[flash]

if the battery is fully charged, you should have over 12.5, and somewhere around 12.7 at rest



make sure yoru battery is topped off with distilled water, and then charged



test your meter against something else to verify it



interstate is about as good as it gets - had i not been moving my battery to the trunk, i would have kept the interstate i just bought - now it just sits on a shelf

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[mitch968]

I don't think there's any way to top off the battery....it appears to be sealed. I'll have to check again. I've used the meter on other things and it appears to be accurate.



The local Midas has an interstate in stock, so I may just swing by there tomorrow. Pricy, but I guess you get what you pay for. The guy suggested that they may charge me for installation because it's a Porsche and probably difficult. I told him it's a piece of cake and I'll take care of it anyway. Wiseguy.

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[flash]

lol - i hate it when they do that - greedy



battery companies are getting better at hiding the openings for the caps - some are actually sealed, though not many



if you weren't clear across the country, it might make sense to let you have his one cheap, but shipping would probably bring it right up near a new one



good luck

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[mitch968]

if you weren't clear across the country, it might make sense to let you have his one cheap, but shipping would probably bring it right up near a new one

...yet one more reason I should've moved to California years ago! Yes, shipping would be prohibitive and I don't even know what the limitations are on battery shipping. I thought they normally ship them dry.



I'll see if I can get the cells open and get some distilled water in there. Worst case I destroy the battery and get a new interstate. I'm sure my car would be happy about it.

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[bob blackwell]

I really like the Optima battery I installed last year. Dry cell with no corrosion at all from battery fumes. I think it was $129 with shipping included. Good luck, Bob Blackwell.

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[flash]

bob - that's what i just switched to, because i wanted it in the trunk - the price has gone up a little bit though - the remaining online places that still offer that price, also have a "handling" charge

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[bob blackwell]

I am sure you will be happy with the Optima Flash, it sure leaves the battery area clean all the time! Sorry about the handling charges, I must have lucked out. Good luck, Bob Blackwell.

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[mitch968]

That's a bit more than I care to spend for a battery. I can get the interstate for a smidge over $100 locally, so that's what I'll probably do if my battery is shot. I just checked it after today's commute and now it's reading 12.53, so maybe it just wasn't quite fully charged. My commute is short, so maybe I just need a bit more drive time before it's fully up to charge. I guess I'll see if it holds steady overnight.



Thanks for all the tips.

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[flash]

no worries bob - i managed to work a deal with a distributor, who otherwise was selling the battery for 150, to sell it to me for the adveritised price of those sites, and skip the handling charge - i stopped by and picked one up while i was en route to a resort for the weekend - woohoo

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[w.a.]

[quote name='mitch968' date='Jun 27 2006, 07:25 PM']I just checked it after today's commute and now it's reading 12.53...

[right][post="23401"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]



Hot weather can be as tough, or tougher, on batteries than cold weather. If you have been experiencing days with ambient temps in the 90s, that could be a culprit as well.

Best,

WA

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[mitch968]

Thanks for all the help guys. I went ahead and got an interstate battery this evening. Now everything is up to snuff and I can rest easy knowing my charging system shouldn't give me any problems for some time to come.

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[flash]

congrats - i know how comforting that can be

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[gbarrier]

What's the deal about the battery in the back? Any diagrams or pics.



Also Bob, glad to hear the optima works well for you. We use them in our offroad stuff and love them. Is there adequate clearance on the posts in the engine compartment? Also, even thought they are sealed (?) and can actually be mounted in any direction they do have a "patented vent system" which tells me that gasses are vented somehow. Do we run any risk of corosion from this venting as opposed to a drain tube?



A good source for the Optima around here are the offroad shops if there are such in your town.

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[flash]

lol - here is the link to the thread:



http://www.968forums.com/index.php?showtopic=2578



i will probably be producing a complete kit to do this

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[Steve]

Hi Guys



I just put my car together after my clutch job and drove to work today. I notice that it started kind of slow but figured it was because it had been sitting for a month or so. When I got to work I looked at the volt meter and it was at 0. Nothing zip nada. So has anyone had an abrupt failure like this? The Alternator is not making any noise. Could the regulator fail like that? Is it digital? In my experiance they just start failing slowly. Battery?? It was disconnected through the Clutch job. Any diognostic that can be done?



Thanks

Steve

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[flash]

i'd look at the battery first - check the batery with a real voltmeter, and check the connections to make sure they are clean and tight

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[Steve]

The only thing I can remember that was a little concerning was when I cracked open the bleed valve on the clutch slave cylinder the first time. I didn't have a hose hooked up to it because I just wanted to see if there was pressure, There was a lot of pressure and oil shot all over the starter terminals. At that point the battery was tied in. Would that have caused a problem? I don't this hydraulic oils to conductive. I guess I never thought of it.

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[flash]

i doubt it - the circuit should not have been hot, so it would not back up to the battery - had it have made the connection, you should have heard the starter motor at that time



i'd look at the battery - if you don't have one, take yourself ot the hardware store and buy a $20 multimeter - it will come in handy elsewhere



make sure the connections are clean and tight



you should have at least 12.5 volts and likely more like 13 across the battery terminals

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[Steve]

I just found out that the battery is about 6 years old. It shows 12.37 VDC after I got it home. I will see if it will take and keep a charge. Tonight it should be closer to 13. Shouldn't there be an idiot light that would go on if the Alternator or Regulator is out? I see none.

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[flash]

did you make sure the connections were clean and tight?

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