Thread: Optima yellow top as starter battery??

Aren't they a bit small to be a starter? More of a deep cycle. A diesel needs a large battery to kick it over.

Looking at it today its almost the same CCA as my starter battery on my D3. Maybe its the Red or Blue top they use instead of the yellow top. I guess it would get back to full charge pretty quick


Cheers Ean

I was using a very tired (hot toasty in the D2 engine bay) 6yr old optima yellow top as my starter battery while my 130 build was happening.
Never an issue to start including numerous purge cycles from less than full charge.
That battery is now in service as a start battery in my sons car.

Originally Posted by Ean Austral

Has anyone used 1 of these as a starter battery ? I think I recall see someone fitted 1 but think they had to make up some new leads as the terminals were the wrong way around.


Thanks and Cheers Ean

I had a Yellow top as the starter in my D2. I got it to use as the second battery, by the starter battery died. I hooked it up and it worked flawlessly for 12 months, until the auto died. It is now doing service as the second Battery in my D1, and has done for two years. It went completely flat for some time when the isolator in the car failed, but has recovered and is again working well. I think it is a D35, but that's only from memory.

As for the leads, well Yellow Tops are available with posts around either way. I had no trouble with fitment in my D2. I cannot comment with any authority whether the Yellow Top is ideal as a crank battery. However, my TD5 is a quick starter, and the Optima never had any difficulty, no matter how many times I started it a day, nor how many accessories I used in the meantime. I would have no hesitation using it again as a crank battery, but when the D2 is back with me I will probably get a Red Top or something else as a crank.

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

Aren't they a bit small to be a starter? More of a deep cycle. A diesel needs a large battery to kick it over.

They start my 4bd1 no worries at all!


Red top is crank battery
Yellow is a more a hybrid of crank/deep cycle.
Both start my car fine

Would not recommend using a yellow top as bit low on CCA even though it has deep cycle/starting on it. There are better batteries around for cranking

Rob

Originally Posted by RobA

Would not recommend using a yellow top as bit low on CCA even though it has deep cycle/starting on it. There are better batteries around for cranking

Rob

Why? They are 750cca!

I had a yellow top as a starter in my j**p wrangler and my perentie. Both diesels and no problems in either. Currently looking at a yellow top for my v6 petrol D3