battery and maintainer question
 

I did a search and read six pages and also book marked Mike Focke's info on batteries and maintainers. I have a 2002 S with a standard wet cell battery it is a house brand. Recently per my maintainer/charger the battery went down to 75 % charge and obviously the car turned over slowly. After my charger said it was at 100% it turns over normally but I do think the battery is starting to lose it's edge. I will have it checked locally via load test but I have a few questions.

1.For those of you that have switched to AGM batteries have you been happy with the performance of the battery ? Other than price any negatives ?

2.I have used Optima brand batteries in the past and had good luck with red top but horrible luck with yellow top. And if you believe the internet since Optima moved off shore for manufacturing they are not the battery they once were. Anyone using Optima batteries manufactured in the past year or two happy with them ?

3.I want to purchase a maintainer with desulfication mode that hooks up via the cigarette lighter, are CTEK and Battery Tender still the go to brands ? I want to go this route because with my current charger I have to pull the frunk light as it stays on even with the hood in the down position but not latched closed.

4.For a street car/weekend toy are the high end AGM batteries like Braille or others worth the extra money ?

5.Last question ( I promise :D ) I am having a 3.6 litre being built with a very slight bump in compression over stock. The CCA for a stock battery I believe is in the 650-700 range that should still be enough for a larger displacement engine correct ? It generally doesn't get that cold in Ga. this winter being an exception. But I don't drive the car when it is extremely cold or crappy out. I'm more concerned about 90-95 degree summer heat and starting in those conditions after the engine being hot and sitting for 10-15 minutes and restarting.

Real world advice is appreciated. Thanks

I've got 3 of them, a blue top marine battery, and two red tops, one for my Toyota FJ Cruiser and one for the Boxster. I haven't installed the Boxster one yet but the one in the Toyota has been great and has been giving me no trouble at all. It is a little shorter in height, and some of them come with a height adapter that sits on top when you buy the battery and it snaps on the bottom if a height adapter is needed. I didn't get one on my Toyota battery and I think the auto parts store may have thrown it away. If you need a height adapter make sure you get it.

For the Boxster you will need an adapter to help hold it down, I got mine from here:

Yellow Dog Motorsports | Corvette, Porsche and Alfa Romeo Parts | GMP-52

Some folks have made their own, you can do a search.

How I ended up with 3 was that Amazon accidentally sent me the blue top instead of the one I ordered for my FJ. They couldn't take a return because it is considered "hazardous" so they refunded my money and told me to dispose of the battery any way I saw fit. So I am using in to power a trolling motor in my canoe. I would have used it in the Toyota but it was a different size and would not fit.

Mine are all made within the last year and have been doing well, with the caveat that the only one that has seen any real use is the one in the Toyota. The Red top for the Boxster is not even installed but I put the maintainer on it every couple weeks and it seems to be doing well (I thought my main battery in the Boxster was toast but it turns out it was not even though it is kind of old so I just haven't gotten around to switching it out yet)

I've got this one which has a mode for AGM batteries and also a desulf step.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006G14FK8/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Battery Chargers - CTEK Battery Chargers Multi US 4.3

I can't recall if it had a cigarette adapter, I know it had a second plug but that may be for mounting a charging adapter onto the car permanently and then hooking the adapter to that. Here is the accessory for the cigarette adapter though.

Accessories - CTEK Battery Chargers

Note that the default Porsche cigarette adapter is slightly larger than a standard US cigarette adapter, if you have ever noticed chargers and things being slightly loose this is the reason why. I believe you can by a replacement for around $25 that is US sized.

1. AGM batteries are an excellent choice for these applications as they eliminate any chance of corrosion in the battery tray area, tend to be longer lived, and deliver excellent cold cranking ability.

2. While some have had issues with Optima, we sell and install them on an everyday basis. We have had very few issues with this brand, and anytime something did crop up, Optima honored their warranty and promptly replaced the unit. To use an Optima, you will need to also acquire an adaptor kit (we use adaptor kits from Yellow Dog Motorsports Yellow Dog Motorsports | Corvette, Porsche and Alfa Romeo Parts | Store) with excellent results, but some people have actually fabricated their own from kitchen cutting boards.

3. Ctek is by far one of the best maintainer lines on the market, with every unit having a desulfating step in the charging profile, as well as a specific charge profile for AGM type batteries like the Optima. The people that own Ctek were the original inventors and manufacturers of the Optima line before they sold it to Johnson Controls, so they know AGM battery technology intimately.

4. AGM batteries are an excellent choice for street cars, but I would be careful about some of the high priced "lightweight" batteries on the market as they often rate their Cold Cranking Amperage using a methodology that is not generally accepted by the battery industry. We have had customers running lightweight units from a couple manufacturer's that consistently had problems with dimming headlights during high load situations, some even doing it when the car's high output stereo was cranked up. Stay with a recognized street battery like the Optima, which is actually a bit lighter than the OEM unit.

5. You would be fine with an Optima for this application, as well as other manufacturers of AGM products designed for street applications. That said, this is yet another reason to stay away from lightweight replacements.

Thanks guys for the quick response. Yeah I think I will rule out the Braille/Odyssey type and either go Red top Optima or some other brand of AGM battery. Looks like the CTEK 4.3 is a good way to go. Looks like they make two different cigarette lighter adapters I may have to call them to find out which is correct. I'm going to guess that most major auto parts stores ' house brand ' of AGM battery are probably all made by the same one/two manufacturers so I'll just shop around to see what is available locally. I don't need a battery right now so I can wait for a decent sale.

Will these cigarette lighter input maintainers hold/keep the radio codes and stop any ECU issues when changing the battery ? Can you keep these plugged in while you change the battery ? I assume if the answer is yes you should be careful with the positive battery cable in regards to hitting chassis metal while doing a battery switch ?

Some of the Ctek models have a specific setting to retain your car's memory items while doing a battery transplant. And you will have to protect the battery positive cable from contacting any metal surfaces while changing the battery out. A plastic bag works well for this.

After some web surfing it looks like the CTEK # 7002 has a " supply " mode which provides 13 volts. The supply mode is made specifically to maintain radio codes, window/mirror/seat memory and I guess ECU settings. It doesn't look like any of their models below the 7002 have this feature.

My 9 years old Ctec/Porsche maintainer had a red plastic circular adapter that went over the cigarette lighter end before it was plugged into the US socket. It was quite easy to use in foul weather by putting the actual charger and all its cords on the passenger side floorboards and running the extension cord under the door cutout. That and a car cover (Noah) got me through some really big snows when I was using my garage for the 4WD where the Boxster got the space in mild weather.

Can't comment on the recent Optima reliability/quality. I do note they are one of the 2 12v options for a Prius so lots are selling. I see the same "low charge after sitting for 3 weeks" complaints on the Prius forums, it is a function of how smart our cars have become, always waiting for our commands. Thus a slow and steady drain. My Optima was probably 5 years old when I sold it, had been used regularly or maintained constantly and was in great shape. Never had to recharge it. I never had occasion to doubt it and, while I do have a load tester, never bothered.

I too used the yellow dog adapter. Trivial install.

There were two size batteries listed in the Boxster owners manual, one for the automatic cars which meant they needed more juice. If you sized your battery to those ampere hours, you'd be fine with the larger engine.

Don't use the light weight batteries, they are for racing and reducing weight high in the car thus increasing handling. Your AC use in the summer would put a strain on their capacity.

I own several of the 7002's, we use them in the shop exactly for this purpose as well as keeping up customer cars we store over the winter, and they work very well. The 7002 is also a great all around maintainer.

Hello JFP,

My battery suddenly died last nigh and need to buy a battery today, which model for the Optima do you recommend?

I remember reading a recent post also highly recommending another manufacturer but cannot find it..

Thank you!

Your Porsche interrupts power to the cigarette lighter when ignition is off ... hence these are of no use.

Lkchris,

Actually the lighter on my '07 is always hot and last night I sacrificed a 12VDC working light to use the lighter adapter and was able to use the battery charger to open the trunk.

Before this, I removed the front passenger tire and the liner, searching for the emergency cable but was not there (and I looked everywhere), then my neighbor showed up with a utube video showing that the driver side is where the cable is located, thankfully we decided to use the lighter option and worked instantly.

I have an '01 and have used the cigarette lighter for the Battery Tender for several years now. Mine stays hot with the ignition off.

For many years, Porsche has designed their lighters so they are "always hot", regardless of the ignition switch position. This was done to facilitate the use of battery maintainers which plug into the lighter socket inside the car, and include a small opening in the driver's door lower seal to allow the electric cord for the maintainer to exit the vehicle while the car is locked and the alarm is on.

As JFP says for US versions though I'm not sure about models for overseas. I charged mine ('99 and '01S) with a Porsche branded cTek for 5 years through the lighter connection and it started normally every time even in conditions when I had to brush off 8" of snow from the car cover.

I switched from generic to AGM just for fun. It was in a US made era so my experience isn't helpful re the Optima quality.

BTW, the CCA specs for the TIP are more than the manual.

Thanks for the recommendation of the Ctek 7002.It has a full range of accessories and responsive on-line tech support . In theory it has superior technology to most of the competitors -like Noco mentioned below.
The Ctek Multi US 4.3 seems to be the latest upgrade from the older 7002? The 'Bundle' seems to be the smart choice? 56-CTEKTOOLBOX-EXT for around $85.
http://www.amazon.com/CTEK-Toolbox-Battery-Charger-Extension/dp/B00CZL81NA
Compare the Ctek 7002 to the Noco Genius G3500 here:
Vintage Veloce™: Choosing a Battery Charger: CTEK or Noco Genius

+1 on the ctek

Have had great luck with the CTEK tender-I have the same one Porsche used to sell with their logo. Last year I thought it finally died, bought a new one from Amazon and then figured out it was only the GFI in my basement, which is on the same circuit as my non GFI garage outlet had tripped! I did not go AGM but with a traditional Interstate battery. Can't remember how old it is but I bought my S new in 2003 and this is the only replacement battery ever purchased.

2002 s
 

I installed a Schumacher Model SE-1-12S-CA next to battery, works great. Been using Schumacher chargers and maintainer for years without any problems. http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1461246588.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1461246628.jpg

I put an Exide Edge AGM battery in my 2003 Boxster because it works great in the cold (it gets really cold here, -20° F or lower) and I sometimes leave the car for weeks at a time in winter. I either disconnect the battery (I remove the frunk latch first), or I leave my CTEK charger hooked up. No problems and both the battery and charger work great! When the 2 batteries in my boat and the 2 in my diesel truck wear out, I will buy AGMs for them too!
Also, I love the blue color!


Battery Chargers - CTEK Battery Chargers MUS 4.3 POLAR