I purchased an Optima Red-Top Battery, and when I took it home, it didnt work.
So I went back and replaced it, and the new one worked fine, and the car ran as usual.
I drive a Jeep Wrangler also, so the Lancer sat in the driveway for about 2 weeks.
Then when I went to drive it one day, it didnt start...
The blinking LED for the Alarm system worked, the Dome light worked dimly for a bit... but I dunno why this has happend.

Anyone know what/why/how it could be?

 

Sounds like you got a short somewhere slowly draining your battery. Hobie is fighting one of those with his car too. Nasty little bugger to find, good luck.

 

Have you done any modifications to the electrical system (ie. grounding kit, voltage stabilizer, new deck, etc.) recently?

 

how much did u run it before u let it sit? i run my car every 3 days or so to make sure it stays charged.

 

It's a brand new battery; it probably wouldn't "have to" be charge for the first few starts at all. But it does sound like short and small amperage draw from somewhere that drained it...

 

I found out from a few sources, that Optima Batteries suck, and dont hold a charge for ****.
3 People told me that if they didnt drive their cars for a week or so, theyd have to jump it.

I jumped it and its been fine ever since.

Thanx!

 

i had my optima battery for almost a yr. i went on vacation last yr for 2 weeks and its still running strong even with my system hooked up.

 

yeah um optima is considered one of the best brands.

 

You know Navy like OPTIMA batteries. They use them everywhere it is their supplier. I don't think they will buy batteries that suck!

 

doesn't the navy use yellow tops too..their even better than the red tops.

ya the optima last 2x longer than the traditional battery last time i checked.

 

Neither one is "better" really. Red top's are designed as a starter battery. They deliver a bigger charge in a shorter amount of time. Yellow top's are "deep cycle" batteries. They are designed to release a smaller amount of power over a long period of time. You can use a yellow top as a starter, it just isn't specifically designed for that.