Need HELP burnt up 3 odessey PC680's
 

I have been driving the car since early july. I purchased a PC680 from a forum member. After about two weeks oxidation started forming on the - terminal. Thought it was kinda weird, but the battery performed fine. Then one day about a month after instalation I came out of work and the car wouldn't start. Jump started it and left for home. It died once at a stop light, but then started back up. Got home, shut of the car, then it wouldn't start back up. Figuered it was just the battery so I bought a new one, this time I got a warrenty with it. Installed the battery and everything was back to normal, so I thought. After about another month I started to have the same problem again. This time a assumed that there must be another problem some were. I have a PFC so I started to moniter the volts. When this battery started to malfunction I noticed the volts bouncing from 13.8-12.7 Alsowhen it finally died on me, When I would turn the key to the on position the volts were at 13.+ volts, then when I would try to start the car thay would drop to 6 volts and every thing would shut off. Tried to jump start it again and the volts had the same readings even while connected to another car through jumper cables connected directly to the battery terminals and also trying a common ground. I actually couldn't jump start it. So after this I took the alternater to be tested and it came up in good condition (only has 34,000 miles on it). looked through the wiring and nothing came up funny. Had the battery replaced under warrenty. By the way I had both battery's tested and they both came up bad by the odessey dealer. Reinstalled every thing and was good for only about two weeks this time. This time I noticed the PFC had a peak volts of over 15 when I started to have the fluctuation of the volts in the 12's and 13's. Thae car ended up dying at a stop sighn again. Luckly some one with jumper cables stop and helped me out. It did not start on the first try, but eventually started and I was able to make it back home. Pullled it into the garrage back werds and shut it off. tried to start it again and it was definently dead.

Sorry for the long read but I wanted to explain the problem fully. Now am going to try and get this 2 week old battery replaced under warrenty. I really need to fix the problem before I get another one.

Possble problems:

1. Aternater does charge but is over charging some how. Would the teste to see if it was good, check for this?
2. A major short somewere.
3. these batterys are shit.
4. Maybe heat is killing it?

Here is were it is mounted:
https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...hmentid=184902

have you tested your ALT? Maybe the voltage regulator shit the bed. Yank it out and have it tested.

Nice engine bay

I had the ALT tested at a local rebuilder. The test came back good. Is there a seperate voltage regulater. Or is this inside the ALT. I would think they would of tested this. Should the ALT ever put out more than 14 volts?

Thanks, Gotta love your sig!

Wheres your coil relocation bracket?

Hey Brandon, I would say the battery is SHIT! I've gone through 2 of these myself and I'm now currently on the 3rd. The ONLY solution thats worked for me is that ever since I installed a second full size battery in the trunk to run my stereo system the battery's been fine.

These batteries completely suck at holding charge and if you don't daily drive your car the battery wears out in no time. I remember reading a thread awhile back regarding this battery and some forum member had a solution for the charge problem. I can't recall exactly what it was off the top of my head, but if you search you might be able to find it. Goodluck.

This battery needs to be fully charged before you start using it; otherwise all the normal battery draining components of the car like radio, clock, computer etc. suck the life out of it and you end up in a discharged state. Check the manual and see at what rate you have to charge it (if you just charge it without knowing at how many amps and how long, you run the risk of overcharging and killing it) and always connect it to an automatic maintenance charger to assure that it is always fully charged when not used.

I would say the voltage regulator in the alternator is bad causing it to overcharge. If you have a power fc you can monitor the voltage and you may find it is abnormally high. Also, the pc680 is really too small for automotive use. I see nothing but problems with them in these cars.

it could be possible that the voltage reg inside the alt is crap, however a valid question is: what kinda electronics are you pushing? Maybe too much for the little battery to handle. I have a battery tender on all my 7's. If you aren't aware, a tender is different than a charger - it will monitor and slowly charge the battery vice a typical tricle charger.

Looks like he has underdrive pulleys as well, which wil only further complicated the problem. I would get the larger odyssey battery and relocate it to the rear bins as well as replace/rebuild the alternator.

Don't really think it is just the battery's fault, unless you have a huge stereo system in the car. I am running this battery and I have not had any problems with it so far, it even sat for a year and was recharged and was fine.

The battery is done. Buy a new one and your problem is solved. These batteries must be put on a trickle charger or the car driven often. Ask me how I know.

I'm tired of it myself and I am looking to do something different.

"Trickle Charger." That's the part I was referring to that some people used as a solution. Thanks for the input "tt."

Must figure out some of these problems first. Thanks for the bracket though.

I exchanged it under warrenty and installed it the next day. Then proceeded to drive it constantly for a couple of weeks before this happened again.

I had been watching the PFC. when this happened again.

" Reinstalled every thing and was good for only about two weeks this time. This time I noticed the PFC had a peak volts of over 15 when I started to have the fluctuation of the volts in the 12's and 13's."



Would 15.6 volts be overcharging?

The only ICE that I am running is a CD player running the door speakers and the center channel, a wide band, Blitz boost controller and meter. Also still have the factory alarm.

Unfortunatly this is the second brand new battery I have gone through in two months. I am pretty sure that the cause of the problem lies elswere. But i am sure that this current battery is cashed.

How is your battery mounted? All OEM setups mount the battery using a plastic (non-metal) tray. I don't have a good justification as to why, but I'm sure it's got something to do with the saying "Don't store a battery directly on the ground, or it will discharge. Put it on a block of wood." My PC680 is mounted in a wooden tray/box, and I've had the same one since May 2005. I've let the car sit for 1-2 weeks at a time, with no problems. The only time it discharged was when I was running my window wipers (and washers) for about 5 mins while the engine was off, and then I left the ignition on for about 45 mins after that.

Mounting is a bit ghetto, but it works:
https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...hmentid=127940

-s-

The last time I put in the newest batt. I put some double sidded trim tape and left one side of the tapebacking on. I put it on al sides that the battery made contact with the aluminum tray that I made. I even put the same tape on the hold down in the same fasion. There should be a good 1/16 of space seperating the battery from the tray on all sides.

The Odessy is a gel cell, is it not? If so the max voltage you can use to recharge it is ~14.4V, IIRC. Anything more will overcharge and ruin it. There are special chargers sold that limit voltage for AGM (absorbed glass mat) and gel-cells. The 15+ volts that some charging systems put out could ruin it.

Dave

Looks to be a dry cell.

http://www.batterystore.com/Odyssey/PC680MJT.htm

If you ever change batteries, I would suggest a Duralast Miata Battery. They're small, semi-light and come with a 3 year warranty/7 year pro-rated warranty.

I've had mine for 3 years without any problems.

Charging voltage from Odyssey tech info
 

Quote:

(A) Selecting the right charger for your battery
Qualifying portable automotive and powersport chargers for your ODYSSEY battery is a simple two-step process.
Step 1:
Charger output voltage
Determining the charger output voltage is the most important step in the charger qualification process.
If the voltage output from the charger is less than 14.2V or more than 15V for a 12V battery, then do not use the charger.

Unquote

This seems to infer that an automotive alternator could damage the battery if it puts out more than 15 V.

Dave

So if when my volts peaked to 15.5-16 for any amount of time. It could have damaged the battery.

Good find dave

way too high

Link? Some info on this jewel?

Thanks.

Any updates on this issue? I also have a similar issue.

15.6V seems pretty high. I use the Hawker Genesis EP series mini battery (similar to the Oddessy), and it's usually between 13.6 and 14.1v according to the PFC.

I put a battery maintainer on my mini battery every once in awhile when I'm not driving my FD. My car isn't daily driven, so it's usually in the garage a lot. My batteries also running a 12" sub and I haven't seen any problems yet. Runs pretty well!

SOrry no updates other than. I went and had the alternater rebuilt, and still have the same problem only this time it happened in one night.

Do you have a keyless door system? Is it possible that there is some small but constant drain on your battery? Glove box light on? Courtesy light in the rear compartment? These batteries are very good at holding a charge with no load (despite what some may believe). When they are subject to a small but constant load they will discharge in a hurry.

I would get a meter and measure the amps that the system is pulling when everything is off. Make sure it's close to nothing. The alarm and the head unit will always draw something so pull their fuses before you start.

For what it's worth..

odessy,mini-bat.... etc. suck. i have been dealing with them for years in various race cars and have had to replace them 2-3 times a season...mind this a 10-12 race season. I can't even imagine using them in a street car where i would think reliability would win out over a very small reduction in wieght, move the battery to compartment behind the seats and put a "ROCK" battery in. the "ROCK" has proven to me to be the best smaller lighter battery around. you purchase them through BSR products.

I just checked out there catalog. Witch battery would you recomend for street use.

At this point I dont care about weight savings from a battery. I will remove it from some were else.

I am about to face a similar situation. I need either a smaller battery, actually the PC680 was what was reccomened to me. Anyone have any luck with the optima 51R? Or maybe it would just be better to relocate it. Any good "how to" writeups on battery relocation. I found one a few weeks ago but he added lots of extra fuses and things that I do not need.

i got out my book that came with my battery...says a battery can be stored for 2 years if the below 77 F......also a trickle charger(12v 3 amp) can be left connected to the battery for storage....

charge time for a pc680, that is 100% discharged(11.5 volts) is

2 hours ---on a 10-amp charger
1 hour-----on a 20-amp charger

volt readings .......... state of charge

12.84 or higher ----- 100%
12.50 ----- 75%
12.18 ----- 50%
11.88 ----- 25%

hope this helps out anyone that might need it....

Ok well I did some more digging and here are two great writeups for anyone on relocating the battery. I think this may be a better fix than going with another PC680. Seems like a lot of ppl have issues with them.

http://reganrotaryracing.tripod.com/batrelo.htm

http://smi-web.stanford.edu/people/moconnor/battery/

where did you get that battery mount?

I would recommend the "ROCK" #31 w/850cca it should fit pretty nicely in to one of the bins. you may want to ask BSR for dimensions on both the 31 and the 24..either one would work for the electrical side its just a matter of one being a little shorter and thus fitting a little better

and as for the rest of the people who are still thinking of using an odessy,mini-batt,hawker, genisis....type of battery save yourself a whole lot of headaches in the future and stick with a battery with at least 700 cca and can tolerate the abuse that a street car puts on it. replacing/jumping/charging a battery everytime you wanna drive gets really old really fast. I know some people on say they have had no troubles yet....well the key is yet.

Could you give me, about what the price should be for these. I will try and call them today, but am pretty busy at work and it is easier for me to check the forum.

Now that is a great write up. I havn't read the whole thing, but the pictures are nice. :lol:

I've had the Odyssey PC 900 for years with no real problems. Car sits in the garage sometimes for a couple weeks, and used to be parked outdoors. I think the 680 might just be too small.

FYI, if you try to recharge them, you need to hit them hard. I did kill mine once, and it looked like a dead cell... really low voltage, and the regular trickle car-battery charger didn't put a dent in it. My dad happened to have a charger that is adjustable, so we figured what the hell and hit it with 20-30 amps. It was back in a couple hours... amazing.

I still have the warenty on my battery, I wonder if they would let me replace it with somthing larger? Any one think that they will be up for this?

I still think you're going about this the wrong way. If you had water leaking through the roof of your house whenever it rained, would you call a plumber? No, you'd call a roofer.


You should focus on finding what's draining your battery. If you don't, you're eventually going to have the same issue with a larger battery, it'll just take longer to resurface. There's a nice writeup in this thread: https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generation-specific-1993-2002-16/battery-drain-496177/


Here's a summary:
After you have confirmed your alternator is charging the battery (14V at the battery when the engine is on), check the Dark Current drain:


https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...d=203244&stc=1


1. Turn car off.
2. Turn off everything (lights, radio, etc...)
3. Disconnect a battery lead (does not matter which one)
4. Set your multimeter to read milli-Amps (use the highest scale: 0-200 mA is shown here)
5. Put one lead on car battery and the other lead on battery cable. If you get a negative number, switch the leads.
6. Dark Current draw should be less than 50 milli-Amps.

Assuming your Dark Current is more than 50 mA, here's how to find your draw.
7. Remove fuses, one at a time, keeping an eye on the Dark Current reading.
8. If you take out a fuse and the number changes a lot, you've found the problem. Check what is powered through that fuse circuit.
9. If you have any custom wiring that goes straight to the battery (gauges, stereo stuff) check that first, custom installs are often the culprit. You should really add a fuse to custom work, an easy way is to use two female spade terminals (buy them at Radio Shack or any auto parts store). You can connect one spade terminal to each side of a standard automotive blade-type fuse.


Hope this helps,
-s-

LOL, yeah I'm laughing cuz I have a pc900 that i use in my go kart starter that i bought back in 2003 and it's still holding strong... but the vast majority of them have given me nothing but headaches.

thumbs up to scotty305, absolutley check this but i still am holding strong on my anti odessy view because of many factors in a street car aside from odessy's inherent unreliability. such as leaving a door ajar over night combined with keeping clocks running and other minor drains that happen over night and you wake up to a totally dead car where as if you use a properly sized battery you can ushually leave the dome light on over night and the thing will still crank in the morning. also i read a figure of 15v above and i can assure you mini batts do not like over charging at all and thats pretty high.

If your refering to my mount? I made it from aluminum L extrusion.

I am going to check a couple of things as I change the battery.

The problem I seem to be having is while the car is running. Wich lead me to beleave that it was the alternater. Had this rebuilt and had the problem still. Now I have had a couple of people tell me that a bad starter can keep drawing power while the car is on. So I will look into this also. I also am going to check out some of the wiring harnesses, to see if there is any thing I can see wrong.

scotty305, Thanks alot for that advice. Do you think that there would be a way to do this test while the car is running?

scotty305, Thanks alot for that advice. Do you think that there would be a way to do this test while the car is running?

- Yes and no.

1. When the car is running, there is a LOT more current flowing than most multimeters are capable of measuring. You'll want to use a clamp-style ammeter for currents above 10A. (Sears sells them for about $60, be sure to look for one that can measure DC Amps, not just AC) Clamp meters are nice because you don't need to break the circuit, so it's much safer.


2. When the car is running, the alternator should be supplying more current to the system than the battery. The current flowing through the battery terminals should be pretty low, but you I still wouldn't advise measuring it with a multimeter.

-s-