| Author |
Message |
Mark Eberhardt (Me_k)
Junior Member
Username: Me_k
Post Number: 69
Registered: 5-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 26, 2002 - 9:12 pm: | |
Just more thought. It�s a good practice to change the battery when you change the belts and hoses every five years. Lead acid batteries, (�standard�, gelcell, optima) have about a five year service life provided they have not been abused (run dead, overvoltage, ect). If the car won�t start after sitting for 2 weeks and the battery is less than five years old, the car is broken and you should have it repaired. The charging system is not operating at the correct voltage or something is staying on that shouldn�t be. There just isn�t anything unusual about a Ferrari�s charging or starting requirements. |
Scott Grossman (Sngsmgaolcom)
New member
Username: Sngsmgaolcom
Post Number: 50
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 26, 2002 - 3:50 pm: | |
Have to agree with Greg. Go with the Optima. I solved multiple intermittent problems by replacing my old battery with a new Optima, and the car starts and runs great, even after sitting for awhile.
The URL for optima is: http://www.optimabatteries.com/
Scott |
Pascal A. J. Maeter (Maeter)
New member
Username: Maeter
Post Number: 22
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 26, 2002 - 3:10 pm: | |
What do you think of Odyssey batteries? No acid and superior cranking power. Worth the additional expenditure? |
Greg Owens (Owens84qv)
Member
Username: Owens84qv
Post Number: 449
Registered: 10-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 26, 2002 - 11:47 am: | |
Just as a reference point, many of the FC members have sited experiences where the "standard" batteries seemed to drain enough over a 2-week period that it impaired thier ability to start the car if left unstarted for that period of time.
I was recently in the process of moving to FL and therefore didn't get to use my F-car for periods of up to 4 or 5 weeks. Even after after 5 weeks, the car would start on the first turn. |
Mark Eberhardt (Me_k)
Junior Member
Username: Me_k
Post Number: 68
Registered: 5-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 26, 2002 - 7:39 am: | |
My 2 cents is that the engineers at Ferrari and probably knew what they were doing when they selected the original battery size. A battery is a very simple thing to make and any of the major bands should give good service. The cheap batteries are cheap because they put less lead in them, something to avoid. The Optima is a nice battery. They figured out how to make the plates thinner with out being prone to sorting (common in cheap batteries) so the battery is lighter for the same service rating. The down side is they cost over twice as much. So the question becomes is 10 lbs (approx) worth $70? |
bill v. (Doc)
New member
Username: Doc
Post Number: 39
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 26, 2002 - 6:39 am: | |
Thanks, Greg. |
Greg Owens (Owens84qv)
Member
Username: Owens84qv
Post Number: 446
Registered: 10-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 25, 2002 - 7:52 pm: | |
OPTIMA...OPTIMA...OPTIMA!
Get an Optima battery...~$130.00, but well worth it. There have been many threads on this site where owners who have had "regular" batteries have them die after short periods of time. Use the search function and look for "batteries" and "optima". You should be able to find lots of useful information. |
bill v. (Doc)
New member
Username: Doc
Post Number: 38
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 25, 2002 - 6:40 pm: | |
What is a good brand and proper cold cranking amp rating for a battery for an '85 QV? Your suggestions and opinions would be appreciated. |