scannon Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 My Caterham has an Odyssey PC680 battery that is not holding a charge for very long. I measured the dark current at 5.6 ma, which I think is well below the normal for cars. The battery is seven years old but I have had friends get 10 years out of this particular model. It has had a preventative charge two or three times a year with a battery charger specifically designed for AGM batteries. Anyone have experience with the battery life of the PC680? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Automoda Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Mine lasted 3 years before I stopped trusting it. 10 is preeeeeety optima-istic. I just put a new one in and it feels good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slomove Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 The Odyssey625 that came with my car is now 12 years old. I replaced it a while ago for unrelated reasons but it is still doing trailer duty for interior light, winch and brakes. Deeply discharged a few times and rarely used, I hook up a charger every half year or so but so far still alive. I suppose lifetime is a bit random and 7 years is pretty good, after all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 I have a PC625, and it was still going strong at seven years when a poor crimp caused a massive short that diminished its capacity. I replaced it with another PC625, and all has been well to date. I have noticed that cranking power is diminished on cold mornings (30-40F), but that isn't really surprising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCh Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 My PC680 was 7-1/2 years old and still going strong when I replaced it with something lighter. -John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rx7locost Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 I don't know what the life is. I'm only past my 2nd year on the PC680. While still considered a normal discharge current, 5.6mA seems a bit high for the battery to be left alone for any real length of time. The PC680 is only a 16AH battery. Left alone, that 5.6mA would fully discharge the PC680 in 4 months time. I would never intentionally let a battery discharge below 50% (or 2 months) before topping off the recharge on it. Repetitive full discharge of a battery will shorten its expected life unless it is specifically designed for "deep discharge". You might add a battery shutoff to the car if you don't already have one for those dormant periods. The "self discharge" rate of the battery by itself will last 6-12 months between charges easily. Or perhaps hook up one of those "smart" battery tenders when the car is sitting for periods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scannon Posted January 21, 2014 Author Share Posted January 21, 2014 My Caterham has never sat for more than a month without being driven. We get enough warm and sunny days in the winter that I never put it in long term storage. Its supposed to hit 61F today and if it will start I will be taking it out for a blat shortly. I had a battery shutoff but it failed and left me stranded after a couple of years and I haven't replaced it. I guess it's time for a new battery. While looking for a PC680 I came across this one, slightly larger and 3 lb heavier but 20AH and 330CC. http://www.batterymart.com/p-Big-Crank-ETX18L-Battery.html Anyone had any experience with it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rnr Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 I had terrible luck with the PC 925 going through 2 of them in 3 years. Been using a Evo2 lithium for the past year and things have been fantastic with faster cranking and 22 lbs saved. Plus it has no issues sitting for a couple of months without a trickle charger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RGTorque Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 i use the 625 and 680 here both 7+ years and counting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Automoda Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 I've heard rumors that Optima was bought out and is making batteries that are half as good as the ones in previous years. This could explain the reason some people have 10 year old batteries that keep going and some have 2 year old batteries that need to be replaced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDingo8MyBaby Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Automoda- do you mean optima or odyssey? I had a pc680 that lasted 2 years. I think driving home after my alternator died discharged the battery and killed it, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RGTorque Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 optima is terrible now. i had no issues when they were all the rage back in the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s2k7 Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 (edited) xxx Edited January 24, 2014 by s2k7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffee break Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 My lead/acid battery went TU. To replace it with a compact/solid battery, how many CA do I need to look for? The lump is a 1600 crossflow. The dead battery lists CA @ 530 and CCA @ 450. Suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rnr Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 My lead/acid battery went TU. To replace it with a compact/solid battery, how many CA do I need to look for? The lump is a 1600 crossflow. The dead battery lists CA @ 530 and CCA @ 450. Suggestions? Use the Ballistic Lithium - it has no direct CCA rating but they do have an FAQ on why: http://www.ballisticparts.com/tech/faq.php Been running my S2K lump for over a year and 4k+ miles http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8330/8393755404_0a4c4ef998.jpg http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8492/8393756634_9d84def88b.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCh Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Another happy Ballistic Evo 2 owner here. I installed mine 2 years ago and it's worked great, even starting the car in low 30F weather. -John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffee break Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 rnr, Is that the 16 cell model? Thanks, Carl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rnr Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 16 cell. Also check amazon for prices - I got mine for ~$200 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffee break Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 16 cell. Also check amazon for prices - I got mine for ~$200 Done. Thanks, Carl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mondo Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 I couldn't find a box/strap or something to hold a ballistic battery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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