[Grn06rubi]

i leave my jeep sitting up to 6 months at a time as im at school with the pickup and the jeeps at home in storage . i got home tonight and the battery was dead tried to jump it and as soon as id take the jumper cables off it would die. this jeep being stored for long periods at a time what would be the best battery. right now im looking at the optima yellow and the diehard platinum.

Thanks

 

[KaiserJeep]

Those are tough conditions for any battery to be used under since many accessories like aftermarket stereos have a continuous small current draw which will flatten batteries over months. I would use a plug-in battery maintainer if it was being stored indoors, and a solar charger if it is being stored outdoors. That way the battery never goes flat.

The best option for now is to trickle charge your battery overnite and see if it comes back. The stock battery may or may not.

 

[Elwarpo]

While i like the platinum (have them in 3 jeeps), I would recommend disconnecting the battery during storage. the best thing is a trickle charger to keep it topped off.

 

[Eric]

While i like the platinum (have them in 3 jeeps), I would recommend disconnecting the battery during storage. the best thing is a trickle charger to keep it topped off.

Agreed

 

[BLACK RUBI]

While no battery likes being totally discharged, if I needed to replace one I'd go with a Diehard Platinum over a Optima. As stated above disconnect it and/or figure out a way to put a small amount of charge into it during storage.

 

[johncanfield]

Even if the battery is completely disconnected, it has internal resistance and will self-discharge over a period of time. As others have mentioned, there are parasitic loads that will discharge a battery over a period of time.

As a rule of thumb, you never want to discharge a flooded cell battery past 50%. If you are storing your Jeep for more than a month or so, best to disconnect the battery.

 

[bbusch]

I store my bimmer six months out of the year and now disco the battery, best bet is to start it a few times each month and let it run for 15-20 minutes if possible.

 

[BLACK RUBI]

If you or someone can manage to start it monthly as stated above, and let it get good and warm, it will also help keep an oil coating on the internals. I know that you need to do that to an RV gen-set to keep it operating well also.

 

[UltdRubi]

Lead Acid batteries are not going to do well sitting for that length of time. Get a Battery Tender Plus and see if it will bring the battery back. I had an Exide Orbital that was drained flat due to a short on my truck. The tender brought it back and, three years later, it's still serving well in another vehicle. If the battery is truely dead, I'd recommend a Die Hard platinum and the Battery Tender Plus.

 

[Chris04]

what type of die hard, which series?

 

[BLACK RUBI]

Diehard Platinum 34/78DT, item #22850090 is what I put in mine. The DT stands for dual terminal.

Ed

 

[Chris04]

Yea i was looking on sears website and saw the dual post one. I still think i might be better off with a drycell battery. optima or odyssey type one. I useto have a red optima and I love that type.

 

[BLACK RUBI]

Before you go with the Optima check out this from ROF:
http://www.rubiconownersforum.com/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=71974

Also, It's my understanding that the Sears Platinum is made by Odyssey.

Ed

 

[doodoob]

I am currently in Afghanistan and have to replace mine when I get home. I have had fairly good luck with my Exide orbital blue top, however it finaly died last month. That is after a year in Korea, 2 deployments, several TDY's, and over 6 years. So I am looking into which one to get when I get back. For all of you platinum owners how long have you had them?

 

[gregert12]

Diehard Platinum 34/78DT, item #22850090 is what I put in mine. The DT stands for dual terminal.

Ed

These are the Platinum P2s for $200 w/o tax.

 

[KaiserJeep]

Diehard Platinum 34/78DT, item #22850090 is what I put in mine. The DT stands for dual terminal.

Ed

These are the Platinum P2s for $200 w/o tax.

Dayum - I paid $173/ea. for my Optima Yellowtops, then saw them for $166 at Costco a few days later.

 

[BLACK RUBI]

Dayum - I paid $173/ea. for my Optima Yellowtops, then saw them for $166 at Costco a few days later.

Ain't that the way it always works?!!! Buy it one day and the next it goes on sale someplace else. The thing with batteries is that they are a very personal item. I've read "someplace else" that their quality went downhill when they were sold to another company.

 

[gregert12]

Dayum - I paid $173/ea. for my Optima Yellowtops, then saw them for $166 at Costco a few days later.

Yellow Tops now go for $200-240

 

[Elwarpo]

The standard size for the wrangler is the Platinum P1 or P4. You can fit a P2 into a 03-04 without any changes. You would have to do a few minutes work to fit it into a 05/06. Both Sears, Optima and Oddessy are gel cells, not dry cell. the main differences is the power and how you can mount them.
Platinum P1/P4 34/78 size 880 CCA mount any way but upside down (posts down)
Platinum P2 65 size 930 CCA mount any way but upside down (posts down)
Oddesey 1500DT 34/78 size 880 CCA mount any way but upside down (posts down)
Optima Red top 34/78 size 800 CCA Mount any way
Optima Yellow top 34/78 size 750 CCA Mount any way

 

[toecutter1978]

Is there a batery that can be mounted upside down like the Optima? I like the fact when I roll atleast battery acid isn't going to spill out.