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Originally Posted by bpalmer21
So my Supra is in storage and has been getting started once a week. I just installed a optima yellow top before it went to storage. My family called to let me know that the battery was dead. It has been cold there so I didnt think a whole lot about it. So I went home and fully charged the battery, now it is dead again after a week or so. Thoughts? Alternator?
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Fwiw, I agree with all of Mr.Nickleye's diagnosis & advice...in addition, note the following:
- Optima batteries (and similar eg. NAPA Orbital) are notorious for quickly going 'bad' after sitting discharged, for just a few days! Other standard 'wet' car batteries are more tolerant to this, but sitting in a discharged state for extended periods of time is one of the worst things you can do to a battery.
- If a battery is not too far gone, it may be possible to 'recondition' it with a pulse-charger, like this one:
http://www.battery-rechargeable-char...r-package.html
(note that there are several others too, for example this one)
- If you'd prefer not to remove your battery terminal, consider purchasing a trickle charger to keep your battery's charge topped off AND feed the current draw. Be sure to get an 'intelligent' automatic trickle charger though, because one of the only things that'll kill a battery faster than letting it sit discharged is overcharging it. An 'intelligent' multi-stage trickle-charger will automatically detect when the battery is full and then the charging current is reduced. Lastly, although it might be possible to get a reconditioner/desulphator PLUS charger all in one unit, most inexpensive/affordable reconditioners/desulphators don't offer enough of a trickle charge to keep your battery charged (amhik).