Dual Post Battery, HO Alternator.. Questions..

[JCase]

Jcase,
Thanks for getting back to me. If you could, PM me the contact information on the UPS guy, I would love to pass his findings on to our engineer. I know time has a way of getting away from all of us but I do remember years back that UPS went from gas to diesel engines in all their trucks and I also know that all their fleet was very old at the time. I was in the towing business at the time and did all their towing at the local center. It wasn't unual for them to have 1960s trucks in daily use. It is amazing how long those trucks run because of their maintenance program. Now I notice they have updated their fleet with newer frontends being the way I know they are different trucks and I am sure, like all new vehicles the newer trucks probably do have more electronics, etc. It would be nice though to have good data to look at since I know they do a great job at that. While I have no explanation for the difference in life then and now other than what I have already stated, UPS is certainly a commercial application, and I would think, by any standards Extreme Use. I would think in 5 years, a UPS truck probably cranks up as much as my car would in 25 years..haha. They vehicles would make a great study, and for all I know, may already be being done, that is way above my pay scale. I will pass this on up the ladder though.

As to your last sentence, we are not outsourcing because we own the plant in Monterrey, but you are correct, globalization is the wave of the future, or should I say, it is already here. Great post, thanks.

SwainN, I understand about the weather, we have had our share of rain, etc too, but that is a great thing right now. I will be staying tuned here as you do figure things out.
Thanks guys,
Bill Howell
eCare Manger, OPTIMA Batteries. Inc.

I think you may have miss understood me Bill.

I worked (and the Lead Mech I talked to) for the United States Postal Service, not UPS (who I've worked for also).

The routes, mileage, weather and temp have always been the same, and considering the experience of a 22 year vehicle maintenance mech, there has been no big changes in parts in regards to manufactures and specifications(regarding the electrical/charging system).

I do agree with your comment that mail vehicles demand much more than the usual daily driver (for instance: constant stop/starts/restarting, constant idling low spectrum of the alternators charging area, etc.) which translates to more demand on the battery, but that doesn't explain why an observer for 22 years notices a battery getting 2-3 less years out of the same battery when all other components in the system remain the same.

For the contact for the head maintenance rep, I'll do you one better...

Grand Rapids, MI USPS Vehicle Maintenance Facility Supervisor (His name is Bill also).

(616)247-4675

 

[Optima Bill]

Thanks, My mistake. I used to work at USPS also, years ago and they too have a great maintenance program. I will pass his contact info on.
Thanks,
Bill Howell
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.

 

[JCase]

Thanks, My mistake. I used to work at USPS also, years ago and they too have a great maintenance program. I will pass his contact info on.
Thanks,
Bill Howell
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.

Thanks for moving that along Bill.

While we are on the topic, what exactly does your position entail?

From what I understand, you (or a bot or team) process/gather negative/positive feedback on automotive forums on Optima Batteries looking for opportunities to reinforce consumer confidence or sway the products shortfalls on to something else, basically an ePublic Relations wing of Johnsons Controls.

How many eCare managers are there at your company? How many Chiefs does it take to run the Indians of an outsourced company?

Jim McIlvaine

http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?p=4332386

And how many times do you gather others peoples information and tout it as your own expertise, seeding doubt that the problem mush be something other than the sub-par product you get paid to endorse?

http://ls1tech.com/forums/ls4-performance/1580792-2-year-battery.html

"No problem, but you know how it is, if someone reads it on the net, it must be fact..haha."

That was a nice double reversal BTW...

You talk a good game Bill; your name IS Bill, isn't it?

 

[SwaintaN]

not to be a basher on this as well... i will do the electrical this coming up week.. i take all the help i can... but as above pointed out.. if you work for Optima and on this forum shouldnt you be registered as a vender? also i know what your talking about i know certain people who get on forums to find information about their products..

negative net information from forums over rids positive... more negative is posted them positive anywhere any forum

whens last time you seen a bunch of people be like YEAH PRODUCT "A" IS THE BEST>..... its always product "A" is ****e...

 

[JCase]

not to be a basher on this as well... i will do the electrical this coming up week.. i take all the help i can... but as above pointed out.. if you work for Optima and on this forum shouldnt you be registered as a vender? also i know what your talking about i know certain people who get on forums to find information about their products..

negative net information from forums over rids positive... more negative is posted them positive anywhere any forum

whens last time you seen a bunch of people be like YEAH PRODUCT "A" IS THE BEST>..... its always product "A" is ****e...

Yeah, I've learned that when the "A" product is the best and nothing else will do without taking into play facts, physics or personal experience, something is wrong...

The market is always changing, and with it the end products. After a short while, people tend to develop a fanboy mentality without talking into account they may have been suckered into an inferior product in the first place or that the market may have changed in the last 3-to-whatever years since buying that "optimal" product.

 

[richarded25]

i used to work at army shipping and reciving and CSMS and we all used optima red top best batties we could get i am ex army and whould kill to have a red top in my truck ( all i got is a ****y interstate that was in it when i bought it ) unfortinatly i am broke i work at wal-mart and all my money goes to bills and family as to the ur prob i would look for a drain something pulling little amps over time can destroy alot of stuff

 

[JCase]

i used to work at army shipping and reciving and CSMS and we all used optima red top best batties we could get i am ex army and whould kill to have a red top in my truck ( all i got is a ****y interstate that was in it when i bought it ) unfortinatly i am broke i work at wal-mart and all my money goes to bills and family as to the ur prob i would look for a drain something pulling little amps over time can destroy alot of stuff

What equipment did you used to use the redtops in and how long ago was it when you were in?

Thanks

 

[Optima Bill]

Thanks for moving that along Bill.

While we are on the topic, what exactly does your position entail?

From what I understand, you (or a bot or team) process/gather negative/positive feedback on automotive forums on Optima Batteries looking for opportunities to reinforce consumer confidence or sway the products shortfalls on to something else, basically an ePublic Relations wing of Johnsons Controls.

How many eCare managers are there at your company? How many Chiefs does it take to run the Indians of an outsourced company?

Jim McIlvaine

http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?p=4332386

And how many times do you gather others peoples information and tout it as your own expertise, seeding doubt that the problem mush be something other than the sub-par product you get paid to endorse?

http://ls1tech.com/forums/ls4-performance/1580792-2-year-battery.html

"No problem, but you know how it is, if someone reads it on the net, it must be fact..haha."

That was a nice double reversal BTW...

You talk a good game Bill; your name IS Bill, isn't it?

Jcase,
Wow, I have been called out a time or two, but that is cool.
There are two of us, Jim and myself. Feel free to google his name, yes, that is the same guy. Feel free to google my name, add protouring, or 1965 GTO or 1972 charger or Planning Commission, or Pigeon Forge Tn. Any of those searches should prove I am not a bot. My cell number is 865.850.8228. I am 53 years old, car nut since I was about 11 so I have covered a lot of ground with cars. I have never made up anything about my cars or experiences, not sure where you are going with that one. Currently I personally own a 72 charger that I road race (most reecently SORC- google that to verify I was in the 91mph class). I also have a 02 Suburban, 05 Club Car golf cart, 85 Ford Dump Truck, 87 K-5 Blazer, 69 mach1 Mustang, 02 Freighliner and 01 American Dream motorhome, all which have Optima batteries in them, pictures if you need them. I also promote events all over the country (verify that on pro-touring.com, my username is..... Bill Howell) I have been on that site since 10-10-04, check it out. If you need any more proof as to who I am, call me.
I am sitting in my den, watching TV at the moment in Pigeon Forge, Tn. Tomorrow I will get up and go to the Shades of the Past Car event here.
If you need, I will post my breakfast selection in the morning.
Jim and I search the net for threads that involve Optima Batteries, both good and bad and keep very good records about those threads for future reference for Optima. We do not outsource our batteries, you need to look up the definition of outsourcing.

Bill Howell
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.

 

[Optima Bill]

not to be a basher on this as well... i will do the electrical this coming up week.. i take all the help i can... but as above pointed out.. if you work for Optima and on this forum shouldnt you be registered as a vender? also i know what your talking about i know certain people who get on forums to find information about their products..

negative net information from forums over rids positive... more negative is posted them positive anywhere any forum

whens last time you seen a bunch of people be like YEAH PRODUCT "A" IS THE BEST>..... its always product "A" is ****e...

My position with Optima is to search and address posts on forums about batteries/electrical issues in general and Optima in particular. We do not try to sell batteries,that is another department. Most forum admin appreciate the fact that we come and share what we know and that we will respond even if someone hates our products. Some forums do ask that we become sponsors to post, and that is passed on to those at the company that make those decisions. Personally, I am a member of about 400 forums, where I have answered or addressed posts. Jim, who has been doing it much longer, is probably a member at close to 1000.
Thanks,
Bill Howell
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.

 

[willindsay]

I am sitting in my den, watching TV at the moment in Pigeon Forge, Tn. Tomorrow I will get up and go to the Shades of the Past Car event here.


Bill Howell
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.

I almost forgot it was Rod Run time! I'll be up there tomorrow evening when I get back from school and next weekend for the Grand.

Love the cars hate the traffic.

Sry for getting off topic.

 

[Optima Bill]

I almost forgot it was Rod Run time! I'll be up there tomorrow evening when I get back from school and next weekend for the Grand.

Love the cars hate the traffic.

Sry for getting off topic.

My favorite time of year. If you are around next weekend, I have an autocross going on at Splash Country parking lot, will be a blast.
Sorry, now back on topic too.
Bill

 

[richarded25]

What equipment did you used to use the redtops in and how long ago was it when you were in?

Thanks

alot all gmv,s and some big equipment my unit was a trans and we wired a few hummers with dual optimas in paralel to run 24 volts

 

[SwaintaN]

so i got a bunch of crap listed on CL so i can clear out my garage so i can start to find my tools and work on this thing... i go out to pull it in and start my search and of course is pouring down rain again ..... as soon as i can get out side to start the testing done on it ill will keep it updated


Bill.... ill be straight up... my first redtop i got because i was a system user.. i had the underbody neon lights, in car lights was running two amps pushing 2000rms each and 2 subs pushing 2000rms each also was running a 3.5farad cap. never had a problem just died after a years and years.... the next one i got again i was running a system now in the explorer (until system got stolen)... but it started to crap out after 3 years, had a bad cell... so i dont bash red tops i just dont use them, first one lasted long, second one did not last as long matter of fact part i got to input the second battery i had after 5 months had to be replaced under warranty because it crapped out then this last one like i said ended up with bad cell.

wiring problem.. im gonna go a little more into depth on it. everything is currently stock no system, not even wires for a system.. standard cd player, battery i have is a higher CCA battery, HO alternator.. the wire from alt is 0ga w/ anl fuse that also has digital volt reader on it, direct mount to the side post.

top post is a 0gauge wire going into a splitter (distribution box gold plated) then from there all the cords have been updated to bigger and newer gauges...

ground.. i added a 0ga ground to the body but did not replace the others.

accessories i do have lights on the front bumper ran through a toggle switch, which is off.

the electrical problem started way way way back. with i would have to be jumped after sitting for 2 weeks, then now its down to you need jumped every day. Since this has started.... i got into the Explorer to move it to the new house (now when i parked it, i knew there was a drain but nothing else wrong), moved it to the new house and noticed certain lights werent on, ignored it because it was daylight out...

WELL i get into her to pull a tire out of the ground... and noticed my 4x4 switch dont work.. no electric to it.. the gauge lights, all the gauge lights.. arent working

hints why i started the thread this has been an ongoing fight that seems to keep getting worse

 

[Optima Bill]

SwaintaN,
On the RedTops, and you can verify this on our website, they are not designed to use with aftermarket upgraded stereo systems. In fact, the warranty clearly spells that out. They are an OEM replacement and will not hold up forever when used with heavy amperage draws. Even if you are just doing the neon lights, you should always use a deep-cycling battery for that. It will shorten the life of a battery, any battery, that is not deep-cycling. That is the reason there are the two types of batteries for automotive use. This probably explains why both of your RedTops failed early. Just keep that in mind any time you are upgrading any car's stereo system or adding to its regular current draws.
On the electrical issue, I still say you have a parasitic draw somewhere. It may be minor, but now you may have sulfated the current battery to the point it will not hold a good charge. Try this, recharge the battery at about 10 amps until it reads whatever its manufacturer says is full voltage. Let it sit for 24 hours unhooked from the vehicle and see if it holds the charge. At that point, if all is well, hook it back to the truck and see how much voltage is lost in a couple days. I don't see anything wrong with your rewiring per say, I think you just haven't found the problem yet. It is a pain to do, but you have to pull the fuse for each circuit, one at the time, to really find which one has the short or draw. It may take some time, but I feel sure that is what you are going to find. At the present though, if you have a battery that isn't fully charged or may not be able to be recharged, you are fighting two battles at the same time and that will only frustrate you more. Still subscribed, and will see what you find out.
Thanks,
Bill Howell
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.

 

[SwaintaN]

i can answer the one thing, i threw the battery on a charger to get the ex here to the new house.. it charged for a day at slow charge 10a, started right up, next day dead.. so charged it for another 24hrs but didnt put it back in the ex for like 2 days, as soon as it was put in, started up, but again in, day or so later had to be charged. thats why i dont think its the battery.. if this damn rain and electrical storm would stop i could get out and start testing everything till i found the sob of the problem

i know to test every fuse from yall pointing that out.. but how do you test relays etc? also what about the fuse for the ECM ive heard bad things about pulling that fuse.

 

[JCase]

Jcase,
Wow, I have been called out a time or two, but that is cool.
There are two of us, Jim and myself. Feel free to google his name, yes, that is the same guy. Feel free to google my name, add protouring, or 1965 GTO or 1972 charger or Planning Commission, or Pigeon Forge Tn. Any of those searches should prove I am not a bot. My cell number is 865.850.8228. I am 53 years old, car nut since I was about 11 so I have covered a lot of ground with cars. I have never made up anything about my cars or experiences, not sure where you are going with that one. Currently I personally own a 72 charger that I road race (most reecently SORC- google that to verify I was in the 91mph class). I also have a 02 Suburban, 05 Club Car golf cart, 85 Ford Dump Truck, 87 K-5 Blazer, 69 mach1 Mustang, 02 Freighliner and 01 American Dream motorhome, all which have Optima batteries in them, pictures if you need them. I also promote events all over the country (verify that on pro-touring.com, my username is..... Bill Howell) I have been on that site since 10-10-04, check it out. If you need any more proof as to who I am, call me.
I am sitting in my den, watching TV at the moment in Pigeon Forge, Tn. Tomorrow I will get up and go to the Shades of the Past Car event here.
If you need, I will post my breakfast selection in the morning.
Jim and I search the net for threads that involve Optima Batteries, both good and bad and keep very good records about those threads for future reference for Optima. We do not outsource our batteries, you need to look up the definition of outsourcing.

Bill Howell
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.

Sorry about that, had to check.

You sound like a good dude for sure Bill. Please except my apology and please keep up the good work there at Optima!

And your right about my use of the word outsourcing, I meant to say offshoring.




J

 

[SwaintaN]

so i was sitting here drawing up my wiring diagram so ill know what i need to finish off my ground since i did the positive.. i got a few questions...

From Battery 0ga wire to 0ga split box from split box is a 0ga to frame and from same box is 0ga to body.
From battery i was told to mount one to the engine.... why the engine?
Also would have two 8ga ports left..

Meaning I would have 3 0gauges grounds running to the battery... Overkill is always better right?!

 

[JCase]

When it comes to making sure your getting all the current your supposed to be getting out of a connection, yes.

BTW, the grounds are even more important when drawing more demand out of an electrical system taking into account the stock (possibly corroded/inadequate) straps, connections and locations.

 

[Optima Bill]

Sorry about that, had to check.

You sound like a good dude for sure Bill. Please except my apology and please keep up the good work there at Optima!

And your right about my use of the word outsourcing, I meant to say offshoring.




J

No problems at all on my part, we be good. As you may have seen in a recent post, we may have found why the OP has had RedTop issues in the past, wrong application. At least that is a logical explanation once he told us about the stereo upgrade. However, I would love to help him figure out this battery drain he has now. It may be tough though without having the vehicle where I can put my hands and meter on it.
Bill Howell
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.

 

[SwaintaN]

currently no stereo upgrades at all... just a non stock cd player