Did not know that. Figured they all had the wedge.
Good job on the replacement! Pretty much looks factory
Battery Replacement
- Thread starter T_Hase89
- Start date
Good job on the replacement! Pretty much looks factory
TJScott
TJ Enthusiast
Back here to eat a little crow. I had stated I replaced one Optima battery and was facing a second in two months time. Naturally, I was disgusted and shot my mouth off about how bad Optima is. I took my Jeep to a trusted mechanic in the town I used to live in. He said the issue is a bad starter. I didn’t realize a failing starter could exhibit the symptoms I was seeing. I thought they pretty much stopped working when dead. Not that they could draw stupid amounts of current and sound like a dying battery. Which means the original battery was probably good and so was the first Optima. So, although Optima may not be living up to its former reputation in many people minds. My opinions mean naught. I apologize. I hope all things will be right when I get it back tomorrow.
Check out this video. This guy along with this forum is my go to when I want to find out which product is the best.
I wonder how accurate simple battery testers are. I believe they do not actually measure cranking amps but rather calculate an inferred value based upon measurement of other parameters such as internal resistance. So how well does that match a direct measurement, which of course would be much more difficult to perform? I guess for relative measurements between different batteries it doesn’t matter much. Also, his measurement of capacity is pretty basic. An accurate measurement would require a constant current load, but again, for relative measurements it probably doesn’t matter.
It's only been installed for a little over a year. No problems or complaints so far but I wouldn't expect any battery to have a problem this early.
I have had a Northstar in my F150 for 4+ years with zero issues. I run a 370 amp alternator and 3kW RMS stereo in that car, so it's seen a lot of abuse. But no signs of aging. (But I did fry an alternator a while back.)
I've had a Northstar in my TJ for over a year. I did upgrade to a 180 amp alternator, and I have also abused both by maxing out a 12,000 lbs winch (450 amp continuous draw) many times. No signs of aging either.
I haven't had the opportunity to test either below about -15°F or so, but even at that temperature they crank well.