This of a battery as a bathtub - you can fill it faster with a fire hydrant hose or slower with a garden hose. If you use up a lot of the battery's reserve (winching for ex), you can still top it off on the way home! A larger capacity battery will simply take longer to top off.
Odyssey vs. Diehard Platinum
- Thread starter adventureduo
- Start date
This of a battery as a bathtub - you can fill it faster with a fire hydrant hose or slower with a garden hose. If you use up a lot of the battery's reserve (winching for ex), you can still top it off on the way home! A larger capacity battery will simply take longer to top off.
teotwaki
Excelsior!
Example: Heavy winching may deplete the battery much much faster than your ability to recharge the battery in time for the next use of the winch.
My question was meant to point out that you have to consider the whole electrical system when making any changes. You may not be able to wait for the long drive home to very slowly recharge your battery.
Ah yes, you're correct. You do have to consider the whole electrical system. My general rule agrees with one of the previous poster: get the biggest battery you can fit in the tray. Regardless of how large or small the alternator puts out, you'll have plenty of reserve left to start up and go home with a large capacity batter. This can be achieved with a single or dual battery system.
Cheers.
Cheers.
devinsixtyseven
Explorer
Some notes...
"Marine" use and deep cycling...95% vs 80% vs 50% and internal construction explained a bit
Quick Odyssey spec sheet
Also note regarding the Odyssey batteries, they'll take a huge current inrush, but with a maximum voltage. Over that voltage and they're effectively ruined. IIRC it's 15V (I could be wrong, please check rather than assume I'm right!), which is why the Odyssey-specific chargers are fixed-voltage and they don't recommend using a regular charging setup. There's a post over on either TS or TTORA where a guy used a standard charger which put out a few tenths over 15V and ruined a new battery.
The extra $ for an Odyssey vs DH Platinum appears to be dependent on model--threaded brass terminals, metal jacket, different handles, form factor. For the 1500 (which does not have a jacket option), the DH certainly does look to be the better buy. They are both made in Missouri.
The jacket appears to be a tight-fitting sheetmetal shroud around the sides of the battery, glued in place, and gives the battery a very uniform shape...even easier to mount than it already was.
That's all I can tell looking at the one I have. The person I've been trying to talk to @ EnerSys is hard to reach
.
-Sean
"Marine" use and deep cycling...95% vs 80% vs 50% and internal construction explained a bit
Quick Odyssey spec sheet
Also note regarding the Odyssey batteries, they'll take a huge current inrush, but with a maximum voltage. Over that voltage and they're effectively ruined. IIRC it's 15V (I could be wrong, please check rather than assume I'm right!), which is why the Odyssey-specific chargers are fixed-voltage and they don't recommend using a regular charging setup. There's a post over on either TS or TTORA where a guy used a standard charger which put out a few tenths over 15V and ruined a new battery.
The extra $ for an Odyssey vs DH Platinum appears to be dependent on model--threaded brass terminals, metal jacket, different handles, form factor. For the 1500 (which does not have a jacket option), the DH certainly does look to be the better buy. They are both made in Missouri.
The jacket appears to be a tight-fitting sheetmetal shroud around the sides of the battery, glued in place, and gives the battery a very uniform shape...even easier to mount than it already was.
That's all I can tell looking at the one I have. The person I've been trying to talk to @ EnerSys is hard to reach
.-Sean
teotwaki
Excelsior!
There is one DieHard model from the Marine series that is roughly 1100 CCA but it weighs 75 pounds! It was also another $50 US and physically wider.
teotwaki
Excelsior!
Yes, but a little more on that answer!
Odyssey batteries are "dry" cells only in the sense that they do not have liquid acid sloshing around. They are all of the AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) variety.
ExpoMike
Well-known member
Well, I still need to check things out but it is seriously looking like my Platinum battery might not be holding a charge. It is coming up on 1 year old and on our Death Valley trip we had one start that I wasn't sure it was going to crank. It did start on the second try but was a slow crank at that. The rest of the trip it worked but I was worried about things. At first I thought it might be the starter going bad but now I am thinking a battery.
Yesterday we went to drive the Jeep and it almost did not crank over at all. I noticed at rest the battery was showing on the gauge about 12v. When I crank it would drop to about 9v which is definitely a problem. It finally cranked and started on the second try.
I am going to do more tests this week but just throwing out a heads up. If it is the battery, I will give Sears one chance with a replacement. If I have problems with it, it will be returned and I will go with something else.
More to follow later.
Yesterday we went to drive the Jeep and it almost did not crank over at all. I noticed at rest the battery was showing on the gauge about 12v. When I crank it would drop to about 9v which is definitely a problem. It finally cranked and started on the second try.
I am going to do more tests this week but just throwing out a heads up. If it is the battery, I will give Sears one chance with a replacement. If I have problems with it, it will be returned and I will go with something else.
More to follow later.
Sorry to hear that Mike. Do you have a charger that can handle a gell battery? Normal chargers will not work on these batteries due to the low internal resistance. If not, maybe your local Sears can analyze it for you and then do a complete charge on their fancy machine. The warranty is pretty killer on these batteries so I wouldn't think Sears would have any issues with replacing it, once they find the problem themselves.
goodtimes
Expedition Poseur
I'd have it tested by either Sears, or a auto parts store (most of them will load test it for free -- including the initial charge if it needs it). Just gotta drop it off and give them time to charge it.
It's much easier than trying to figure out a testing protocal of your own.
It's much easier than trying to figure out a testing protocal of your own.
ExpoMike
Well-known member
My question would be why would I need any charger? If my altenator is working correctly (which I will verify) and I have driven long enough to charge a good battery, why should I need to have any external charger at all?
The Jeep sat for a week after being driven 6 hours with one stop for fuel. Earlier that day it had more than 5 hours of run time. I would think it was well charged with 11 hours of run time over a 14 hour time frame.
I am worried this is going to be another Optima scenario. Promises of a good battery but without the backing of it. I am curious how many others with the Platinum have had them 1 year or longer?
I do need to verify it is not a starter or alt. going out (which seems less likely now then a week ago). I need a battery that I KNOW is going to start each and every time, unless I do something stupid like leaving the lights on. A great warranty means nothing when you are 50 miles into the middle of nowhere, no cell service and AAA just laughs when you give them GPS cords, assuming you can even contact them. I don't mind replacing a battery every 4 years regardless of condition, just so I know I won't have a failure but it seems that I get about a year out of one before it becomes questionable. Not a good feeling when you leave for a trip.
I think if this is replaced and I have problem with a second one, it will go back and I will look at a Deka brand next.
ExpoMike
Well-known member
Difference is, I trust me, I don't trust them. I have been working on cars longer than some of those yo-yo's have even been alive. Plus, they are testing the battery only, I want to make sure my alt. and starter are tip-top and not a cause of a problem. I also want to make sure I don't have some "dark current" draining things. I'll make sure my end is up to snuff and then let them do "their thing". :ylsmoke:
