Odyssey PC680 + Alternator Life
 

The FD would not start today so i pulled out the battery and alternator for testing down at schucks. It turns out the battery was still good (Ive had it for 2 years) and the alternator was toast. The Associate told me that since the battery was too small and underpowered it was going to decrease the life of my alternator. and the life of any alternator i buy after that. He recommended i go with a larger battery so the alternator would not have to work so hard to power my electronics. I figured i'd be fine cause the alternator would power everything when the vehicle was on regardless the battery size. Am I wrong? All i have for a sound system is an alpine deck and 4 speakers. Ive searched but could not find anything related to this. Any help would be great. Thanks

tell the guy he does not know what he is talking about, I've had mine for 5 years and still running strong...Your alternator must have been just going out...

sounds like a dumb fucktard, thats why he's working at schucks instead of working as a master mechanic.

Yep. What they said.

I went through 2 of those batteries and a 3rd of a similar brand. Still have the same 130k miles original alternator on the car. I'm sure its days are numbered.

I've had my pc680 for 3 years with no problem.

Just because your employed by a parts store doesn't mean you know shit. It's not like they send you to a two year course to learn how to sell wiper blades.

The size of the battery has no effect on the output on load of the alternator.

Using his logic a larger battery would tax the alternator more due to increased battery capacity to "keep it full"? Unless he thinks your completely draining the small battery on every start up?

Which we all know is not the case.

A smaller battery just has shorter reserve power & lower (shorter time) cranking power.

cool. thanks guys. all my questions have been answered

The problem with the 680 is that if there is ANYTHING wrong with your charging system, it will die. Also, forget about running fans or stereo for an extended period of time without the car running. The cold cranking amps may also not be enough if you live in an area that gets cold winters. I would also recommend a battery tender if you don't drive the car often. Aftermarket stereos and alarms are notorious for being poorly installed and drain the battery. Even the Power FC puts a small constant drain on the battery. The only reason it would strain the alternator is if the battery is constantly drained and the alternator is forced to charge it up. That being said, I really recommend stepping up to the 925. I get sick of pushing and jump starting cars at my shop that have the 680 that constantly dies.

I am running

PFC
big stereo system
Live in Alaska

and 680 works great

one time I left my lights on so it discharged the battery started up as soon as I hooked up the jumper cables and within 20 mins of driving charged right back up...

i keep mine on a battery tender jr., use it on my cars and bikes all the time, cheap and it help extends the battery life also.