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Old 07-24-2017, 01:43 PM
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cycleguy55 cycleguy55 is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: White City, SK
Cobra Make, Engine: West Coast, 460 CID
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EarlsflyinCobra View Post
I use to swear by Optima batteries but I'm beginning to wonder.....I have a 1966 Shelby AC Cobra kit car that I built from the ground up. It has a 1989 Ford 5.0 motor and a one wire alternator. The first battery I put in it was an Optima Red Top which lasted 10+ years which is pretty good in the Florida heat. I went to Pep-boys and replaced it with a new Red Top when it finally gave up the ghost however that Red Top only lasted about 10 months. When I went back to Pep-Boys they did not have a Red Top in stock so they gave me a Yellow Top for the same price. That Yellow top only lasted about 10 months so they replaced it with another Yellow Top and guess what, YEP, about 10 months. The current Yellow Top just bit the dust after 7 months. And yes, we have checked the car for parasitic drains, bad grounds, etc., etc., and nothing was found. The drain on the battery was found to be about 8 ma, well below what should cause a battery to drain. So, anyone else had this kind of problem???????
Lots of similar experiences, according to this thread: https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forum...Number=2886948

Interesting that you posted this - I had my Yellow Top die on me about 3 weeks ago. It was in the car when I bought it, so I'm not exactly sure how old it is, but I was experiencing greater and greater difficulties with hot starts. I didn't attribute it to the battery due to the fact I had no problems whatsoever with cold starts. When it died I noticed the voltmeter was showing 11 volts and it wouldn't crank.
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