Help with Optima battery

waynep · October 3, 2001

Hey everyone,

I was wondering if anyone has advise on which Optima battery is best, and which will fit in a '99 Silverado? I went out to go to work this morning, and nothing - the f-$@* @*%&* #*$@!! battery is cracked! There's a puddle of acid all over the floor!

Thanks Delco! Apparently it's impossible to build a battery that lasts three years?

Anyway, if you know which Optima is the right one, please let me know.

Thanks,

Wayne

LarryE · October 3, 2001

the red top optima is the one you want for cold cranking power, the yellow top is dry cell and better left for stereo, air bags, and dual battery setups.

BIG BLUE · October 3, 2001

waynep,

I would agee with LarryE, the Red Top should be fine for your needs (unless your running many "extra" accessories like stereo amps then I'd suggest the yellow top). I just put an Optima Red Top (model 34/78) in my wife's 97 Suburban. Changed from the original "leaking" Delco. I checked around and best price I could find was $110 and so far has been well worth it.

A word of warning--if you experienced the infamous leaking Delco problem that so many have had, then you must inspect the pos and neg cables for corrosion. I'll bet a dollar to a donut that if you take side cutters and cut back that red/positive boot, you will find that the corrosion has already snaked it's way down the cable. This will eventually wreak havoc on the starter if not taken care of. If you want further info on the fix then let me know.

Good Luck,

BIG BLUE

MountaineerTom · October 3, 2001

Quote from BIG BLUE, posted on Oct. 03 2001,4:40

A word of warning--if you experienced the infamous leaking Delco problem that so many have had, then you must inspect the pos and neg cables for corrosion. I'll bet a dollar to a donut that if you take side cutters and cut back that red/positive boot, you will find that the corrosion has already snaked it's way down the cable. This will eventually wreak havoc on the starter if not taken care of. If you want further info on the fix then let me know.

Good Luck,

BIG BLUE

Big Blue,

Maybe you could add that info in the Hints, Tips, and Tricks section. Hints, Tips, and Tricks

Sounds like some good info.

waynep · October 5, 2001

Thanks everyone.

Two years ago, the positive terminal in my Impala SS cracked, and rusted everything underneath. What a mess. And now, the same exact thing with the truck - positive terminal broken, on a 2.5 year old battery. Amazing.

I had to call around because no one in town stocks ANY Optima batteries, but the Interstate distributor had some available. My truck is basically stock, so I got two red tops, one for the truck and one for the 'Vette. It is absolutely ridiculous that I should have to replace the battery in a 7-month-old Corvette, but I am NOT going to have that POS Delco leak all over a third car.

In the truck, based on the damage I found, this can't have been going on for very long. But it happened FAST, as there was a 1 foot by 3 foot puddle of acid on the floor of the garage by the time I got home from work. Luckily, some engineer on the Truck platform must have realized they would have to put a Delco in there, because almost everything underneath the battery is plastic. It's like they knew what was going to happen - they even wrapped the battery in foam rubber, for crying out loud – to soak up the leaking acid?!!. I got a new battery tray for about 10 bucks, and cleaned up all the bolts real well. The positive cable looked pretty good – only the first few threads were corroded, and the face of the cable was clean as a whistle, as was the whole negative cable.

I’d like to think that Delco or Chevy or GM would do something for me on this deal, but that’s about as likely as Delco actually producing a battery that lasts through the warranty period. Best to just get on with my life…

Thanks again for your help!

Wayne