Battery Replacement

Don't use a bungee cord as a battery hold-down! Not to mention your Jeep wouldn't pass a safety inspection like before a 4x4 event or an official state inspection with one.
OK. Sounds like I'm considering something that isn't a good idea. Can you tell me why? Is it because the bungee won't hold the battery in a rollover?
 
Had a bungee holding my battery when I hit a big bump in the road from frost heave. Battery jumped up and shorted out on the hood. The arc burned a hole through the top of the hood. Wasn't a TJ, but you could have something similar and blow your whole harness and computers. Strap those batteries down good and tught!
 
From a previous battery thread discussing AGM batteries:




If you are looking for a conventional flooded lead acid battery it is hard to beat the 800 CCA Interstate Group 34 battery from Costco (Item # 850241). It is exactly the same as the Interstate MTP-34 but costs substantially less and is covered by a Costco 42 month "no questions asked" full replacement warranty.

X2.
 
A couple of years ago I bought a new Interstate battery before taking a trip. While cleaning up the Jeep after I got back home I found that a nice sized part of the large black plastic wire loom between the battery and the fire wall had been dissolved by battery acid. The battery has two large rectangular vented caps set flush in top. One of the recessed areas has a drain notch that lined nicely with my looming. All the trail jostling had splashed a bit of acid out of vents.
Its a great battery that is now in a tractor. I bought an AGM to replace it.
 
I always used optima's, never, ever an issue, and a great warranty too. I wouldn't hesitate for one minute to replace my jeep battery when it dies with an optima.
 
Had a bungee holding my battery when I hit a big bump in the road from frost heave. Battery jumped up and shorted out on the hood. The arc burned a hole through the top of the hood. Wasn't a TJ, but you could have something similar and blow your whole harness and computers. Strap those batteries down good and tught!

You can get these very nice hold down frames that wrap completely around the battery. That is what I use. Previously there was just a single plastic clamp at the base of my battery and I was worried it would break loose.

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I always used optima's, never, ever an issue, and a great warranty too. I wouldn't hesitate for one minute to replace my jeep battery when it dies with an optima.
I bought an Optima. The first one lasted a month and left me stranded in a parking lot. The second one, we are on a month and I had to leave the state for an emergency. Gone 10 days. When I returned the Jeep would barely turn over. I’m now looking at trying to return it and get my money back to buy absolutely anything at all different. The Optima name is totally dead in my eyes. Overinflated price for an underperforming battery. Terrible.
 
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I always used optima's, never, ever an issue, and a great warranty too. I wouldn't hesitate for one minute to replace my jeep battery when it dies with an optima.
Optima's formerly superb reputation is only still alive in its advertisements and with those who don't know better. They were a great battery until their manufacturing was moved to Mexico right after they were purchased by Johnson Controls. That's when their quality took a sudden and dramatic nosedive, even Costco stopped selling them due to all the returns.

It got so bad for Optima afterwards that they started sending Optima "ambassadors" out to the various automotive forums to try to counteract all the bad posts that were popping up about Optima. "Optima Dave", "Optima Jim", etc. were their forum names and they eventually had to give up.

I personally had three (!) Optima batteries fail prematurely, two 34/78 Yellow Tops and one D34M Blue Top. Most Jeepers wrote off Optima years ago. My last Jeep battery, a Diehard Platinum AGM made by Odyssey, lasted ten years.

Not to mention you don't get as much battery with an Optima when compared to other AGM batteries due to their round cell design. Here's a good illustration of that. Don't believe me? Compare the weights of a Group 34 Optima (38.8 lbs) vs. a Group 34 of another AGM battery like a Northstar (50 lbs.), the Optima weighs 11 lbs. less. It's easy to see why when comparing Optima's design to others.

Optima's design is on the right, other AGM battery designs are on the left.

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Champion batteries. Anyone know of those? Apparently it’s all Pep Boys sells that fits the Jeep. If I go back, they may only give me the option of a swap.
 
Champion batteries. Anyone know of those? Apparently it’s all Pep Boys sells that fits the Jeep. If I go back, they may only give me the option of a swap.
Champion is made for them by Johnson Controls. It's a traditional AGM design, I'd take one of those over an Optima.
 
The 1" taller form factor is an issue. The battery slid right in (so length and width are fine) but the factory battery hold down now pushes into the wiring harness. I'm either going to HF and buy a rubber bungee to hold it down or I will create a new hold down that doesn't have this issue. AGM batteries don't sweat battery acid so I think the bungee will work fine.

In any case, I'm happy with the battery.

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Huh. I didn’t have any problem with the hold down. My battery touches the wiring harnesses for the PCM, but they’re very flexible at that height and there’s not any significant pressure.

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Where exactly are you having the issue?

Edit: do early TJs not have the wedge hold down? Or is it an over the battery hold down?
 
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Thank you. I’ve had it since 12/5, the guy replaced the other battery I bought on 11/1 with a new receipt so it looks like a new purchase. So, I’m going to try for a full refund. We will see. I tried it first thing this morning, it was a slow turnover but did start. I had used the Jeep yesterday. I want dependability, that’s primary. I’ve never driven around with jumper cables before as I am now.
 
I spoke to the manager at PepBoys. No way no how am I getting money back on the Optima. He said I can swap to a different brand they sell. Bosch or Champion. Both 48 month warranty batteries. He says if I choose the Bosch and anything goes wrong with it, it will most likely be replaced with a Champion. They are phasing out Bosch because apparently the owners of PepBoys also own Champion. I’m still sticking with AGM regardless of what I do.