Wormhole

Anyone running the Hawker ODYSSEY PC680 battery? It's only 15lbs, 280CCA and 680 Cranking Amps for 5 Seconds. I think it's smaller in every dimension then standard 40R, so it can be mounted in any direction with a custom bracket. Any feedback would be great.

sushinav

Bump. I'd like to know also. I was going to include one of these for my weight loss program. I know a local shop in Riverside, CA (Precision Motion) that has them in a few cars. You might give them a call and see what they think of them.

Kevin M

Guys,
I have been running mine for 2.5 years. First in an Acura CL and for the last 2 years in my 951. No problem at all. I don't live in a cold climate (CA) if you are running large stereo amps etc. you will want to keep your car running when playing the stereo. It is a great way to lose 20lbs + from the front of your car.
Kevin

Alan C.

Another one to look into is the Optima Yellow. I looked at one at the local Pep Boys and as I recall it was right at 20 LBS.

TonyG

What are you doing to adapt the factory wiring?

Does the batter have some sort of adapter kit?

I don't see any of the batteries that have the proper terminals.


Thanks..

TonyG

Wormhole

Tony, they sell optional automotive terminals for $15.

Kevin, thanks for the feedback. I'm a little concerned about how it will perform in the cold weather; since it's been sub zero hear in NY. How did you mount the battery? I'm trying to avoid drilling through the firewall. Don’t want any water leaks to develop.

The lightest optima I could find is the 51 yellow top at 26lbs. Its 7.8” high, so I think the only opinion would be to mount it on its side.

Ken

The PC680 has a fair amount of trouble in cold weather for me. I had it in my car all of last year and I had occasional starting problems even when hot. I haven't pinned it directly on the battery, but it's really the only thing left. I have the automotive terminals and they work fine.

I mounted it to the stock mounting position and didn't have to drill any holes. I basically bent a piece of aluminum stock, 1.5" W and maybe 0.25" thick around the battery. I wedgedone side under the outer lip of the stock battery holder and drilled a hole in the other end that fit right on the stud. Then I just used a nut to hold the whole thing down. I can try and get pictures if anyone is interested. The setup lasted a year's worth of autocross and a track day with zero problems.

Wormhole

Hey Ken, Do you use the car everyday? Is it only when the car has been sitting for a while that you have trouble? You mentioned you had some starting problems when hot, I assume you mean weather wise. Would you still then associate the starting problems to the cold weather? Could you have an electrical short somewhere? Sorry for the abundance of questions, but I need to make a decision soon.

I thought about mounting it the same way you described. If you have a picture I would be interested to see it.

Thanks

Ken

John, no I don't use the car everyday. In the summer, it's weekly to bi-weekly for autocrosses. Right now, the battery is warm in the garage while the car is snow covered. The problem mainly happens after the car has been sitting but it happens at other times as well. For instance, I drove all the way out to the Zone 1 Autocross, the car started fine in the morning, when I got there and was going for my first run the car wouldn't start. The hour+ drive should have charged it all back up if it was low. After I got back from the three runs, it started fine. I have no clue why.

When I say hot, I mean after the car has been run for awhile and everything is "hot". I'm not sure what this points to, the battery or the wiring.

I suppose I could have a short. About a year ago I had the engine out, and all the wiring removed. It all looked to be in decent shape, but I'm working on an Iceshark kit power and ground kit just to be sure. I haven't gotten the money out to him yet. That is why I say I'm not 100% sure it's the battery.

Also, one time when it was not starting I jumped under the car and checked the voltage to the starter. It was about 11.8V. This was after it had sat for a few weeks. I hooked up my old battery with some jumper cables and the car started right up.

I'll try and get a picture up tonight of the bracket. It should be laying around in the garage.

IceShark

John, I don't think that battery will have a very good chance of starting your car if it is sub-zero. CCA is the amps the battery can discharge at 0F for 30 seconds, when it is new and at full charge. And "full output" is defined as over 7.2 volts! I don't even think our starter will work at 7.2 volts. I seem to recall the DME stops working once you get somewhere under 9 volts so wouldn't matter no matter how fast the starter turned over. So you would only have a few seconds at best to get the motor to catch. To make things worse the CCA output drops like a rock the colder you get.

The amps the starter will draw in sub zero can be amazingly high to turn over all that stiff metal and thick oil. We are talking in the 400 amp range pretty easy.

Give it a try and when it doesn't work in winter just swap it out with a big battery and switch back in spring. You are not going to be doing much DE or AutoX in the winter anyway.

Wormhole

Ken, since it’s an intermittent problem, and has happened soon after running the car long enough for a full charge, I would suspect it to be something else. How old is the alternator? Maybe the smaller battery is making a dieing alternator or faulty wiring more obvious. Or maybe just wishful thinking on my part.

IceShark, I understand what your saying with the cold weather performance, that is my main concern. I know one person using it in recent weather with no problem, but it’s not on a Porsche.

Another option is the PC925 at 26lbs, it’s still light and has a higher rating. 470CCA and 925 craning amps for 5 secs.

BTW. I just weighed my 40R diehard in at 36lbs. Not as heavy as I thought it would be.

Ken

John, the alternator is brand new, as is the starter. The wiring is very suspect. I also replaced the ignition switch about a year ago. Maybe some other loose/bare wire in the circuit.

The battery I took out weighed over 40lbs! It was some "max life" battery. I didn't go for the PC925 because the Optima Red/Yellow are in the same weight range. The 680 is wayyy light!

Here a bunch of pictures of the bracket on and off the car. It was very easy to make. I hope it shows everything you need to make your own. If you need more info, let me know.

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/kenada...cs/page_01.htm

Wormhole

Ken, thanks a bunch for the pics and info. Nice job on the bracket, I'll probably do something similar. I think I’m going with the 680 and use it just for the summer if need be..

Kevin M

Wormhole,
My battery is oriented very similar to the way Ken has his mounted in the pics. Mine is in a track car and I was concerned about movement of the battery in any direction, so I added a couple " L " brackets in addition to the strap across the top. The brackets are simply butted up against the battery and sheet metal screwed down to the bottom of the battery box. This is probably more than you would need for a street car.
Kevin

Wormhole

Well... it turns out my car won't idle with this battery. I tried it twice, once in the cold, and once at operating temp and in the garage. Both had the same results, the idle hiccupped to the point where it would have stalled. Car runs fine with a regular 40R. I’m confused why it would work on other 944’s and not mine.

Kevin, are you using the stock DME?