odyssey 75/86PC1230s in a C3 Vette. It was in service for six years when he noted that one of the metal L-brackets, which are the side terminal connections on that dual-terminal-style of battery, was loose and such that there was an intermittent no-start condition. Even though the battery was 2-yrs out of warranty, EnerSys replaced it based on its inspection of the unit. EnerSys' technical dept. determined that, because the bracket has loosened, likely because of a mfg defect, there had been corrosion build up between the bracket and the plate connector inside the battery and that caused the no-start condition.

Besides good tech support. What I like about Odysseys is their seemingly long service life. I've got one that been in my Camaro since 2007 so that's six-plus years. The one in my Blazer has been there for five years. I, also, like their ability to produce very high pulse cranking current flow. It's noticeably increased the cranking rpm of the LT5 and LS7 engines I have in a couple of our Vettes.

It is true that some of the folks who work at EnerSys originated the Optima. A number of years ago, once that product was mature, they sold the design to Johnson Controls which, no doubt, makes them offshore, although I don't know where. I was an Optima user at one time until myself and another magazine writer I know both had Optima failures after a very small amount of deep cycles. Plus I think the Optima design, admittedly quite good for 15 years ago, has been passed up by the march of technology.

Johnson Controls' quality is so-so, but their marketing is outstanding and their advertising is substantial. So much so that they've been able to sell a somewhat obsolete product on the basis of quite a bit of brand equity.

 

[WhalePirot]

Did I say they required an Odyssey charger? No. I have their warranty also, plus the very short list, especially for the larger car batteries.

I am glad for your positive experience but fail to understand your 'exuberance' at misrepresenting my comment. You have your experience; I have mine. Actually, such zeal detracts from credibility.

While it is increasingly difficult to make a truly informed decision via the web, I am well aware of 'competitors' posting well-colored negatives while heaping praise upon their own product. Do such automatically make some few the sole oracle of product truth?

I'd reread Hib's initial post and was motivated to solve, once and for all, the hot start problems re-incurred after some 'professionals' worked on this very high performance, once totally reliable engine. After learning of the charger specifics of their warranty, specifically relating to the length down times, with the possibility of battery discharge that my Corvette has suffered, I considered, then rejected the purchase.

 

[RedHot85Vette]

Here is an excellent review on the new Odyssey side terminal batter for 1969 to 2003 Corvettes from Hib Halverson

Corvette Action Center | Tech | The Solution to my Corvette Battery Problems: The Odyssey Battery

Good Day! I hope ALL are enjoying a pleasant one.

Buy a decent battery, like a Diehard, or Duralast Gold... I think some of these batteries have the same manufacturer but different labels... whatever... again, buy a decent battery... or even, try a medium cost battery... a Walmart model... but also... along with it... buy a Battery Tender, that you plug in Every Day, that keeps your battery Fresh, Every Day. Also, important, make sure you don't have any stupid wiring problems. Make sure all your accessories, like boom boxes and such are properly wired... no bad joints, weak crimps... all your splices correct and soldered and shrink wrapped, and let me tell you from 33 years technical experience, electronics, electrical contracting, mechanics, and more... Crimps Suck! ... if you suspect some kind of power drain when engine off, have your system checked or get an Amp Meter and check for current draw when engine off.

Get the Battery Tender no matter what. $25 bucks will save you from headaches and will probably save you some money, maybe the cost of another battery or two, as well.

I have a Sears Diehard I purchased July of 2010. The Battery label is dated July/2010. I used it for a few years with a Battery Tender, every day. Junked the car after about 3 years. Saved the Battery and set it on a cinder block on the ground, in my old wood shed, dirt floor, no door, just wide outdoor type plastic shade, and forgot about it. It sat for years, at least 5 I'm sure... nasty winters, heat, rain/snow.

So Now, it's approximately 8 years old. I did not have the Battery Tender on it All the time.

One day, my motor home battery died. It was the deadest battery I've ever seen. So, I remembered the old Diehard and thought... "why not, you never know". 8 years old, I thought, Battery Tender or not, that Diehard has gotta be toast. Especially after all the weird weather we've had during these past 8 years, and the 3 years or so of use it originally had in a pretty crappy car. Or at least the Diehard, I thought, would not be strong enough to start my big block Ford motor home. I put the Diehard on my charger, a good one, and charged it over night. The next day, I installed it to the motor home and, Wallah! One crank, the engine comes to life.

That was 3 months ago. I don't run the motor home often. In fact, over the past 3 months, the motor home engine was started only about 4 times total, if that, and that was to just move it to my lawn so as to wash it, and then put it back in it's parking spot, very next to my home.

But so far, it Starts that Motor Home, Big Block Ford, 5.7L, without hesitation. To be sure, I just started that motor home about 45 minutes ago and then began writing this post.

Get a Battery Tender... if your vehicle wiring/electronics system is healthy... you may just have a Battery For Life.

Good Luck. Drive Safely... but Drive!

John

 

[Hot Rod Roy]

Get a Battery Tender... if your vehicle wiring/electronics system is healthy... you may just have a Battery For Life.

What is the residual current drain in your motor home? The residual drain in my '84 Corvette is 13 mA (0.013 A). I can park it for a month, and it will start right up. Why do I need a battery tender? And, by the way, I really don't think an expensive Odyssey battery would be any better. And a "battery for life"? I hope my life is longer than your Die Hard battery's life!

:cool

 

[RedHot85Vette]

What is the residual current drain in your motor home? The residual drain in my '84 Corvette is 13 mA (0.013 A). I can park it for a month, and it will start right up. Why do I need a battery tender? And, by the way, I really don't think an expensive Odyssey battery would be any better. And a "battery for life"? I hope my life is longer than your Die Hard battery's life!

:cool

...hmmm... ok... thanks for the response!

I hope you didn't take things the wrong way and I hope I didn't come off sounding like a promoter for battery tenders... if so, I apologize... I was just saying... that I believe... getting/using a cheap battery tender is known to keep a battery healthy weather you have a current drain or not... whether or not you even have the battery hooked up to anything... the point my essay was trying to make is that one may be able to make a cheap battery live as long, or longer than a very expensive one, if one used a battery tender. "May" be able to, not definitely will be able to. It's an option being delivered for thought free of charge. And... it's just a recommendation... I didn't say you had to have one or else suffer the consequences. I believe it's a good suggestion, that many an electronics tech would agree... It's certainly not a bad suggestion that could cause pain and anguish for oneself or others. I'll stick by it. I think it may have something to do with preventing sulphur buildup on the plates, or something like that, in the long term... I guess if you really want to know, call a couple of battery manufacturers or so, and see what they have to say about it.

This past winter was hell. I was in the hospital for a good portion of it due my spine is wrecked. It was a hellacious cold winter, bad news for your average car battery. I didn't get to start my car at all what with everything that was going on. My brand new Duralast died dead, dead, deadsky! So my wife had Autozone charge it up, and I had her buy a battery tender. Not only did it take good care of my battery but also... and this is important... It gave me peace of mind. Surgery, after unscheduled, surgery... I didn't worry about that battery one stinkin' bit. I'll tell you what... my '85...now... using the battery tender... on my fairly new Duralast Gold... starts right up with about a half a crank and a somewhat very powerful ooomphhh! So to does my old 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan, battery age unknown, but older than 4 years, since it came with the van when we bought it... and my big ol' Diehard Ford bigazz engine Econoline 350 Motorhome. ooomphhh! Although there are many days when I think all 3 batteries have a very good chance of outliving me.

"you may just have a battery for life" ...translated: it may be a good thing to do"...may not... "battery for life"... that's like the punch line of my short little essay... I don't believe my exaggeration needs any explanation, but... no one's going to have a battery for life... that's silly, unless unfortunate circumstances occur... and that's not the point... but one could do things to keep their battery healthy, Yes! ...and maybe less apt to get sulfurized, or somewhat stale, or depressed... so to speak... in there also is my assumption that my readers are going to live phenomenal lengths of time and that if they use a battery tender, as I only suggest, as it's cheap insurance, they'll have a battery that dies when they do, whenever that is, hopefully in a way off distant future...

Well, it seems you have a great relationship with your battery, keepin' an eye on that current draw and all... and I hope you live a very laaaawwwnnng life, and I hope that because of your due diligence, the two of you continue a fantastic, healthy relationship, and that you, as I hope for All, enjoy and maintain, a very healthy, very happy, Battery for Life.



John V. Brennan, U.S. Coast Guard Veteran, Retired/Disabled
& Very Proud, Very Happy, 1985 Corvette Owner... til death do us part.

 

[lt4 gs]

Also found the Optima Red Tops unacceptible

Three tries, two vehicles, all failures; never again, despite the reported popularity, which is a typical response to the marketing hype, which is what I feel surrounds that battery.

Interestingly, my Delco experience from the 'old days' was identical. Sadly, Delco is now reduced to the ilk of other imported 'seeming quality' and familiar products.

I am having good experience with Interstates (supply BMW for our '7' at 1/3 the cost). My Corvette 's relocated battery presents some size issues, but I will definitely look at this American-made battery next time.

after having the same exp., i bought a cheap high crankin' duracell from batteries+
would you believe, a wet lead has lasted 4times longer than any optima....?
jd