Exide Orbital :thumbup:

[Jason C]

I just got back from some wrenching, and I am one happy camper...



I've been trying to pin down an intermittent hard start in the beater for a while now, chasing down a few leads. Fuel? Ignition? Starter motor? It looks like that was the least of my concerns 3 weeks ago in class, as the 3+ year-old Motorcraft failed a basic load test using a VAT-40.

So in my text, they had a brief description of an AGM (absorbent glass-mat) battery as one of the best types available for a car. They described how it worked and had a small pic of an Exide Orbital. As I thought of what I could buy, I remembered the AGM description and ended up buying myself an Orbital 78DT (the larger one) after doing some rough measurements and figuring out that it would fit - probably.

Now on their website, they talked about it being leak and puncture-proof, can be used upside down, exceptional recovery time, extreme temperature resistance, absorbent glass-mat and valve-regulated, lead-acid recombinant techology, etc etc etc... none of which mattered to me at the moment I was hauling it over the hood. All I wanted to know was if worrying about stuff like the starter motor, fuel pump, and spark plugs had been premature.

Well, let's just say it started up like the almost-new Honda that I was driving around a month back. Wow! I had never noticed, but over time, the cranking speeds had gone down until it was just barely acceptable - probably under 150RPM. Now that I'm over 200RPM, it sounded like it should. More importantly, it now starts like a brand-new car.



For those of you with older cars and who want a nearly indestructible battery with huge amounts of CCA's, check out the Orbital. It's expensive, but is the high CCA/near-indestructable design worth it? That's for you to decide.

[Pinecone]

Where do you get it?

And is there any other model info other than the number you posted?

Thanks.

[Jason C]

Because it doesn't leak/is extremely vibration resistant, the Orbital can be shipped conventionally like a lot of other stuff - so I ordered mine online.

http://www.autosupplyusa.com/exorbat.html

Lowest price I found for it, everyone else wanted $95 or more. You may take a few more days to get it if you're on the east coast. The top two are more than sufficient enough, unless you have loads of electronic accessories, then you may want to pay extra for the 34XCD.

The 78DT and the 75DT only differ in length by 1 1/8th", and both checked out when I went to measure underhood dimensions, so I paid the additional $5 for 80 extra CCA. Worth it IMO.

You can also consider Optima's RedTop series of Auto 12V batteries, since they appear to be of a similar design:

[bren]

I've been using Optima batteries for years....I've had 3 red tops and a yellow top. They're great....no maintenance and never any corrosion on the terimals

[Pinecone]

I have been looking at the Red tops for the LTW. But may go to a Yellow top to handle the occasional (actualy not so occasional) drain till its dead from lack of use. And maybe some extra drain from something.

But I would have to mail order the 34R red top anyway, so figured take a look at what else is out there.

Or just go with one of the lightweight Hawker or Odessy batteries and forget about keeping it charged.

[lip277]

On a related note.....

Last October I installed a new battery in the 740i I had recently taken in. The battery worked fine and was doing well for a couple of months. We then took an extended vacation to Monterey to help with closing up family things with my Dad passing away. The car sat in the garage for the entire time (We took the Yukon to California).

When we got back, I went out to start all our cars and give them a bit of exercise. The 740i very reluctantly started. Driving it around did seen to help the battery get a charged back up but it wasn't like it was 'new'.

So... I bought one of these gizmos.....

http://www.batterymart.com/batteryminder.php



I left it plugged in for a week and then went back to start the car. The battery sure snapped the starter to life and the engine didn't labor at all to get going. It was even better than the battery was brand new.

I now use the BatteryMinder on my 2002, the boat and the riding mower. I also still use it on the 740 when I am not going to drive it for a few days. It plugs right in to the cig lighter so I'm not messing around with the battery directly...... or it can clip right to the battery itself if that is desired. I have two of these now that I swap around between my different pieces of equipment that have batteries.

Just a thought..... If you're going to leave a battery unused for a while, pretty much any battery will go down. This takes care of that. I have a 5 year old Costco battery in my 2002 and I have always left it unused durring the winter. It was starting to get tired but now it sure kicks in at 100% when I start the car. With this, that battery (maybe?) will have an indefinate life.... At least it will last much longer...... I figure.