Thanks Mike. I will try your technique.. I already have the Sears charger (very similar) to the one you recommended , I will definately give it a try and see, then I will take it to the local store for warranty (I doubt is still good).

I am going to log off for a little bit but thank to everyone for your inputs and feedback.

Carlos

 

tell them to rename their store to Batteries R US

 

Once you bring it back it will run like new.. they almost always do.. once they go past dead you have to bring it back like i said and then you wont have an issue again unless you have a dead cell in it which is not the case 90% of the time..

 

Its a very large national chain that stocks a battery for pretty much anything you'd need.

These issues with the PC680 seem to be fairly common. People seem to either have great luck where it'll last for years with no issues or horrible luck and they'll crap out for no reason. I also recall ETS mentioning they no longer recommend this battery due to all the issues they've encountered with it. They also mentioned that Odyssey said they will no longer be honoring the warranty if they find it was used in an automotive application (car) and not in a motorcycle, ATV, lawn mower, etc. as it was intended for.

 

why dont you relocate your battery to the trunk and get a reg battery?

 

No kidding but I ultimately thought about doing that as well. I hardly use the trunk for anything and now weight is absolutely the last of my concerns. At this point I really don't care much about the weight in exchange of having something that can just crank up and go.

Thanks for the idea/sugestion.

Carlos

 

I've used my Odyssey in the EVO for the past year and a half in the EVO and my car sits for weeks on end. I ran into one problem where the battery ran low and wouldn't start the car after a few months so I just jumped it and it started right up but wouldn't hold the charge even if I let the car idle.

Then I read a thread on the RX7 forums and it explained why I couldn't get it to hold a charge:

"Okay, I've been having charging issues since winter hit. Today, I finally called Oddyssey and asked them what was up. My PC680 is only about 7 months old has been used for maybe half that time.

Problem 1 : Driving short distances which doesn't allow battery to fully recover. I knew this was a problem as I do a lot of short distance driving.

Problem 2: This is what I found out today. I've been borrowing a Battery Tender 12V 1.2 amp charger (Thank you Jack) to see if I can fully charge the battery. Well, I haven't had much success for the past few weeks. Still drags more than it should.

Bruce at Oddyssey explained to me that this battery is millitary grade and can be totally discharged and brought back to life 400 times !!! So, after talking it over, he's telling me that the charger IS the problem.
With the 1.2 AMP it's only bringing the PC680 to approx. a 50-60% charge !! Hellllllllo........that's ma prob. It's not deep charging. Rather, it is only surface charging and giving a false reading of a fully charged battery.

In order to keep a deep Fully Charged PC680 you need at LEAST a 12V 6 AMP charger. Battery Tender makes one and he says that will solve any charging issues without a doubt.

So, to end all the discussions about the PC680 not being able to last, this should answer that question."

 

PC680 is crappy. I hate them also. I ended up going back to stock battery.

Its a surprise. I watched the oddessey factory on discovery channel "How it's made" and it looked like they were cutting edge.

 

The PC680's have a 2 year warranty, so just get it replaced with a new one.

I have one in one of my cars (it's not an EVO and not a daily driver) for 3+ years and I've even deep-cycled it a couple times (left an interior light on fof two weeks - OOPS!). Battery charged up and recovered just fine.

It *is* a small battery and has very little reserve capacity but it's more than enough to start the car.

And I'm also in Tucson.

 

If the terminal bolts are incorrectly torqued (any more then 50 in./lbs. ) additional torque can cause battery damage. This could be part of your problem.

 

I had the PC680 in my car for like 9 months with a stereo system driving 2 12" subs with 4farad woth of caps. The only time the battery gave me problems was when I would travel overseas for 2 weeks. I would jumpstart the car and let it run for like 30 mins to charge the battery. Worked everytime.

 

No one understands batteries. The PC680 is a drycell, and cannot be "jump started" like a typical lead acid, wet battery. The high amperage from a "jump" will cause the plates in the battery to overheat and gas, essentially destroying them.

Also, when you get a new PC680, I would start off by doing an install charge. The PC680 is not a "fast moving" battery in inventory terms, and if one sat on a shelf for a month or so, it will be discharged. Installing it in your car in an uncharged state will cause problems.

There is a ton of battery information out there if people took the time to read and understand it, they wouldn't have these problems.

 

thats what mines sits on when i get home.

 

I ended up going to an Optima red top battery. Batteries plus refused to honor my 3rd warranty exchange. Haven't had a problem with the optima since.

 

For me, it never was an option. I follow the logic that if a solution for a potential problem creates another potential problem, that doesn't say much for the solution.

If one looks into my engine compartment, he sees this:



If he looks into the trunk, he sees this:



Problem solved (without creating another problem).