What's Inside an Optima Battery??? AGM Battery's Dirty Little Secrets!

Ever wonder what's inside an Optima battery? So did I. Well this episode, I cut one open to find all it's dirty little secrets! Come check out what I found and what makes Optima batteries different not only from lead acid batteries, but also different from regular AGM batteries.
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This product is meant for entertainment purposes only. Your mileage may vary. Do not try this at home. Void where prohibited. Some assembly required. For off-road use only. Slippery when wet. Batteries not included. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle, heavy equipment, cherokee XJ, wrangler TJ, wrangler JK, or any Jeep vehicle, especially the newer Fiat ones. How-to videos may be too intense for some viewers and children under 30 years of age. Please remain seated until the 4x4 ride has come to a complete stop. Studies have shown viewing these videos causes increased cancer risks in laboratory test people. I am not a professional, I have no training, I'm not even particularly good at horse whispering. Don't believe everything that you know. Please keep your hands in the vehicle at all times. Do not tap on glass. Do not eat anything that has been on the floor for more than 3 days. Keep your hands to yourself. Not to be taken internally. Reproduction strictly prohibited. Driver does not carry cash. Objects in Bleepinjeep mirrors may be farther than they appear.
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[@BlueCollarBachelor]

Waterboarding wasn't going to work... It was a Marine battery.

[@bleepinjeep]

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!

[@jaxturner7288]

The Reverend very true fitting and tragic, you should do stand up.

[@BlueCollarBachelor]

@@jaxturner7288 too busy sitting down these days.

[@niccocowboymetoyer2972]

OOHRAH

[@stephaniecurlee6936]

You win the internet! Lol I was laughing when he threw the towel on 😂😂😂

[@eyesonlyvideo]

I would like to see that done with a new optima battery. Maybe we could find out why the new ones are only lasting 2-3 years and the old ones lasted 10-15.

[@MDGOrbit]

Its because they were bought out a while made and only are made in Mexico now .

[@clevc112]

@@MDGOrbit exactly

[@rondhole]

@@MDGOrbit yes, they are not good at all. Any battery from Walmart made in USA are better. I prefer to get Yuasa or NAPA AGM battery. They have very long 48 months warranty

[@1964rmcc]

I would love to know that also I've had to replace mine twice and think I should try a yellow top now

[@Lucky-ou4vz]

@@rondhole NAPA Rip Off

[@user-sm1eh3yw6h]

I didn’t even get 3 years out of mine. I went back to a GM agm battery from the dealership and it has outlasted the optima by double so far!

[@jagboy69]

Same here, less than three years and mine was an expensive paper weight. JUNK!

[@michaelcarney7299]

Sorry to hear that. My Optima Yellow Top is going on 4+ years and still has 95% SOH. I do keep it charged regularly since the car is not driven much, and I have a voltage booster diode in line with the fuse on her Toyota to bring the alternator charge voltage up to 14.6 during driving.

[@anthonyflacke]

The Optima battery today is not as well made as the original optima batteries. They had purest copper vs lead. Today's Optima requires Desulfating, with a special charger to electronically remove sulfate crystals forming inside. The sulfate crystal decreases the amount of charge the cells can hold.

[@animefreak5757]

do NOT add acid to a battery unless it's brand new and not prefilled or you know wtf your doing. The acid itself isn't what get's low, it's the water that evaporates off (it's a bit more complicated then that, but that explanation works well enough) While the spiral cell design may make it stronger vertically, I personally don't park my jeep on top of my battery at the end of the day. I will stick to regular square designed AGMs since you can get more capacity and power output for a given battery size.

[@bjarnieinarsson3472]

I agree.. it's unbelievable to see people post on YT video like this of person with absolute no knowledge about it. He doesn't even know how battery work, led and ledoxide, sulfate acid and sulfate crystals etc. etc. etc.

[@joseybarra2046]

Tyler, I love your cinematics and production/editing skills! You are da MAN! 😎 Between this, and the masterpiece that is the collection of videos from Moab, you should have several prestigious film industry awards already. Keep up the awesome work, I'll be glued to my screen! 🤤🤯

[@christianb5110]

Awesome video I always enjoy learning something new.

[@Charlie_Foxtrot_]

The beginning just reminds me of “Dude, Where’s My Car” interrogation scene. Lol awesome.

[@TheJonwilder]

Great exploratory video Tyler! Fantastic beginning! LoL.

[@68pishta68]

Thats how we made batteries in grade school science class: Strip of lead and a strip of zinc and a strip of paper towel! Lead-paper towel-zinc strip, roll it like a jelly roll into a 35mm film canister and hook the lead tab to + 12V and negative to zinc plate tab. fill with sulfuric acid -- Put it on a charger overnight and we got about 2.3V out of it the next day.

[@pauldebenham5543]

soooo funny start and then a really interesting and informative video cheers mate, Paul UK

[@FloorItDuh]

That was neat. I've always wondered what the inside of these looked like.

[@hawkie333]

Love the intro, awesome material!

[@jt-gm6ji]

Awesome intro 😂👌 loved the vid, always wanted to see inside

[@sureshlingabathina]

Excellent tear down

[@troytreeguy]

Long time subscriber here loving this video! I have an optima yellow top that belonged to a friend for 7 years of hard use in an old f150, I ran it in the truck for two years and then crashed it 200' into the Maine woods. It survived and I installed it in my Wife's mini skid steer where it still resides. At 12 years old its far outlasted any comparable battery and at a cost of less than 25$ a year combined with its torture and survival, I won't buy anything else. Be Well

[@aserta]

Actually, the reason they roll the Optima batteries VS stacking them is because it's a cheaper process. You need a three machines to make the regular pancake stack battery, versus the Optima where you only need one. The factories that make the Optima style battery only have to order the right dimensions of roll, feed them into a rolling machine (kinda like you'd roll a DIY cigar) and then they're done, where as the regular one, they receive sheets, have to cut them, have to install them in order, then put them in the battery. It's actually cheaper to make (in talks of operations, not materials, that's a different matter altogether) an Optima battery than it is to make a regular pancake style one, and that's without talking about the fact that the machines to roll batteries in that format, already exist in that size, because they make capacitors that big (which follow the same kind of design). Whatever CEO figured that one out, pulled himself a neat retirement package. Take it as you will, it is what it is.

[@werner.x]

@ BleepinJeep Great Job. I did like this video. The reddish-brown stuff is not the reason, your battery died. This is just the normal lead-dioxide of the positive electrode, which is never pure lead. Pure lead is the negative electrode - when charged. Your battery got choked from the white stuff which is a buildup of lead-sulfate, it might also have separated your internal connections due to its expansion. You get this white stuff during discharge on all the lead surface as a normal reaction. If the battery doesn't get fully recharged immediately after any use, the lead-sulfate has time enough to form bigger crystals. These big crystals of lead-sulfate won't completely dissolve next time you charge, and so, piece by piece the're reducing the capacity of your battery. So destruction of the battery starts slowly - just a little bit every time any type of partially discharged lead-acid battery sits around for a while.

[@TheMickyTDI]

The reddish brown stuff is the reason this battery died ( not because it’s reddish brown) if you look closely it’s all crumbly and lost integrity, it’s called positive plate corrosion. Sulfation only happens to batteries that are not charged properly. Typical end of life car batteries do not die from sulfation.

[@smoke_stackz3168]

@@TheMickyTDI no positive plates were really redish brown. It dies because positive plates are already worn out corroded

[@ericksanchezHN]

The best explanation out there!

[@MsBugativeyron]

I don’t normally laugh at blogger jokes but that intro was actually funny. Good explanation on battery’s 👍

[@COddietsch]

Finally.... thanks for the effort.

[@superchile9640]

My Northstar, also an AGM battery lasted 13 months. They covered it 100% under warranty but I had to wait a month to get the new one. I was sent an Odyssey as the parent company bought Northstar.

[@mcdoctorglock]

Good video, very informative. Glad to hear I may still have another 5 years of life out of my first Optima.

[@pierrechristen9025]

How?

[@jakematthews6982]

Great intro. If I could give two thumbs up I would!

[@sarahconner9433]

6:15 the correct reason for spiral is you get more "plate" area inside the same size box!!

[@cdmc012599]

They use to be awesome batteries till they started manufacturing them out of Mexico. Now your lucky to get 2 years out of them. Versus getting 10 years plus out of my older Optima's.

[@raychilcote5558]

Absolutely agree. I won't be buying another Optima. Of course, no reason to the moment. My 11 yo Optima is still turning over the v8.

[@rondhole]

The one that could crumble is from PbO or positive electrode because it is just like dried paste. The negative electrode is pure Pb and still plyable and solid.

[@anthonycook8737]

Walks into Autozone... "Can I get a warranty exchange on this...?"

[@phantomwalker8251]

bought a century batt,yrs ago,went dead 2 days outa warrenty,took it back,got a new one,i said,what when this goes dead next yr,A,bring it back for a new one.

[@anthonycook8737]

@@phantomwalker8251 but, I'll bet you didn't bring it back in pieces saying "I don't understand, it just stopped working....".

[@marrag1]

This was literally me with two of their optima batteries lol

[@jameswriston6952]

Optima was awesome back in the day. Now you do good to get 2 years out of one.

[@edsmith5873]

I don't know if any of y'all agree with me or not but I just think they cost way to much 🤑!! I'm just gonna stick to my 1000 amp Interstate 👍,, been in my Jeep 6yrs. and starts every time,, even at temps below 0. But to each his own 🤙✌️

[@daveknight7963]

Mine lasted just over a year😖

[@ham003latechedu]

I just took a red top outta service, I had it 6 years 200k miles and didnt want it to die out on the road somewhere. I guess I got lucky.

[@jameswriston6952]

@@ham003latechedu The older ones were Awesome! about 3 or so years ago Optima went to shit.

[@first6982]

My 7/16 red top just died. First and last optima for me.

[@Gokraut]

Dude great work

[@rjinnh3933]

I was chuckling from the beginning and then laughed heartily when he brought out the chainsaw and again when he started it. This is absolutely the best intro to a Utoob vid I have ever watched. This guy has a great imagination and a flair for drama. Cudos Bro! I have a 4 year old Optima Yellow Top, that has spent 98% of its life sitting in my SUV and occasionally required a charge to start the engine after it sat for several days. Then twice recently went to 3.3 volts on the road. Left me stranded once, got home OK second time using only parking lights. With charger, it gets to 14.7V then drops to 11.5V when charger is removed. Best guess is that it has a 'Dead Cell' and I will replace it when finances permit. Looking at an almost $300 Duracell or Interstate with top and side terminals but must wait a few months. I'm in the process of connecting my 2x100 amp house battery pack, via a 200 amp switch and 6AWG wire, to the engine battery so if/when it happens again, at 10/20degF, I can flick the switch and get home. When the engine died on the road, a friendly motorist jump started me. My factory dash gauge read 0% before the jump and 75% of scale after the engine started. Zero% of scale = 3.3V and 75% = 14.7V via a VOM. Those are the readings after I got home the second time. After watching this very valuable vid, my thought is that an interconnection at one cell is corroded and causes a Hi-Resistance that causes the 11.5 volt reading after a 14.7V charge cycle and occasionally goes so high that is acts as almost an open, i.e. 3.3 volts. Keep in mind that the 6 cells are in series and resistance at any one cell interconnect will cause a low reading after a full charge and randomly what amounts to an open on occasion. This vid showed that the corroded connection between 2 adjacent sells may well be my problem and also the 'Achilles Heal' for all Optima batteries. I accept that the lead grates will get covered with an insulating layer after several years of use, or non-use, and causes progressive deterioration of the battery. But I will not accept that the interconnections between adjacent cells will develop high resistance and battery failure due to corrosion. NO MORE OPTIMA BATTERIES FOR ME........

[@rjinnh3933]

OOPs: It's not a Yellow Top, it's a Red Top. Also, there will be a 200A Fusible Link at the house battery POS Terminal that will then connect to the 200A switch.

[@dr.jex___]

Using an osculating cutter to open up the battery was a real good idea, you must have redone some flooring at some point.

[@jimsizemore6407]

I'm looking through your videos. I have a full hydraulic steering system with a single ended ram. And was wondering if you had a video of purging old fluid for new. Thanks

[@lokeshvigil8497]

Nice explanation

[@greamcreed4ae704]

Hilarious I subscribed just because it was creative and fgave me a belly laugh

[@stephaniecurlee6936]

🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂 Best intro I've seen in a while

[@jackw3235]

Great video 👍👍👍

[@EvanMoon]

This intro sounds and the sliding of this chair, priceless

[@Evan-3355]

This looks like something I need to try at home.. .

[@bernhardkinsky3611]

Bought my yellow top in November 1993 still has 9 volts , now I use it to power the led work lite,was in my fj 40 up until she didn't want to crank the 327 Chevy motor no more,thanks a lot for sharing.

[@kenavguy]

Best AGM video on KZbin! Lol

[@AZWESTSIDEWHEELERS]

😂🤣 epic intro. Great video

[@3847395]

Dude ur the best!!!

[@GregsGarage]

That was fun to see. Now I know what's in my yellow top.

[@candicebeebe6688]

My yellow top Optima is 11 years old now. Starts The Astro van every day.

[@popanollie1]

lucky.... you must have bought one right before they moved to mexico. i got 3 yellow tops and all went bad right after the 2 or 3 year warranty was up, like literally to the week

[@billsauer3164]

@13:35. I make batteries at Crown battery, its most definitely supposed to be red.. its red lead oxide. And grey lead oxide that makes up the positive and negative sides of the battery

[@ronron8464]

Good vid‼️ I’ve never had any luck with optima batteries. Switched to Sears Die Hards Top one and they have done well! Ron1, Littlewierdjeep

[@mikehoffman3690]

Cool video.

[@YotaakGFX]

I didnt know you could mount it on it side, very cool

[@jaxturner7288]

Don’t know much about performance batteries then, uncool. 💉

[@ccfmfg]

Was that Optima Battery Top Sonic Welded On, Glued On or Snapped On? Thanks for the video.

[@Joe-Mamasixtyninefourtwenty]

Ive got a wal-mart battery in my xj, never had issues, its gotta be at least 5 yrs old by now

[@BAdventures]

I got a Yellow Top last year. Hoping it will last. Good video 😎👍

[@rondye9398]

I was a delivery driver for Johnson Controls and have a car collection and dozens of these batteries. What I can tell you is the old original batteries made in Colorado were the best and I have 2 over 30 years old! Next are US made batteries which can last up to 10, and now the Mexico made batteries last just long enough for the warranties to expire. Is this something designed into them? I don't know but are looking for an alternative.

[@renegaderats]

intro alone worth the thumbs up

[@jasonlisonbee]

Is there any recently made battery you feel confident will likely last several years?

[@salvatere]

Wow supe teacher , thanks

[@jimmykosko]

Also was wondering what was on the inside. 15 years? Same battery that’s pretty good... real good. Very cool Thanks

[@bryanbryant9962]

I just replaced two Optima Red Tops that lasted 13 and 14 years with new Red Tops. About six months later I am seeing comments on KZbin that manufacturing was moved to Mexico and the quality went down. Apparently this happened in 2008 but I am only discovering it now, after I purchased 2 Red Tops six months ago! It will be very interesting to see how these recent Optimas compare to the previous generation.

[@richardpowell2953]

My Yellow Opima only lasted 5.8 years in a small pick up truck. But I live near the ocean and the truck is not garaged. But I have heard from mechanics they hate Optima after Johnson Controls purchased them.

[@michaelcarney7299]

Yeah, they took manufacturing down to Mexico and some claim quality has gone down. My Optima Yellow Top purchased in 2018 is still going strong after 4+ years. I keep is charged regularly on an AGM charger at least once a month.

[@bhomies]

Funny story about chainsaws and car batteries... My second job was at a Napa autoparts in a rural area. One day, i came in and there was a cut up battery sitting in the back. I asked and i guess some logger got really mad and took his chainsaw to it. That guy must of got reeeeeaaallly lucky that it didnt just blow up in his face and i cant imagine all that battery acid didnt destroy someone clothes...

[@ColinDresser]

That’s all it took to take it apart 😅… Nice example. Working w some yellow tops in my system & doing well 😎👍

[@legpetruchka2124]

Thank's Man

[@karljay7473]

I'd like to see someone make a home made battery like this. Rolled fiberglass soaked in acid and lead plates. I'd like to see it made up into 6 cells that can be disconnected from each other so that when/if one goes bad, you can replace it. Then make a removable top where the whole thing slides out and can be cleaned and rebuilt. It's simply plates and acid, no reason it can't be made so you can clean, restore and reuse.

[@brycedrennan7722]

What next? Heliocentrism?

[@NoLimitTouge]

@bleepinJeep how is the relation between the plate surface of the Optima battery and a normal battery? Btw thank y'all for the great videos!

[@jeffyoung2089]

👍👍 Thanks!

[@Khorsathedark]

That was awesome, now show us a vid of you melting that lead down and separating it from the crap. Lead is very expensive right now.

[@reganworkman3935]

I bought the optima marine battery for my boat, it went bad every year for the 3 year warranty. After that I bought a marine battery at Walmart and it is still running today and that was 4 years ago.

[@wlance930]

How are the external terminal studs connected to those lead bars inside?

[@housegoth]

Oh man, that intro was amazing!

[@Subgunman]

First one I bought lasted 6 months, took it back for a freebie replacement, it lasted eight years. I would give them five out of five stars but after reading some of the comments below it drops to three.

[@kcmullins6179]

Oh damn wasn't expecting you to go all Leatherface on it 😂😂😂 hell yeah just subscribed brother

[@ScottStClair-dm6vk]

Paid 350 for my yellow top in Alaska 2 years ago, fingers crossed!

[@madjeepernh6834]

Please tell me you dead shorted that battery before jamming a steel conductor into it.......oh, ok. You did explain that. Can you chew on the lead after removal or is it bad for you? Lol! Come on guys show some Jeep love and hit that like button!!!!

[@mrkultra1655]

You do also need to have an AGM capable battery charger to work with these. A regular battery charger will not cycle the charging properly to keep the battery cool, and will overheat and fry the crap out of AGMs.

[@rangersmith4652]

After 15 years of use? That's what, five times the warranty? Pretty darn impressive if you ask me.

[@abrasive59]

Video starts at 6:43

[@beardzebub6341]

Ok, I have the same battery, 15yrs old. Now that I've watched this video I finally can believe it is finally dead and I can emotionally say good bye. I'm getting another one just like it though. Excellent video on how these work not just a destructive test.

[@Bondovw]

The new one is not the same as your old one

[@kcmullins6179]

Deep cycle marine battery ;) I prefer the yellow top deep cycle amazing for the systems in my cars I run two in each vehicle

[@2004FHC]

Best intro ... 😂

[@Ranguvar13]

In all of KZbin, now over a decade old, this may be the only custom intro music that RIPS Rock on!! EDIT: It all rips. Got a bandcamp? Who's playin?

[@roman220220220]

Ty

[@e7lde7]

awesome intro

[@forreststrong797]

I'm surprised those terminals didn't just fall right off looks like it gave a little fight. I've seen so many terminals fall off optimas for some reason.

[@jermainroachford2459]

Thanks for this very informative video. I would strongly advise you wear a dust mask next time. Keep up the good work though.

[@stevenpellegrino997]

You forgot don't try this at home... And it's hard to open because you don't F with the Marines battery lol that was interesting to see inside. 15 years was a long run. I have the yellow top. For my classic car. Not going to put two yellow tops in my 02 Duramax plow truck.

[@NewsBroadcasting]

i have 2 yellow tops and 2 blue tops Optima batteries that failed within a year, warranty is non existent, what should I do with them? the blue tops never been outdoors. Total cost $1400

[@Comrade_YG]

The intro was so funny

[@noohohno]

14 years for the first yellow top. Paid ~$100. 6 years of use on #2. Paid ~$180. Just purchased #3 from Optima direct.Paid ~$237. Diminishing value. Think #1 was made in the USA, #2 made in Mexico. Quality control, change in design or just lucky with #1? Still beats needing to replace a “conventional” lead acid battery every couple years. Especially when I wait until the battery is “dead”. Need to use the load tester on regular basis. Not after the battery has gone poo. Thanks for the dissection and info video.

[@LogicBob]

@8:00 Is the camera FPS synced with the RPMs of the angle grinder??? That's such a cool shot!!

[@IJMacfarlane]

I was wondering the same thing.

[@TJuvis]

That's no angle grinder. I believe it's called an oscillating multi-tool.

[@sodiumvapor13]

Lol nice intro... subbed!

[@danhambrick6331]

Yeah!!One from Tyler...

[@corpuschristi6149]

does this void the warranty ?

[@zoexj4872]

In ze finest tradition of ze Geshtapo...zer güt. Wünderbar. Danke, mein herr. Btw Tyler, is there another battery similar in performance to the original Optimas? My Napa gold is on it's last legs.

[@beersngearz781]

Who's doing the editing for you guys now? You really stepped up your game👍😎

[@bleepinjeep]

Did this one myself, but got some new software. Thanks for the compliment!

[@beersngearz781]

@@bleepinjeep no problem I've always been a huge fan of this channel but you guys are really making a name for yourselves and building a lot of really cool jeeps!! Love it!!!👍

[@Merlin-Power]

Interesting to see how these compare to Fullriver's AGM batteries 👀

[@plumkey197]

My Optima yellow top is 6 years old (purchased from Amazon). It's been discharged several times down to the 10.5 amp range, and I have an AGM setting on my charger when this happens. The battery always has a small load while the car sits because of the gizmos that spring to life randomly, and the interior light has been left on numerous times. The Toyota battery before this one lasted 3 years. Sounds like I lucked out and ended up with a good one. Resting voltage 12 hrs after being on charger - 12.5V (disconnected from car). After the car sitting for 3 days - 12.3V.

[@user-xc6zw2gf4v]

شكرا

[@Rajeshthefucker]

Please make a video of restoration of used battery

[@youdontwantthesecrumbs3996]

Super funny intro lol

[@Gettinbentoffroad]

Lmao one of the best what’s inside vids I’ve seen

[@ussjess5844]

nice

[@mr-t1243]

I have had more problems with optima batteries then any other battery.