Didn't Odyssey make them at one point? I'm going to assume that they are currently manufactured by East Penn because they look exactly the same as my Napa Legend AGM. I may be wrong though.
Two Bad Northstar Batteries!
- Thread starter sab
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Didn't Odyssey make them at one point? I'm going to assume that they are currently manufactured by East Penn because they look exactly the same as my Napa Legend AGM. I may be wrong though.
They're not the same as they used to be, Odyssey no longer makes them. My Diehard Platinum battery lasted 11 years, it was made by Odyssey who no longer makes them for Diehard.
Nothing is made the way it used to be. It's all made with the cheapest components and labor. Today's products all have short life expectancy.
What's your charge voltage? If you don't have a battery temperature sensor, there is a strong chance you are only charging at 13.7-13.8 volts all the time, which will quickly cause an AGM to permanently lose capacity. For an AGM, charge voltage needs to be in the range of 14.2-14.8V in most cases, with 14.4 to 14.6 being ideal at moderate temperatures. 13.8 would really only be appropriate at temperatures exceeding 150°F.
Flooded cell batteries are more tolerant of the low charge voltage, but will still lose capacity more quickly over time if they are not de-sulfated.
Flooded cell batteries are more tolerant of the low charge voltage, but will still lose capacity more quickly over time if they are not de-sulfated.
Well...My 2 year old Odyssey is toast. Had it tested today...
Oh, and batteries plus can suck a giant schlong. They can't find a record of my buying the battery. I even have my reciept and I need to wait until Monday to talk with a manager so he can help me. At the time, I bought an X2 and they gave me an Odyssey instead, because the X2 wasn't in stock like the website (purchase online and pick up in store) said it was. Now, I believe this might be coming back to haunt me.
Oh, and batteries plus can suck a giant schlong. They can't find a record of my buying the battery. I even have my reciept and I need to wait until Monday to talk with a manager so he can help me. At the time, I bought an X2 and they gave me an Odyssey instead, because the X2 wasn't in stock like the website (purchase online and pick up in store) said it was. Now, I believe this might be coming back to haunt me.
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This thread has proven that batteries and battery sellers have some serious quality issues across the board these days.
Depends on what time frame you are assigning to "these days". I've been dealing with the same AGM issues for at least 18 years. The only time it was highly lessened was when we could get the Sears Platinum Diehard.
I wasn’t specifically referring to AGM batteries. Batteries in general.
Edited to ad: In retrospect, though, most of the comments in this thread are on AGM batteries.
Two options:
- External charge controller, like the ones used for bad PCMs
- Using a tuner, like HPTuners
HP Tuners was what I hoped you were going to say. I'm going to poke around soon to up my charging voltage. Care to point me in the right direction?
I believe in the "System" options there is an Alternator Charge voltage setpoint chart. It varies the PCM charge voltage based on the battery temperature sensor output. If you don't have a battery temperature sensor, it automatically assumes the hottest value, meaning it selects the lowest charge voltage.
I simply bumped up any number less than 14.4 to 14.4, which has worked great and kept my Northstar running perfectly for five years.
My autozone Duralast gold battery lasted me 7 years. It just have out today. Not sure which battery to go with.
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