Battery Question

omc-m38a1 · Nov 11, 2008

Installed this yesterday.

http://scott5038.multiply.com/photos/album/1/Winch_bumper_1#3

While trying to find a way to connect the power cables to a GM side post battery. I've heard that you can melt the terminals out of the side of the battery from the high amp draw. Has anyone heard this? :thud:

zukkev · Nov 11, 2008

Never witnessed it, but have heard of it---IMHO, It may simply be that those that have melted their terminals out of sideposts actually had a voltage drop/high resistance issue due to corrosion/bad/loose connections? I never had an issue with my chev's and my 8274 winch...

TigTorch · Nov 11, 2008

Never heard of it but sounds about right.

This is no secret but side terminals are a problem waiting to happen. They will either: corrode, rotate and come loose, cross thread, small 5/16 wrenching flat will round off, be impossible to line up and secure.

Throw that battery in the river and get a top post Optima or better yet a big old group 27 lead acid that has the needed 650/660 CCA that warn says you need. :awesomework:

Wrongway · Nov 12, 2008

I do not recomend using side terminals for winches. The lead link from the top of the battery over to the side is only rated for around 500 amps at best, sometimes when you are pulling very hard on the winch you can exceed 900 amps. The battery will give all it is asked for but the links will start to melt at 500 amps and then it gets real crazey real quick! I managed to do this very thing to an Optima and it was not pretty!

Dave McMains
Branch Manager
Standard Battery Systems
Moses Lake, WA

nevada · Nov 12, 2008

Wrongway said:
I do not recomend using side terminals for winches. The lead link from the top of the battery over to the side is only rated for around 500 amps at best, sometimes when you are pulling very hard on the winch you can exceed 900 amps. The battery will give all it is asked for but the links will start to melt at 500 amps and then it gets real crazey real quick! I managed to do this very thing to an Optima and it was not pretty!

Dave McMains
Branch Manager
Standard Battery Systems
Moses Lake, WA

interesting.
maybe i need to reroute my winch connections.
i cant remember now, but i think ive got my winch connected to the side posts, and EVERYTHING else on the top posts of my optima....:eeek:

Wrongway · Nov 12, 2008

I converted my starter and all to the side post and run the winch and welder off the top post now. I also had to move the Optima with the bad side post to the aux. position and used the other for the side mount! I didnt seem to affect the performance of the battery when the link melted, the top post still works fine. It sure got my attention though!

Dammn fat fingers!

NotMatt · Nov 12, 2008

Wrongway said:
I converted my starter and all to the side post and run the winch and welder off the top post now. I also had to move the Optima with the bad side post to the aux. position and used the other for the side mount! I didnt seem to affect the performance of the battery when the link melted, the top post still works fine. It sure got my attention though!

Dammn fat fingers!

This is exactly how mine is set up as well, minus the welder. Starter and the standard charging system of the rig run off the side posts. Winch and my aux. fuse block run off the top posts.

:awesomework:

CHOP SHOP · Nov 12, 2008

optimas are the shizzy! I luvem!

NOT.:fawkdancesmiley: get a real battery and quit having problems. Optimas are just like a hi maintanence woman, nice to look at, but pretty worthless.:eeek:

now lets hear from all of you that have had ten optimas warrantied tell me how great thier waranty is and you luv replacing them all the time.:cheer:

super samurai · Nov 12, 2008

my napa specials have never let me down.I run 2 at a time!

Grommit327 · Nov 12, 2008

I think you guys are confusing an optima type battery which has the main post on top and side terminals which are connected by a smaller guage wire and the GM battery that he was talking about where the side terminal is the main terminal. I could be talking out my ass though :haha:

Wrongway · Nov 12, 2008

The main terminal on a GM Delco is not any bigger than an Optima, and the nut sert in them corrodes out real easy which promotes resistance which builds heat which melts the lead which.....:eeek: I think the Optima batteries are a pretty good battery, But the best that I have found for this application is the Enersyis Hawker Oddessy battery. They are more money but they dont seem to fail either. And you can keep your NAPA exide bankruptcy specials called the Orbital:fawkdancesmiley: They have and will continue to be junk compared to real batteries!

Rix · Nov 12, 2008

Only problem I've had with my winch connected to the side post of the optima
was when the power sire to the einch shorted on the case.
Melted it GOOD.
No problems since then with the same type of battery.

Wrongway · Nov 12, 2008

If you ever get stuck hard enough to stall the winch you will see problems.

nevada · Nov 12, 2008

Wrongway said:
The main terminal on a GM Delco is not any bigger than an Optima, and the nut sert in them corrodes out real easy which promotes resistance which builds heat which melts the lead which.....:eeek: I think the Optima batteries are a pretty good battery, But the best that I have found for this application is the Enersyis Hawker Oddessy battery. They are more money but they dont seem to fail either. And you can keep your NAPA exide bankruptcy specials called the Orbital:fawkdancesmiley: They have and will continue to be junk compared to real batteries!

yeh, my buddies has been through several of the orbitals. junk, all of them.
i dont mind my optima's. i got a good deal on a pair of red tops. cheaper than a new interstate.

Broken Again · Nov 13, 2008

CHOP SHOP said:
optimas are the shizzy! I luvem!
NOT.:fawkdancesmiley: get a real battery and quit having problems. Optimas are just like a hi maintanence woman, nice to look at, but pretty worthless.:eeek:

now lets hear from all of you that have had ten optimas warrantied tell me how great thier waranty is and you luv replacing them all the time.:cheer:

I run duel red top with no isolator. Been in my rig for 4 years now with no issues what so ever. Bought them at Costco and made sure that the lot numbers matched. One winter it sat in Big Bear with temps running below 0 quite often. Now it sits in the SoCal desert in a trailer with temps up to 120 during the summer, still no issues.
At 910 amps each, I can winch a long time without running the engine (if needed), but I do make sure to watch the temps of the leads and motor etc.

I have heard the Optima changed owners or something like that and that their quailty is down, but that happened after I got mine.
If I did have to replace them I'd go Costco again with the 3 year no questions asked policy.

Steve

nevada · Nov 13, 2008

Broken Again said:
I run duel red top with no isolator. Been in my rig for 4 years now with no issues what so ever. Bought them at Costco and made sure that the lot numbers matched. One winter it sat in Big Bear with temps running below 0 quite often. Now it sits in the SoCal desert in a trailer with temps up to 120 during the summer, still no issues.
At 910 amps each, I can winch a long time without running the engine (if needed), but I do make sure to watch the temps of the leads and motor etc.

I have heard the Optima changed owners or something like that and that their quailty is down, but that happened after I got mine.
If I did have to replace them I'd go Costco again with the 3 year no questions asked policy.

Steve

im running duals without an isolator also...well, sorta.
its not an AUTO isolator. ive got them connected to a winch soleniod. with an incab switch. i have dual batteries AT WILL.

ran that way for a few yrs with a couple UNMATCHED batteries. now ive got dual red tops, also unmatched...both being fed by a 140 amp GM 1 wire

omc-m38a1 · Nov 13, 2008

Grommit327 said:
I think you guys are confusing an optima type battery which has the main post on top and side terminals which are connected by a smaller guage wire and the GM battery that he was talking about where the side terminal is the main terminal. I could be talking out my ass though :haha:

Here is my battery. I think I'll run it 'til it dies.

http://scottmilliner.multiply.com/photos/album/1/scotts_jeep_pictures#25

Wrongway · Nov 13, 2008

It wont take long to use up that battery. How did you hook the winch up? If you are going to add to the existing bolts, get the longer ones with the lead insert. Be sure to put the winch on the closest one to the battery, so it will not overload the bolt. The engine load will be less than the winch motor.

86tuning · Nov 13, 2008

nevada said:
interesting.
maybe i need to reroute my winch connections.
i cant remember now, but i think ive got my winch connected to the side posts, and EVERYTHING else on the top posts of my optima....:eeek:

Better swap that around.

Starter to the side terminal (since the starter only runs for 5sec at a time) and winch to the top posts.

nevada · Nov 13, 2008

86tuning said:
Better swap that around.

Starter to the side terminal (since the starter only runs for 5sec at a time) and winch to the top posts.

i actually have to look. its been years since i hooked everything up, im not sure exactly how it is. yeh, if its wrong, i'll definately change it.

ive done alot of heavy winching...no problems...yet. :knockonwood: