[Amc-list] Battery

[Wrambler242@xxxxxxxxxxx]

I thought I'd mention I saved or seem to have saved my Optima battery in the American!
I was thinking it was finally dieing being 8+ years old.
Then I got to reading about them and what it takes to resurrect an older one that seems to be failing.
What I found was a suggestion that they need to be heavily charged till they maintain 12.95 volts at rest.
The suggestion was to charge it at 100 amps and not exceed 15.9 volts or so when charging. perferably charging two batteries at a time. Like I have two!
Well I could not get my 40 amp charger to not exceed the 15.9 volts with my cheap freebie hand me down Craftsman charger. So I got my old excide 10/2 charger out and hooked it up at the 10 amp setting.
   Wouldn't you know even it went up to about 16.8 volts at 10 amps!
I tried the 2 amp setting on both chargers and they both went to almost 17 volts to, WTF? 
Anyway, I decided it was not any good to me the way it was so I started my attack on the 10 amp setting.
I charged it for 6-10 hours a day on 10amp, outside. I would shut it off at bedtime.
In the morning I would check the voltage at rest.
 it started out being 12.10 volts.
The second morning it came up to 12.6 at rest. 
The last morning after charging for three days I had about 12.94 volts at rest overnite.
  Three weeks later it is still working fine again. No slow cranking or anything!
Pretty darned good for an 8+ year old battery! I know that age as I found the date code May of 2000 if I read it correctly. I've found reports of them still working fine 10 years old. Also reports of them being junk!
   I'm going to try a maintainer on it before next winter to see if I can get to the 10 year point! :]
   I'm happy, no corrosion or acid spills in 8 years! I have it trunk mounted in a marine strap. No box even! No corrosion at all! none.
   Even if it only lasts a few months or so and dies again, what the heck. I will be buying another. Even thoguh they are pushing a $150 now.
--
Mark Price
Morgantown, WV
1969 AMC Rambler, 4.0L, EFI, T-5
2004 Grand Cherokee Laredo, 4.7L, Quadratrc II
" Chronic Pain Hurts"
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