So after having my jeep sit since May, even with it unplugged, the battery is dead.

I brought it to Sears, they said it passed their tests, but they would still warranty it due to a loose top post.

The problem is Sears no longer makes Platinum battery's, they sell Advanced Gold now as their top line.

The advanced gold doesn't look any different than the regular gold when I checked them out in person, and is $100 cheaper than the platinum I bought 2 years ago.

I'm thinking of just getting an Odyssey Extreme and calling it good. Anyone have any input?

I'd rather NOT get an Optima, so unless you have direct long term experience with it, DON'T recommend it.

 

Take the battery Sears gives you.
And before it wears out keep checking pep boys for their specials for Bosch battery's.
They just had a 20% off + $20 off special.

 

If and when it does wear out they won't give cash refund, only a gift card to Sears, so I'd be out that money and still have to buy the Bosch. Basically the same situation I'm in now.

I've had sear's regular Gold on my last jeep and wasn't impressed with it.

 

I've had my optima (red top) for over a year now and it's still cranks as strong as the first time.

 

What type of battery are you after? Starting, dual purpose, or deep cycle.
I have had the Yellow Top starting/deep cycle for four years and often use it to fill all four tires without engine running.

 

Just the best all around battery I can fit. I don't really have a need for deep cycle, as I'm not running dual, and only winch with the jeep running.

That's why I'm eyeing the Odyssey 34-1500, which looks like the exact same as the 34 Platinum I had. I think this class of battery is Just an AGM.

 

I use a Napa 7534 in my '00 4.0. Happy enough with it I guess. They do make better ones,
9834 and 8434, and a cheaper one, 6534. Warranty varies with battery. Can go to any Napa for the warranty though.

 

I was debating just grabbing a Napa battery. But I found the Odyssey on 4wheelparts eBay store for $218 shipped. That's $40 cheaper than the same battery on their webpage, and $50 cheaper than Amazon. It's also $60 cheaper than the Platinum. With stats just slightly better than the platinum I think I'll be happy.

Not too many people running them at least from my researc, everyone swears by Optima or some other brand.

 

I wonder about the CCA ,Cold Cranking Amps, of some batteries like the Red Top. At 850 or 900 when stock calls for like 550. How would the stock wiring and components respond to that.

 

There would be no difference. The CCA is just what the battery is capable of producing. The draw of the vehicle determines how much is actually being produced.

 

First thing I do all Jeeps of mine is upgrade to 4awg 5-90 cables. My alt is an oem 117, and when it does I'll do a 136.

When I ran the Diehard Gold regular on my last jeep, even with the upgraded cables, it had a hard time of starting the jeep in the winter, even though the temp was well in the range for the battery. Never had the prob with the platinum.

 

Hell run the free replacements till they run out of warranty then look for something else.

 

Same experience as Steve, only problem I ever had with it was operator error. My brother took it to school and left the headlights on (this past September), jumped it off a Camry and it has been running normally ever since. I imagine any other brand in the same performance category will yield the same results. In the future don't unplug the battery during storage, throw a float charger on it instead, other wise you should be turning it on and running the engine for a few minutes every couple of weeks.

 

Well I already bought the Odyssey, I'll see how that one works out.

What is a float charger?

I was always told to unplug it when not in use for extended periods of time, having said that I always attached it every 2 weeks and let it run for an hour, apparently that wasn't enough.

 

I went with a Duralast Gold battery, got it with a 30% off coupon for around $90.

I needed to modify my battery tray a little to get it to fit, but here is a comparison between the stock-sized XJ battery, and the larger type-34 battery;




Mine has been GREAT through 2 winters, going through the 3rd winter right now. Zero issues, and sat for about a month while I was out of the country, and fired right back up when I got home (hooked up to the jeep).

Made by Johnson Control Industries, who make lots of other high-end batteries.


EDIT:
Did not see that you already bought the Odyssey.
Just get a Battery Tender, and mount up one of these kits;


Makes plugging it in a 10 second affair, which usually means that you will use it more frequently. They make waterproof battery-tenders as well (for marine/outdoor environments). Had one on my motorcycle and it was definitely worth the small price I paid (probably $50 for the charger, extension cable, and quick-disconnect kit).


EDIT:
You could potentially get one of these solar chargers instead, but my preference would be AC power as it is not dependent on efficiency of the panel, etc.