Battery recommedations...

[eagle-co94]

Does anyone know the standard size battery for the D and what the max physical size battery? After being overseas for 3 years my battery is dead so it's time to buy a new one. I'm leaning towards an Optima Yellow top or equivalent.

I know it's a simple question, but I didn't see a thread with the info.

[Jonathan]

I think the size I was told to quote when walking into a store is whatever they have in their database for a '92 Suburban. Not sure what the exact specs are though.

[jawn101]

It's a type 78. Easy to find. At least 700 CCA is best.

[David T]

You want the largest capacity with side terminals that will fit. An ordinary lead-acid battery is just fine and if taken care of will last at least 5 years. Overpaying for a gel type battery is not worth the extra expense, they do not last any longer and there have been cases where they didn't make 5 years. Spend the money you have left over for that yellow top and buy a Battery Tender. A master switch is also a good investment. It is weird, the Workshop Manual does not have a size for the battery. The one in my car is an A C Delco 650 CCA 75-6yr dimensions are 9"H 7"W 7"H approx.
Do not throw away your old battery, in many States if you do not turn in a core (old battery) when you buy a new one, they hit you with a big core charge. For instance, in NY it is $15. Make sure the side terminals are in the right positions, they face towards the console and the negative goes towards the rear. Do not overtighten the bolts to the terminals.
David Teitelbaum

[Farrar]

If you're shopping at AutoZone, the "house" part number is 78-DL. From there you should be able to find an equivalent if you don't want a Duralast battery.

[jawn101]

If you're shopping at AutoZone, the "house" part number is 78-DL. From there you should be able to find an equivalent if you don't want a Duralast battery.

Yep :) type 78, any brand you want. That means it will have the side terminals in the correct positions and be the right shape/size, etc.

[eagle-co94]

Thanks Farrar. My current Red Top that's dead is just outside warranty (from AutoZone) so they're offering a $50 credit towards a new one so that's where I'll go.

[Rich]

Costco/Kirkland Group 78 works fine. Lasts ~4-5 yrs out here in Calif. in our D. Cranks great, fits right, never had one let us down or leak. 800CCA.

When one starts to get tired they credit you toward a new one on their 100 month warr. If it goes bad in less than 3yrs the replacement is free.

No testing, no muss; you just pull out the old, sort-of-tired Kirkland, exchange it at the tire-battery desk, pay for the new battery less the warranty credit and go.

[BABIS]

I think that the best for the D is a sealed battery, with no gas which actually burns the carpets..

[David T]

Even a "sealed" battery has vents and emits hydrogen gas.
David Teitelbaum

[BABIS]

but there are some batteries which are specifically designed to be mountend inside the car (in opposition to the usual "outside-mounted" ones)...

[Bitsyncmaster]

My experience has found high capacity batteries fail more often with shorted or open cells. The red tops were very prone to fail when they first came out.

[SS Spoiler]

Back in the early 90's the minnesota DMC group made a jaunt out to the Black Hills, when I started smelling hydrogen gas. My guages were all bouncing from the 18 amps showing a major overcharge. Over the CB I was advised by Bruce Benson and Don DeBolt to turn on every electrical device I had. That kept me going until we pulled over at Wall S.D. Stopping at a gas station the battery was too hot to touch, and swollen out of shape. For being overcharged it wouldn't even click the starter. Luckily I had a spare voltage regulator. That and a new battery soon had us on the way. I think it could have easily exploded.

[Jack]

My experience has found high capacity batteries fail more often with shorted or open cells. The red tops were very prone to fail when they first came out.

My first red top bought in 2007 failed under one year.
It would charge and pass all their tests, this was back when batteries plus was only place caring them around here.
I told them okay let it set overnight and test it again.
Sure enough it lost all of its charge overnight.
Got a free replacement been running it since late 2007 no problems.

[Jack]

I have also read that post 2009 Optima Batteries are no longer made in the USA, but moved production to Mexico.

[DMCMW Dave]

but there are some batteries which are specifically designed to be mountend inside the car (in opposition to the usual "outside-mounted" ones)...

BMW batteries are typically mounted in the trunk, and are sealed other than one vent that gets connected to a tube and routed outside the car. I had one fail on an older BMW and my first hint was small puddles of battery acid residue on the garage floor. But no damage to the car.

Unfortunately none of them fit a DMC.

[eagle-co94]

My Charger and Challenger both have the batteries in the trunk as well...but they're huge, about the size of a Mercedes diesel battery so they won't fit either.

[Nicholas R]

Even a "sealed" battery has vents and emits hydrogen gas.
David Teitelbaum

That is not true. Any sealed gel cell battery does not outgas at all, and most AGM batteries do not either (and those that do do not until the reach higher temperatures).

I am quite partial to batteries that do not outgas since the battery is in the passenger compartment and directly beneath the relay and fuse compartment.

[Ryan King]

Been running my Yellow Top Optima Battery ever since I bought my car in 2005. Daily Driver. Still going strong. *Knock on wood*

http://www.optimabatteries.com/us/en/shop/yellowtop/optima-batteries-8014-045-d34-78-yellowtop-starting-and-deep-cycle/

[BABIS]

Been running my Yellow Top Optima Battery ever since I bought my car in 2005. Daily Driver. Still going strong. *Knock on wood*

http://www.optimabatteries.com/us/en/shop/yellowtop/optima-batteries-8014-045-d34-78-yellowtop-starting-and-deep-cycle/

is 8014-045 the right code for a YT which suits the Delorean?

[DeLorean]

Even a "sealed" battery has vents and emits hydrogen gas.
David Teitelbaum

an AGM does NOT vent under normal use, it is sealed, and the pop off will only vent if overcharged according to the manufacturers.

[1batt4u]

I've used Red Top batteries on my 1989 Trans Am GTA and 2000 Trans Am LS1 these past few years. I never had a problem. I also noticed a difference, cars always cranked easier with these batteries on.

My D is still under work. Hopefully once everything is together, gonna throw a Red Top battery in there.

[eagle-co94]

When my wife's battery in her MINI died I went with a Yellow Top with the plan to move it to my SS when I got back from overseas. When we left her car parked in Maryland for about 6 months, part of which was over the winter in 2010 my wife got back into country, jumped in and turned the key. Other than the dust/dirt that had accumulated over that time, it was as though she had only left the car overnight. The battery is still going strong 3 years later. I'm pretty convinced of the Yellow Tops.

Red Tops on the other hand I've not had good luck with. They don't like to sit for extended periods at all.

[1batt4u]

When my wife's battery in her MINI died I went with a Yellow Top with the plan to move it to my SS when I got back from overseas. When we left her car parked in Maryland for about 6 months, part of which was over the winter in 2010 my wife got back into country, jumped in and turned the key. Other than the dust/dirt that had accumulated over that time, it was as though she had only left the car overnight. The battery is still going strong 3 years later. I'm pretty convinced of the Yellow Tops.

Red Tops on the other hand I've not had good luck with. They don't like to sit for extended periods at all.

My 1989 Trans Am GTA used to sit a lot, especially during the cold winters here in NY. With a regular battery, it used to die out when I would start it. When I switched to Red Top, always started when left for awhile and in the freezing cold.

[eagle-co94]

How long is "a while"? A few weeks at a time I wouldn't think twice about...but 6 months is a pretty long time to have a battery connected and not used.

[eagle-co94]

Just picked up my Yellow Top for only $131.31!!! (I should probably mention that I still had about $50 worth of prorating left from my old RedTop, a $30 Merchandise credit card from a lost receipt and a military discount). Too bad they would only let me have one core charge though...I had 2 other dead batteries from other cars sitting around. Going overseas for 3 years doesn't do much good for the life of a car batteries.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Just picked up my Yellow Top for only $131.31!!! (I should probably mention that I still had about $50 worth of prorating left from my old RedTop, a $30 Merchandise credit card from a lost receipt and a military discount). Too bad they would only let me have one core charge though...I had 2 other dead batteries from other cars sitting around. Going overseas for 3 years doesn't do much good for the life of a car batteries.

Wow, has the price gone up in 5 years. Think I paid about $140 ordering direct from OPTIMA with shipping. But what has not gone up these days.

[eagle-co94]

The price now is about $210 from AZ, $240 direct from Optima. I found a website that has them for about $186 shipped but I don't want to deal with an online only company if I have a warranty issue.

[DMCMW Dave]

I'm not impressed with their warranty service. We had a car come in last October with a dead 1-year old Red-Top. We tried to charge it, no go. Our battery wholesaler is also an Optima wholesaler. We turned the battery over to them in November for warranty evaluation. They also tested it and decided it was bad. The replacement showed up This week (March 1). Good thing we were not in a hurry, but 4 months would sure have been a pain for a driver car.

[eagle-co94]

Wow, I had no idea it would be that bad of a turn-around. I like the 5-10 minutes in & out at AZ. Definitely no hassle exchanges.

[DMCMW Dave]

Wow, I had no idea it would be that bad of a turn-around. I like the 5-10 minutes in & out at AZ. Definitely no hassle exchanges.

I suspect my guy doesn't sell a whole lot of them but it was still pretty disappointing. I think you are on the right track - buy it where it is held in stock. I think part of the issue was that Otpima had to send a rep to verify that it was bad.

[eagle-co94]

That sounds like horrible service. It probably could have been shipped for the cost of sending a person to check it.

[Petey]

Hi guys,
I was looking at grabbing an Optima Yellow Top for my Delorean, and i just wanted to confirm that the D34/78 was the one to go for?
Do you have to mod anything in the electrics of the car to fit one of theses?
Thanks
Pete

[Shep]

Do you have to mod anything in the electrics of the car to fit one of theses?I don't recall the model number off-hand, but the correct one fits right in with no modifications. They come with both top posts and side posts in one unit to fit any vehicle type (keep the covers on the top posts!), and it fits snugly in the passenger cubby hole designed for it. Just pull the old one out, disconnect it, pop the new Optima in, connect it, and you're good to go. Save the screws you're currently using on the old battery for the new battery. If you're planning on installing an amp though, you may need slightly longer screws to hold everything in place. My screws were too short, but your mileage may vary.

[eagle-co94]

Pete, you are correct. Mine slips into the battery compartment easily and connecting it is quick and easy. So easy that I stole it and moved it to another car. Now I need to buy another battery! Leaving country for 3 years meant a lot of dead batteries on my return.

[Nicholas R]

I don't recall the model number off-hand, but the correct one fits right in with no modifications. They come with both top posts and side posts in one unit to fit any vehicle type (keep the covers on the top posts!), and it fits snugly in the passenger cubby hole designed for it. Just pull the old one out, disconnect it, pop the new Optima in, connect it, and you're good to go. Save the screws you're currently using on the old battery for the new battery. If you're planning on installing an amp though, you may need slightly longer screws to hold everything in place. My screws were too short, but your mileage may vary.

If you need longer screws, the side terminal screws are 3/8"-16s.

You know, I had an optima red top in my car, and was really disappointed with it. I had a cell fail in it almost 3 years to the day after I bought it, and of course the warranty was gone and there was no pro rated warranty. It actually scared the crap out of me because the car started having trouble starting, and I was terrified that it had to do with my starter installation, even though I checked, double checked, and triple checked to be sure it would work. I know that was just my experience, but it's enough of a reason for me to never buy another optima.

To me, if it's only going to last until the warranty is up, then I should just be buying based on price. I just bought a Duracell AGM battery from Sams club and it's performance has been great thusfar. It has a 3 year warranty that is pro rated after 3 years, only 25 less CCA's than the optima, and was about $80 less than the optima. So far I'm sold. I'm so glad to not have to turn the battery off every time I turn off the car now. Didn't used to bother me before that much, but now whenever I turn the battery off it resets the engine computer and when I next start it, it takes about 30 seconds to adjust, home itself, calibrate, find it's bearings, etc. It still runs in those 30 sec, it just runs a little rough as all the settings are being readjusted. As small as it may be, to be able to avoid that now is also priceless.

[Petey]

Hey thanks guys!
I think I'll give the Optima a go, the Delorean has only ever had bad hand me downs when it comes to batteries and I'd like to spoil her this time. :)

[Citizen]

Hey everyone,

Old thread, I know, but still thought this the best place to put this mention, instead of starting a new thread...

I Just had to buy a new battery for my non-DeLorean alternate vehicle (2005 Chevy Colorado). The old battery lasted 9 years. Mileage during that time was only about 30k, but still I thought 9 years was pretty-darn-good, thus the honorable mention.

This old battery was bought from Advance Auto Parts in 2008 (I usually by the Interstate Green-Top batteries, but for some reason, don't remember why, I bought this one instead).


54445


Thomas

...

[DMCVegas]

The warmer winters aren't destroying batteries as much, so they're having a much longer lifespan. The sets of batteries in my F150 have lasted over 5 years or so on average now, and probably would have been longer had it not have been for leaving the lights on one day...

I don't know what Advance Auto Parts prices or especially warranties are like, but I picked up my battery from AutoZone. The thing was out of warranty past the 5 years, and they still gave me an additional $72 on my old battery, plus the core charge. Not to mention that it takes longer to wait in line than it does to swap the battery out.

I've ran Optima batteries and and regular lead acid ones in multiple cars, and I can tell you for a fact that there is no difference between them insofar as how they work. The Optimas are great for resisting physical damage and can be mounted in different positions. The only real reason they appear to be better is that they simply have a higher default on Cranking Amps & Cold Cranking Amps than what your OEM recommendations for batteries are capable of. Installing batteries with higher CCA will absolutely help your car start faster, and I'd always recommend going for the bigger capacity whenever possible.

Optimas will not benefit your car over a lead-acid battery just by themselves. Function wise, they're the same. You can easily obtain a higher capacity battery with larger CCA for far less. In fact, AZ even sells a Duralast Gold with the same ratings as the Optima for about $85 cheaper. I've also never bought anything from Batteries & Bulbs, but they too sell a Duracell with equivalent Optima power ratings for about $130 cheaper.

Unless you're running a vehicle in off-road motorsports, skip the Optima and just tie down your battery.

[David T]

As a battery ages it loses capacity. If you start out with a battery that has more capacity it "lasts longer" because it has more capacity to lose before it gets so low that it dosen't have enough left. Is it worth getting all of that extra capacity (longer life)? It depends on how much extra you have to pay up front. It also depends on how you use the car (the battery) and how you take care of it. If you never let it drain all the way, get too cold or otherwise abuse it, a battery can last a long time, even an ordinary lead/acid type. At least 5 years. My problem with the gel-type batteries like the Optima is that when they fail they fail without warning and that seems to happen at any point in it's life, even relatively new ones. Doesn't seem to happen as much with the ordinary L/A batteries.

[DMCVegas]

I'm a fan of the Kafka/Daddy Rich school of though that it's better to take and not need than to need and not have when it comes to the additional capacity of automotive batteries. Paying for gel batteries? Nope Unless it's a vehicle that takes a lot of vibration damage it's not worth it. But for Lead Acid batteries with increased capacity? The cost is minimal and absolutely worth it.

There is IMO a narrowing rage of vehicles in tepid climates where I would consider the additional capacity to be merely optional. These would be late model vehicles without infotainment systems that place a parasitic load on the batteries when not in use, but they're quickly slipping into the same category as our cars in question due to age. A classic car, particularly a project vehicle that either doesn't get driven on a daily basis, and/or is going to be subjected to long repeated cranking due to repairs is absolutely going to benefit from a larger battery.

[Bitsyncmaster]

My thoughts on batteries is to buy the cheapest available. The super high capacity just make the plates thinner to pack more plates in the same volume. There for the chance of getting a failed cell are greater.

[dn010]

I bought a Walmart battery for my D back in 2010. Back before my engine swap, I'd have to start the car once a week otherwise the battery would be dead after two weeks of sitting. Funny thing is, after my engine swap it no longer drains at all. Anyway, the battery is 7 years old and still holding strong. It was the cheapest possible battery I could find with the best warranty for the price.

[FABombjoy]

Just to toss another anecdote in:

I killed 3 perfectly good spiral-cell type batteries by not paying attention to charge level. Hey, I was in college and had more important things to focus on.

I kept a $60 walmart group 75 battery alive for 8 years by consistently using a Battery Tender (Plus model)

Currently running an Advance Auto AGM-type group 78 battery AND the Battery Tender. Similar tech to Optima at a far reduced price.
If you use the cashback & coupon system, Advance Auto batteries can be had for quite a bit under retail. Around these parts we have more AA's than Autozones.

[MikeWard]

Get a 096 type battery, it is the largest that will fit in the compartment.

[opethmike]

Yes, I do recommend having a battery.

[DMCVegas]

My thoughts on batteries is to buy the cheapest available. The super high capacity just make the plates thinner to pack more plates in the same volume. There for the chance of getting a failed cell are greater.

I don't doubt that is true with a lead acid battery of the same size & dimensions. But with the exception of the Optima batteries with spiral cells to create more surface area, every larger capacity battery I've ever seen is actually physically larger in size to accommodate additional plates instead of simply using smaller ones to generate that additional surface area.



Just to toss another anecdote in:

I kept a $60 walmart group 75 battery alive for 8 years by consistently using a Battery Tender (Plus model)

Currently running an Advance Auto AGM-type group 78 battery AND the Battery Tender. Similar tech to Optima at a far reduced price.

The Group 78 seems to vary between 770-800 CCA, and is what I'm opting for since it will come in handy during the EFI conversion for cranking. But until it hits the road I'll need a 12V source for testing, and want a tender that'll recharge the battery after I'm done. Are you using just clamps? Or is it permanently wired into the battery?

[FABombjoy]

Are you using just clamps? Or is it permanently wired into the battery?
The Battery Tender Plus came with a hardwire kit. Just a basic length of wire with eyelets on one side, a fuse on the positive, and the 2-pin connector with weather cover.

I glued a little craft magnet into the weather cover (it has a little recess on it). Connected the eyelets at the bulkhead bolts under the wire cover, and fished it into the intake portion of the RH pontoon using the air filter inlet tube to keep it in place. Whenever I park the car for an extended period, I just fish the connector out of the intake vent and connect it. If the connector were to drop to the bottom I can use a telescoping magnet to retrieve it.

Could just as easily rig something up under/behind the quarter panel but this way I don't have to crawl around on the cold concrete :D

[Chris 16409]

O'Reilly's In House brand AGM battery is made in the US. Priced lower than Optima.

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/super-start-platinum-5003/battery-accessories-16452/battery---automotive-16864/battery-12836/battery/78plt/4742703?q=78plt

[dmcerik]

Any new recommendations out there? My battery is 7 yrs old and pretty sure it's time to replace it. I had it on the charger for a bit, drove around no problem for an hour or so. Let it sit over night and tried to start it again this morning and click click click.

[David T]

Any new recommendations out there? My battery is 7 yrs old and pretty sure it's time to replace it. I had it on the charger for a bit, drove around no problem for an hour or so. Let it sit over night and tried to start it again this morning and click click click.

Get it tested. Most places will do it for free but a 7 year old battery is probably close to replacement anyway. Also test for current draw. You could have a problem in your electrical system that is draining the battery and will drain a new battery too. Consider a battery master switch to use when you aren't using the car. When you get the battery tested have them check the alternator too. Any good name brand battery is fine as long as it fits. Interstate is a good brand. Spending for an Optima IMHO is not worth it. Never let a battery go completely dead. It shortens it's life a LOT. Use a battery tender once a month for 1 day to keep it fully charged when you are not using the car.

[OverlandMan]

Any new recommendations out there? My battery is 7 yrs old and pretty sure it's time to replace it. I had it on the charger for a bit, drove around no problem for an hour or so. Let it sit over night and tried to start it again this morning and click click click.

I put a kill switch on vehicles I don't drive regularly. This helps tremendously in my experiences.