phillinda Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 my Optimate III is permanently showing charge and never indicates either good or bad. Is there something wrong? 1997 Brooklands Green 1.8 Supersport Edited by - phil&linda on 5 Feb 2008 00:19:06 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jingars Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 How long is "permanently"? After being lazy and not plugging the Optimate in for about four weeks (the car just sat in the garage with the immobiliser light flashing) my Optimate did not go green for about a week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stationary M25 Traveller Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Silly question - but have you checked the liquid levels in each cell of the battery ? It gets very hot under the bonnet, and it is surprising how quick the level can drop. 7 related photos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beelzebub Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Funny that, mine's was displaying "red" indicating I had a battery problem Cured by a couple of charge then discharge cycles. I left the lights on until they started to dim & put the optimate on to charge it up again. Worked for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinWoodham Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Mine often goes from fully charged back down to de-sulphate/ charge again. This might be due to temperature changes, although I noticed yesterday that wiggling the contacts switched it from de-sulphate (red) to charge (amber). - so I'd guess that there's a degree of corrosion in the connector lead contacts that's created a resistance, and that causes the Optimate to misread the battery's state of charge. There is a degree of use-it-or-lose it effect with lead/ acid, but these batteries are generally designed to be kept at or close to full charge permanently, with only the occasional dip just after starting. You shouldn't need to do a discharge/ full charge. Be aware that most cars (racers especially) have the battery sited in a less-than ideal position, downwind of the zorst primaries - it's well worth checking electrolyte levels since they can take excess heat and vent. Martin supersported ex-Roadsports B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phillinda Posted February 5, 2008 Author Share Posted February 5, 2008 Silly question - but have you checked the liquid levels in each cell of the battery Yes, all cells fully topped up How long is "permanently"? Been about 4 weeks now. Put it on charge because the immobiliser light had stopped flashing. Forgot to put it on charge at the end of October when it was SORNed so maybe 2 months of standing have done some permanent damage? Phil 1997 Brooklands Green 1.8 Supersport Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stationary M25 Traveller Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Even sillier question - polarity correct when hooking up Optimate ? Guess it would be a bit more drastic than a 'charge' light ? 7 related photos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phillinda Posted February 5, 2008 Author Share Posted February 5, 2008 polarity correct when hooking up Optimate ? Been working fine for last 2 winters, hence the reason why I was curious. 1997 Brooklands Green 1.8 Supersport Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stationary M25 Traveller Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Have you got a voltmeter to put across the battery terminals with the Optimate disconnected to see what voltage it is standing at. That will give you a clue as to its health. Then check same point when Optimate connected. If you don't have such a gadget, do the headlights work ? Have you tried starting the car ? 7 related photos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now