Battery voltage, What should my Optima Red Top read? Options

[bbrown]

The battery was out of the car and on a trickle charger. Put it in and tried to start the car and it was down to 10+ on the console voltmeter, everything worked, fuel pump, gauges, lights, radio put not enough to turn the starter over. Went to sears and bought a new sears battery that looked like it had been sitting on the shelf a long time(really dusty) it read 12.2 at sears and it would not start the car. I'm running 44webers, webcam, euro pistons and so on. Last year I put in a new starter and ignition switch (which looked just like the picture on the bird site, cracked and leaking). I haven't run the car since early December, it ran fine and was put away, topped off with an added dose of fuel fresh. The battery is about 8 or 9 years old. Is the way to go an Oddessy that has more power? Unfortunately this car sits for way too long between times of it being on the road.

Your opinions, please.

[ConeDodger]

12.2 should spin her up and probably start her. Check your connections and grounds.

[Dave_Darling]

The console gauge is there for entertainment only. Get a real voltmeter and read directly across the battery terminals. Any fully-charged "12 volt" car battery should read about 12.6V. More than that is usually a "surface charge" that will bleed off on its own. Less than that is a battery that is not fully charged. Less than 12V usually means one or more dead cells.

Do you have a charger? You can hook it up to one or the other battery and let it go overnight, then see if it will turn over the starter. But I agree with Rob, chances are pretty good that you have some high-resistance (dirty or corroded) connections in the starter circuit.

--DD