seattle951

Has anyone else been using Odyssey batteries in cold weather?

My 1986 944T can only go about 2 weeks without recharging with its Odyssey battery in Virginia. When the battery goes dead, it requires a special charger to make it usable again. I have the charger and a spare battery. The charging process is taking about 5 hours.

I reviewed the Odyssey website and this battery is rated at 330 CCA. I purchased a Napa battery today with 700 CCA. I plan to use the Napa battery in cold weather and then switch back to the Odysseys in the spring, summer and fall. In warm weather, the Odyssey has 900 amps if I read the specifications correctly.

The Odyssey weighs 28 lbs and the Napa weights 38.5 lbs.

What have been the experience of others with Odyssey batteries in cold weather?

944meister

I used to run an odyssey 625 year round in my daily driver S2 (Yes, through sub zero Celsius weather too). It lasted for two years, which is technically a premature death for those batteries, but that's because they are supposed to be used in cars whose alternator charges at a minimum of 14.0v. Late 944 alternators pump out about 13.5-13.8v.
If you are storing the car, you should be disconnecting both leads to maintain the battery, when not in use.

seattle951

I live in South America. The car is in Washington DC (soon to be back in Seattle). My wife starts the car once every couple of a weeks for a few minutes. In the summer, the Odyssey is fine. In the winter, if she misses a start or if the weather is extraordinarily cold, the battery fails. After a failure, I recharge the battery during one of my visits. I come back to the U.S. every couple of months.

Techno Duck

I ran the PC680 year round for 3 years with my 951. Always turned over even with 10w40 and in some cases 15w50 oil in the winter. It was slow, but it always started; never left me stranded. I also used to let the car sit for a few weeks at a time, in a few cases it was 2 months. Perhaps you have a slight current draw when sitting still.

I recently switched to the PC925... its now turning over a 5.7L LS1 with 10w40 in the winter. No issues.

rlm328

So why are you using an Odessey instead of a Optima Red Top?

jerome951

If the car is used that infrequently, I'd suggest installing a cutoff switch to keep from draining the battery. No reason to continually kill the battery with infrequent starts. And only running the car a few minutes probably doesn't replenish the draw used when starting.

seattle951

My wife is not going to deal with a cut-off switch. I can barely get her to start it as it is. She barely tolerates this hobby.

I have already purchased the Napa battery and will install it when the rain stops in the DC area. This should solve the problem.

Within a week, the car will be shipped to Seattle by truck. The driver has made it clear that he needs to move the car on the truck and that the car must start. At this point, I do not trust the Odyssey.

Once in Seattle, this car will be my daily driver until my car arrives from Colombia. The Porsche will then return to hobby status.

I have purchased a cut-off switch and will install it once I replace the dry cell. It doesn't get as cold in Seattle. I suspect this will solve the problem.