deep cycle is dead

First and foremost, happy new year gents!! i wish you and your families all the best!.

So during the holidays i was driving my car around running some last min errands, everything was working fine.. i turned my car off went inside and as soon as i came out i tried to start the car, and nothing.

the gauges would light up but every time i tried to crank it over it they would dim and fade out.

i drive a 95 civic, i have an optima yellow top deep cycle battery, 160A alternator and a voltage stabilizer for my battery. i also have a full stereo system 1500W 4 chan amp with 3farad caps in parallel for my highs, and an 800W for my sub & the Big 3's have been upgraded to 4gauge.

at first i thought i had a bad ground or a bad connection some where.. after fiddling around with my multimeter i getting no where. i decided to get a load test done on my battery.

i charged the battery, and brought it in for testing.. within less than 2 min they told me the cells cant hold their charge and the battery is toast.

so now im faced with a decision..

do i get another optima yellow top deep cycle battery? or do i branch off to an optima red top deep cycle battery? or just a regular battery?

has anyone experienced or have any knowledge which they care to share on the optima yellow and red top deep cycle batteries?

or any useful information that could aid me in my quest for a new battery for my current setup. lol

or any suggestions?

any help would be greatly appreciated! thanks guys !

Sorry, but LOL time a very big number.

You are using ONLY an Optima yellow? IE - not an ordinary cranker and the yellow as a 2nd battey?
Deep Cycle batteries ARE NOT cranking batteries.


Secondly, it is an Optima. From anecdotal and other experience, try a Kinetic instead, or a Deka.
If you reckon the Optima should not have failed, claim under warranty - not that it will do any good. The only time I have heard of Optima offering to provide a free replacement was an Optima that lasted 13 years. But that is so amazingly rare that Optima could afford to do that.


I would question why the heck you are using a AGM as your main battery.

first off im glad one of us smiling about this ;) lol


now how can you say a deep cycle is not a cranking battery? when its CCA are high? i am aware that a yellow top is supposed to be used as a secondary battery but i can still be a primary one if need be.

This is some info that ive gathered;

Red top is for starting.

High voltage, short duration “bursts” of power when cranking the motor
Put another way: Big-time cranking amps with only a little discharge because the motors starts and the alternator quickly takes over

Yellow top is dual purpose.

Purpose #1: Starting, like the red top
Purpose #2: Continuous or long periods of high demand, high power usage
Put another way: Crank it, over power your alternator, drain it, then let your charging system catch up. Repeat. This up-down, repeated cycling is what yellow tops are made for.

Finally, the most general rule:
If you’re running anything on your ride that needs power, especially when the engine is off, that wasn’t there when it was built, you need a yellow top. For example:
Air compressors for air bags, air horns or whatever
Stereos with big amps or multiple “pump My Ride” style 20 inch LCD monitors in the trunk
Winch or off-road lighting (or gasp, underbody neon like my PT Cruiser buddies)
Games systems, DVD players or some alarms

deep cycles are not meant to be continuously charged. they are meant to be drained then charged. hence the name deep cycle.

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ac delco am radio and sparkomatic 40 watt sound exploder

Now heres a question boys.. I went outside today and measured the voltage across the yellow top(its been sitting for 2days after i charged it and brought it in for testing) and the reading was 12.4V.   Now im assuming under load that the voltage will drop, i was thinking of putting this battery in my trunk just for my system. And just gef a regular battery for under the hood. Good idea? Yes? No?

no, that battery isnt in good shape if its fully charged with only 12.4 volts.

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ac delco am radio and sparkomatic 40 watt sound exploder

I ran only a yellow top in my '94 Cavalier for 3+ years before selling the car with the battery still working perfect - never a day of trouble out of it.

I now have a red top in my '04 G35 coupe and I replace it (under warranty) every year. I am on my 3rd red top and they replaced the first two with no questions asked.

So, in my personal experience, if you are going to buy an optima for a car buy a yellow top. But, if you have other options go that route.

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Kevin Pierson

italian_virus wrote:

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now how can you say a deep cycle is not a cranking battery? when its CCA are high?

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That demonstrates the difference in experience & understanding we have.
I have said it enough times; and you are the one saying it is dead.
Maybe BatteryFAQ can explain better than I have in other posts & elsewhere.


If you haven't overcharged it (as in over-voltage) nor excessively strained or discharged it, then it should be ok, else it is a faultu battery in which case Optima will obviously replace in accordance with their warranty conditions.
The Optima Yellow info I have states that their OC voltage should be 13.1V, hence if yours is 12.4V (after standing 24 hours - ie, surface charge removed), then it is at about 50% capacity.
FYI - 50% discharge is what most recommend as the max discharge for deep cycle batteries for reasonable life.

ALL AGMs have HIGH "cranking" currents - that is by virtue of their internal resistance being about half that of wet cells (for the same capacity).
There are not many AGM manufacturers that quote CCA or CA currents.


I apologise for laughing - it is my way of coping when I see responsible people fall for the same problem time & time again. It is even more tragic when more money than usual is involved.

well thank you for your input it is much appreciated !
ive decided to go with the yellow top again, so we will see what comes of it.

Thanks for everyones input, it is much appreciated !

I assume you got your answer elsewhere.
I thought you'd go for a standard battery unless you had some reason for an AGM (else a standard plus AGM as a 2nd battery).


I liked KP's 12 month warranty replacement. To me that sums up their reliability - unacceptable. But at least their warranty is honored - it doesn't seem to here (not that I have managed to ascertain causes etc).


Incidentally, yesterday I saw a D31A yellow top for $549 locally. I think I prefer my intended 100AH 800CCA wet cell deep-cycle for $220. If I needed AGM, I'd try Deka, else Yuasa UXH ~100AH for about the same price as the D31A. (Despite UXH being for UPS, my 10 year old UXH38AH (retired from UPS after 5 years) are doing well in my car, and my brother's van (which has a standard starter-motor; mine is a reduction type).

The main reason for my purchase was because of a deal i was able to get.

One thing i noticed since ive changed the battery is that after the car idels the voltage drops after some time. At one point i noticed that it was at 11.1v! Until i reved the motor then it jumped to 14.3v and stayed there.

My belt on my alternator is a little loose( i know bc i get a little squeel sometimes when i start my car). so i dont think its fully charging the battery at idle.

It may be your regulator takes a kick to start (a slight rev). This is noticeable on some older electronic regulators - especially external types.


Tighten or replace you fan belt before it breaks. It may cause engine overheating (waterpump slip) and flatteries in the meantime (hence voiding Optima warranty).

Not that it should be as low as 11.2V except during cranking etc. But maybe the voltmeter is measuring the dash or IGN and not the battery. But hopefully not the Optima(s) - though being stuffed would explain the good deal/price.

I used to sell Optima batteries.........I don't anymore, because all I ever did was warranty them. They are junk batteries, period. If you are the kind of person that is gonna beat, abuse and neglect you battery, and lets face it, most people do.......just puschase a Deka, standard lead-acid battery, the biggest one you can fit, and be done with it. You will get the 3-4 years that can be expected from any abused, overworked, and neglected battery, and possibly even a year or 2 more. And with the money you save on the price difference between it and an AGM, why would you ever do any different?

I too have been needing to get a new battery and was thinking of the optima....thought they were one of the better around!  I'm thinking not after reading this....

I am needing just the #1 main battery...I don't have a 2nd at this point. I think everyone knows WalMart is junk, Napa is right with them...crap....what about AutoZone Duralast Gold?  Or I have a friend that said the O Reillys batteries were great.  Said his was pushing 2.5 yrs old with no problems...not sure what their brand is....

Anywhere else?  I personally love Interstate batteries....but I don't have a local dealer....

UPDATE: I spoke with my fire chief this morning....I knew there was someone he used for batteries and I thought might have been Interstate...I was wrong, they are Exide.  We have never had any problems and they have great warranty...not to mention I got a good price!  $30 cheaper than anyone else for the big battery!  I'll give exide a try....they have been around for awhile and seem to have a good product....

paul h wrote:

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... his was pushing 2.5 yrs old with no problems..

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Eh? I just retired my normal wet lead-acids after EIGHT years, though they were half past dead after 6 years (I then ran dual batteries).

Even in ye olde days I considered under 3 years unacceptable....

As usual, I ask why an AGM especially if it is the main and only battery? As long as people understand the reason(s).
As a second battery, sure - especially if internal, or for low audio ESR etc (even if usually not relevant!).


Deka is recommended down here rather than Optima & Odyssey.
Stateside, Kinetic seems the oft recommended AGM battery.

Having only recently fond the local prices for my Yuasa AGM batteries (UXH38AH - $670), I would get the cheaper UXH100AH (~$550-$600) instead, and certainly that UXH100 or UXH130 rather than a RRP $550 D31A (75AH Optima yellow) even though they are available for $450.