New battery for V12 he

XJ-S
1

Hi Folks.
I have not been here for a number of years.
I need to buy a new battery for starting my 1981 V12 HE XJS.
Can anybody suggest the details I need to suite the vehicle. Ie the amperage details.
Many thanks

Andy G

2

Can’t you get that info from the old battery? Take it to auto p arts store and they can match the size. And might have recommendation regarding Cold Cranking Amps. Or their parts look up system can tell

3

I don’t think you can ever go wrong with a red-top Optima battery…

4

Hi Andy,
Welcome back
I installed an Optima Red 35 in my '83 XJ-S in July 2020 and then drove 1600 miles without an issue.
I did have to have it replaced under warranty last month after being parked in the garage for 9 months. The fellow at O’Reilly told me they have never had any returns on them so I must have had some bad luck.
I’d definitely go with one again if this one holds up.

5

Never let a red top Optima discharge completely, as it will never recover. Keep it on a floating trickle charger while in storage, and it will last a long time.

6

That would be it. Always the best of intentions to take the car out of the garage but the garage door broke making it impossible to open without some time spent to fix it.

Thanks for the tip. I’ll put it on the trickle charger for the winter this time.

7

I keep trickle charger on mine all the time when not driving, not just winter. Supposedly helps maintain battery health

8

Hi Andy, I put a red-top Optima in my car when I bought it in 2014. Then installed a “correct” battery maintainer in the trunk. I decided to replace the battery when seven years had passed- not because it had failed- simply because it was seven years old. I run Optima batteries in my other vehicles, too. Can’t go wrong.

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(I replaced my tires at the same time.)

9

Thanks for the feed back folks, I will get something sorted out.
Cheers.
Best Wishes Andy G.

10

I have several thoughts,

  1. There is an outfit that sells refurbished batteries. 60 bucks _ trade in. Got one about for years ago. Knock on wood. still just fine.

  2. Select the physical size. Buythe best price for the CCA’s.

  3. Thge heavier, the better. more lead in the plates/

  4. My experience with red and yellow top Optima’s was just so so. The last time I needed one, the prie deterred me. too much.

  5. Ignore warranty promises if on a pro rate basis. Selelr has the advantage. .

Carl

11

It kinda depends on your expectations. Those who are looking for the least cost per year of operation should go with the rebuilt cheapo battery, and just plan on replacing as req’d. Those who are looking for a battery that won’t leave them stranded unexpectedly should probably go with the Optima – and still replace as req’d, although hopefully a bit less often than the cheapos.

1 Like
12

I had an Optima for my Allante, which was consistently guilty of trickle drains here and there. which ultimately did the Optima in. I got a Walmart Maxx exchanged that one after 17 months with no discussion at all. I do a good deal of road tripping and finally concluded that the most important thing to me is to be able to exchange the battery virtually everywhere without any hassle. I therefore settled on Walmart Maxx. Two year free exchange, + 2 more years prorate. Has good cranking power for $100 bucks and the 3 that I’m currently using in my other cars have lasted for a minimum of 3 years. I had an interstate in my XJS. It also offered 2 year exchange. It went flat because of the OP’s amplifier after 22 months. I had to find an Interstate dealer who insisted on recharging the battery rather than exchanging it. Whether I will get another year out of it remains to be seen.