Battery Questions (problems), It's Dead Options

[smooth_eddy]

My Optima 34R battery only lasted for 5 1/2 years. I only drive about 1000 miles a year, which may be part of my problems? Anyway, last month I bought a Battery Tender Jr. which will charge the battery, but within one day, the battery looses it's charge. I check battery voltage with a Fluke meter and a it reads 12.34 volts at rest, and 13 volts at 1100 RPM. So I assume this is a good charging voltage?

I have been researching batteries online and have seen many poor reviews for the Optima batteries. Is there a better battery for 914's? Where is the best place to buy a new battery?

Thanks.....

[Dave_Darling]

I check battery voltage with a Fluke meter and a it reads 12.34 volts at rest, and 13 volts at 1100 RPM. So I assume this is a good charging voltage?

If that's across the battery posts themselves, it's a bit on the low side. A fully charged battery should be reading something like 12.65V with nothing hooked up to it. At idle, you should see at least that much, and at 2000 RPM you should be seeing about 14V. I'd be worried about the 12.34V...

--DD

[pbanders]

I check battery voltage with a Fluke meter and a it reads 12.34 volts at rest, and 13 volts at 1100 RPM. So I assume this is a good charging voltage?

If that's across the battery posts themselves, it's a bit on the low side. A fully charged battery should be reading something like 12.65V with nothing hooked up to it. At idle, you should see at least that much, and at 2000 RPM you should be seeing about 14V. I'd be worried about the 12.34V...

--DD

I'm not sure what the Optima batteries are supposed to read, but for a lead-acid battery, 12.34 V would correspond to a battery at only about 50% of full charge. See:

http://www.ratwell.com/technical/ChargingSystem.html

A fully charged lead-acid battery will read 12.75 V after you remove the surface charge (i.e. turn lights on for 15 minutes while sitting off, turn lights off, then measure the battery voltage). Anything less than this indicates the battery is at less than 100% charge state.