I just replaced my original 2002 battery with a Optima 51r from Costco. According to Optima's website this it the right fitmant. However, the positive terminal on the Optima is smaller than the OEM, and the connector won't clamp down tight on the + terminal. I checked the clamp and it's not cracked or otherwise damaged.

I wrapped a bit of aluminum foil around the terminal and then the connector clamps nicely, but this seems pretty hack.

Anyone else run into this? Is there a better fix than my aluminum foil?

 

You should be able to remove the (+) terminal and replace it with a larger one from NAPA/AutoZone.

Don't use foil.

 

I had the same problem but on the negative side. Used alum foil too lol

 

How do I do this? Does the terminal screw on/off?

 

This is supose to help if your "terminal" is to small........

 

Yes it screws off, but you may need channel locks or vice grips to remove it.

On a side note, Optima batteries suck ***. Have fun replacing it in a year when it craps out on you. At least you bought it from Costco, make sure to save your receipt. Costco has a killer return policy.

 

Tell me about it... I work in Operations for Costco.com. I get to see a lot of ridiculous returns because of the great return policy. For example, 7 year old mattresses... ugh...

On a side note lol ^^

 

Or like my jewbag roommate that purposefully broke his hard drive to get a newer Sony Vaio laptop under Costco's return policy within the 2 year window..

Scandalous

 

What was that guy's name??

Haha J/K, you wouldn't believe some of the things I see that people want to return. Or what they do to try and scam us hahaha, thinking they can get away with it. Like for instance, this guy bought a diamond ring for $90k and then after signing for the item when it was dropped off, he tried to say he never got it lol!!

Sorry for the thread clutter, I'm actually in the market for a new battery myself so this thread could actually help me in the future...

 

I just bought a new battery, Stinger SPV35 deep cycle. It's not the greatest replacement for a few reasons:

1. It doesn't fit into the OEM battery tray without using a spacer to raise it up for the tie-down. Dimensions are 1 inch shorter and 1 inch narrower than stock size battery.
2. It's heavy (26lbs) but the OEM battery weighs just as much.
3. It's expensive ($145 shipped). But on the flip side, it's sealed and won't ever leak so you can put it inside the car if you wanted to (hence the dry cell).

But it's a killer battery in terms of specs and power output. It's really designed for car audio applications, but I don't have a stereo system at the moment. I just wanted a quality, reliable battery.

I'm thinking of switching to an Odyssey PC680 and to put it in the trunk for the spring/summer months. I need a bigger battery for winter time and cold start-ups.

 

I like how you have more negative things to say than good haha.

 

or you can just cut and replace your clamp

 

That too. But I like keeping wiring as stock as possible, for lots of reasons. Grounding problems can be tedious to troubleshoot.

 

I thought about replacing the clamp, but I took the plastic shroud off the clamp wire and decided against it. Optima says the 51r should have a + terminal of approx diameter 3/4". I'll get out there this weekend and see what it measures vs the OEM battery (which has lasted 7+ years). My sense is Optima will send me a new terminal if I need one.

 

haha sorry just couldn't pass a comment about Costco return policy... I work at Costco too and this lady brought back a pair of track pants. We refunded her and when we took it to the back the girl checked the pants and there was a big stain on the inside of the pants... Color was brown enough said!

So when you say we have great return policy, I say our policy is the SHITTTTTT hahaha lol...

Anyways back to topic, I always use OEM Honda batteries but for you case I would go to NAPA and get bigger terminals.