photo2001 Posted December 10, 2006 Author Share Posted December 10, 2006 Just checking out Optima batteries. I think i'm going to get one at sears. Expensive, but what are credit cards for? I can't do any other fixes right now. I'm going to leave the alarm off too. Come to think of it, every car I've owned, the alarm eventually caused problems. Even when I was driving every day. Thanks, great suggestions! ps: not using the roof rack for anything...thinking giant solar panel, might even get the old Forester airborne! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photo2001 Posted December 10, 2006 Author Share Posted December 10, 2006 Re: Optima batteries. Do these require custom installation? I read somewhere that one type requires drilling a hole in the battery tray for a bolt and a special hold-down? Anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 Nothing special required for an Optima battery. Just tell Sears you want the biggest, meanest one they can cram in there. You might also consider the battery terminal quick disconnect so (if you are able) you can disconnect the battery when the vehicle will sit for long periods of time. The Optima red top is a starting battery; just like any other such battery if it goes dead or into deep drain often it will have a short lifetime. The Optima yellow top is a deep cycle battery. You can completely discharge this battery without having an adverse impact on it's lifetime. The Optima blue top (marine) is also deep cycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 There is another solution. there is a anti-battery drain electronic switch. it goes between the battery and the terminal. Once the battery drops to specific point, it cuts the power to the system. When it senses a huge load (ie starting the car) it automatically resets. The downside is loosing any radio presets. http://www.prioritystart.com/ I have a problem with the cigerette lighter as charger things. battery cable is a 2 gauge i think . the cigar lighter is 16 gauge. 16 gauge can not hold that current. It may work depending upon how low your battery goes. With the remote starter, is it possible for you just to get out of the house once a week to start the car? Some cars are worse, and can drain themselves down in 2 weeks. nipper good find! Carl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger83 Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 We're going to try the solar charger on our truck. Costco seems to have the best prices on AGM batteries. BTW, a friend of mine in Alaska had the same problem (only sometimes it was overnight!) and resorted to buying a spare battery, which he would lug out in the morning to start his truck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photo2001 Posted December 12, 2006 Author Share Posted December 12, 2006 Ok, the closest Sears just has offers the red-top Optima battery. They would have to order it. The local PepBoys has the red and yellow in stock. The yellow-top is $190 + $6 installation, (used to be able to do all this stuff myself). My understanding is the yellow-top is the way to go. That's my plan. One question, I saw a device on Pepboys website called a 'battery minder', but no description. Is this like the device someone mentioned earlier? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Ok, the closest Sears just has offers the red-top Optima battery.They would have to order it. The local PepBoys has the red and yellow in stock. The yellow-top is $190 + $6 installation, (used to be able to do all this stuff myself). My understanding is the yellow-top is the way to go. That's my plan. One question, I saw a device on Pepboys website called a 'battery minder', but no description. Is this like the device someone mentioned earlier? oops my mistake no its not. Youll do best with the one i showed you before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 The yellow top will hold up better to deep or total discharges. It may take longer to go dead from sitting than your current battery. However, it will still go dead if it is not getting sufficient recharge such as from the alternator or solar charger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montana105 Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 From what i understand about the battery minders is that you have to have power to it all the time ( extension cord) which may be a big reason why a few people have suggested solar charging for you.The battery minder compensates for any draw off of power during extended periods of non use of the vehicle as you described,many boaters and RV's use them up here during the winter,it's a trickle charger that senses when voltage has dropped to a certain level and then builds it back up. By the way,with your disability,has any modifications been made to the vehicle that would require voltage drain? John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photo2001 Posted December 12, 2006 Author Share Posted December 12, 2006 From what i understand about the battery minders is that you have to have power to it all the time ( extension cord) which may be a big reason why a few people have suggested solar charging for you.The battery minder compensates for any draw off of power during extended periods of non use of the vehicle as you described,many boaters and RV's use them up here during the winter,it's a trickle charger that senses when voltage has dropped to a certain level and then builds it back up. By the way,with your disability,has any modifications been made to the vehicle that would require voltage drain?John Nope, no mods. I did have a moonroof installed by the dealer when I got the Forester (in 1999), but nothing else. I am able to drive without problems. It's getting to and from the car that's difficult. As I mentioned before, no handicapped access in this 50 year old building. What I didn't mention is that the door-persons used to help me and others in and out of the building. Then, last year, the board of the condo ruled that only visually-impaired people would be assisted, for insurance reasons. I then found out that this is discriminatory and against federal fair-housing laws. I have written to a senator from my state, and he wrote to the President of the fair-housing association, who called me and said he would write a letter to the condo board whenever I'm ready. (there are SOME decent politicians!) I did write a letter to the board myself months ago, not threatening, just asking for the same assistance they provide to other disabled tenants. They blew me off-no reply. I haven't felt well enough to pursue this further..but I will. FILE THIS MESSAGE UNDER: "TOO MUCH INFORMATION" LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montana105 Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 Although I'm no expert, I think any and all info you can give helps diagnose. As I mentioned in an earlier post a remote starter or a couple of bucks to an honest neighbor kid might be your best choice,there are still some decent kids out there who won't take off with your car and would appreciate the extra money in their pocket. My mom is my only parent alive now and lives on her own,goes to the grocery store once a month and relies on neighbor kids to do the rest,she won't have it any other way.Once a month I drive 900 miles to take care of things she or they can't,which can build up,and to balance her checkbook,I understand your situation. BTW she drives an all original 1965 Ford Mustang with original clutch,not an easy task for a 65 year old woman,my parents bought it new. Guess my age? I like info..... John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photo2001 Posted December 13, 2006 Author Share Posted December 13, 2006 Although I'm no expert, I think any and all info you can give helps diagnose. AsI mentioned in an earlier post a remote starter or a couple of bucks to an honest neighbor kid might be your best choice,there are still some decent kids out there who won't take off with your car and would appreciate the extra money in their pocket. My mom is my only parent alive now and lives on her own,goes to the grocery store once a month and relies on neighbor kids to do the rest,she won't have it any other way.Once a month I drive 900 miles to take care of things she or they can't,which can build up,and to balance her checkbook,I understand your situation. BTW she drives an all original 1965 Ford Mustang with original clutch,not an easy task for a 65 year old woman,my parents bought it new. Guess my age? I like info..... John Thanks again for the recommendations. I'm going to try the Optima battery/keep the car alarm off route for now. I can't guess your age, but in my opinion, you are to be commended for helping your Mom out as you do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 Thanks again for the recommendations. I'm going to try the Optima battery/keep the car alarm off route for now. I can't guess your age, but in my opinion, you are to be commended for helping your Mom out as you do. i'm sure you want a solution and given your situation i don't blame you a bit for buying a better battery, but... until you know what is causing the battery drain you may end up with a dead , expensive, and yet still rechargable battery. i would see if leaving the alarm off allows the battery to last any longer before i bought the new battery. you can always go buy one. but what if it diesn't correct the problem. just my .02 worth. i would think a battery disconnect would be best. a switch inside. a relay under the hood with a switch inside would be better. and unless the starter is causing the drain, you don't need to disconnect it. just the power going to the fuse boxes. i'd be willing to bet that something like a 50amp 120V circuit breaker would do the trick. (and with the battery disconnected no one can drive/steal it.) maybe a device that plugs in like a fuse, has a diconnect and a fuse. that would allow you to isolate the problem by moving it around from fuse to fuse. but since you are limited in what you can do yourself, good luck with the battery. hopefully it will give you the more time inbetween starts that you need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 Maybe a mech. could use an ammeter to measure resting current from the battery with alarm on and off. Perhaps there is a 'standard' amount that should be and if you have a parasitic drain it would show. If not, then increased capacity, remote charging or that drain prevention device would seem to be the only options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 There is a std parasitic amount of drain on a battery. But with computers, its normal for the battery to go dead in a month. a Top end car will do it in 2 weeks. Technically there is nothing wrong with the car, aside from it sitting too much. Remeber its not just the alarm. Its also the radio memory, the TCU and the ECU. nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setright Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 When we take delivery of brand new cars at the dealership I work part-time for, there's a fuse or two to install in the engine room before the car will run. These are left out by the factory to avoid batteries draining on the ship from Japan. Sounds like you should wire in a switch to kill the auxlillary power during parking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 When we take delivery of brand new cars at the dealership I work part-time for, there's a fuse or two to install in the engine room before the car will run. These are left out by the factory to avoid batteries draining on the ship from Japan. Sounds like you should wire in a switch to kill the auxlillary power during parking. maybe you could ask or check which ones they are. knowing which to isolate would help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 maybe you could ask or check which ones they are. knowing which to isolate would help. Depending upon his handicap, it would be just easier to get the battery isolater and put it in. I can tell from my bad back its not easy to just wire in a switch. I dont think its easy for somone over a x age with a good back. Passing wires through the firewall is not easy (glad i did all mine at once). nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photo2001 Posted December 30, 2006 Author Share Posted December 30, 2006 Just looked on Optima's website, and there is no match of a battery for am 2000 Forester with A/T? http://www.optimabatteries.com/publish/optima/americas0/en/config/battery_search/battery_search.html What's up with that? Even the local PepBoys gave me a vague answer when I called them. Said they'd have to see the battery in my car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 Yah I think Optima doesn't make the exact group size for Subaru. But if you know the measurements you can go with I think it is group 34. It's a little longer but I'm pretty sure it'll fit. I bought it but didn't install it yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setright Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 The battery posts aren't all the same size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 The battery posts aren't all the same size.Doh! I guess I might be in for a surpise when I try to install that Optima then. I've just been carrying it as a spare for the last two years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 Doh! I guess I might be in for a surpise when I try to install that Optima then. I've just been carrying it as a spare for the last two years. you better install it, i think cthose cthings have a shelf life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 you better install it, i think cthose cthings have a shelf life.Dude I think you're right. I keep it's charge topped off every couple months. I'm starting to notice slower cranking with my existing battery of unknown age so maybe this is the time to put this sweet yellow top into service! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photo2001 Posted December 31, 2006 Author Share Posted December 31, 2006 Any other companies make deep discharge type batteries? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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