Odyssey PC680 Battery Problems

[luv2flypilot]

I have had to replace my Odyssey PC680 battery 6 times over the last 5 years. The last go around I only got 8 months before it would not produce enough cranking amps to start the engine. I use their charger/maintainer they claim will not hurt the battery if left connected to the battery indefinitely. I have even purchased another Odyssey charger to eliminate the possibility of a bad charger. I seem to not get much warning when the battery goes bad and does not seem to have much cranking amps. The battery indicates 100% charged on the charger when the battery seems to stop providing enough power to crank my engine over for start. I do have a higher compression engine (9 to 1) which makes it a little tougher to turn the prop than a standard build. Has anyone else had any issues with these batteries? My alternator seems to be putting out just fine, however I need to try and get reading at the battery for voltage and current when the engine is running to verify exact readings. I have also spoke with Odyssey however they don;t seem to be a whole lot of help and not to prompt on getting back to me.

Here are some of the specs on my airplane:

RV-7A, Serial #70839
Registration: N507RV
Engine: IO-360-B1BC3, 9 to 1, Roller Lifters, Flow Matched Cylinders, Dual Unison LASAR Ignition, Sky-Tec Starter, Silver Hawk Fuel Injection
Prop: Whirlwind 200RV, Aero Technologies P-520-036/A Governor
Panel: Vertical Power VP-200, AFS 3400EE EFIS, GNS-430W WAAS GPS, GPSMAP 496, SL30 Nav/Com, GTX-330 Transponder w/ Traffic, PMA9000EX Audio Panel, DigiFlight II VSGV Autopilot, Smoking Airplanes SA-101H Smoke System, Sony XAVW1 DVD/Entertainment Unit w/ Sirius Radio & Two Exterior Cameras

[flyer46]

Going on 6 years on a PC680 on my RV9. Absolutely no problems. I use a $20 maintainer from WallyMart. Yes, I know it might not be optimum, but it still is withing a tenth of a volt of the "Odyssey charger". Battery still cranks O320 with vigor.

I'd be looking at the setpoint on the voltage regulator (set too low), or a phantom load. If a phantom load keeps the battery at a state of discharge, it will not last long. While flying, I normally see 14.3 VDC when the alternator is running. That might be slightly high, but it is in the right ballpark.

[erich weaver]

Originally Posted by luv2flypilot

I have had to replace my Odyssey PC680 battery 6 times over the last 5 years. The last go around I only got 8 months before it would not produce enough cranking amps to start the engine. I use their charger/maintainer they claim will not hurt the battery if left connected to the battery indefinitely. I have even purchased another Odyssey charger to eliminate the possibility of a bad charger. I seem to not get much warning when the battery goes bad and does not seem to have much cranking amps. The battery indicates 100% charged on the charger when the battery seems to stop providing enough power to crank my engine over for start. I do have a higher compression engine (9 to 1) which makes it a little tougher to turn the prop than a standard build. Has anyone else had any issues with these batteries? My alternator seems to be putting out just fine, however I need to try and get reading at the battery for voltage and current when the engine is running to verify exact readings. I have also spoke with Odyssey however they don;t seem to be a whole lot of help and not to prompt on getting back to me.

Here are some of the specs on my airplane:

RV-7A, Serial #70839
Registration: N507RV
Engine: IO-360-B1BC3, 9 to 1, Roller Lifters, Flow Matched Cylinders, Dual Unison LASAR Ignition, Sky-Tec Starter, Silver Hawk Fuel Injection
Prop: Whirlwind 200RV, Aero Technologies P-520-036/A Governor
Panel: Vertical Power VP-200, AFS 3400EE EFIS, GNS-430W WAAS GPS, GPSMAP 496, SL30 Nav/Com, GTX-330 Transponder w/ Traffic, PMA9000EX Audio Panel, DigiFlight II VSGV Autopilot, Smoking Airplanes SA-101H Smoke System, Sony XAVW1 DVD/Entertainment Unit w/ Sirius Radio & Two Exterior Cameras

I have a very similar plane, yet no problems whatsoever with my PC680. The notable difference between you and me is that I almost never use the charger. Not sure why you would have to unless you spend a lot of time running the avionics with the engine off. I seem to remember a number of cases like this desribed on VAF where bad batteries correspond with regular use of the charger. Screwy I know, but hey, who charges up the battery on their car every day? No need for it unless something else is wrong.

[flyer46]

If I flew my RV every day, I'd agree with erich. But as the battery ages, slow sulfation takes its toll. If not flown for a week (or maybe a month) the actual charge in the battery can drop from internal currents that slowly discharge the battery. That is where a maintainer (not a simple charger) earns its keep.

And yes, I have one car that I drive very infrequently (sometimes on a two week interval). It has a seven year old battery that I sometimes put on the same style maintainer I use on my RV. Still cranks just fine.

[RV10inOz]

OK, this may sound harsh but take it with the warm fuzzy intent.

The definition of stupidity is to keep doing what you are doing while expecting a different result.

I suggest that you might need to carefully check your alternator and regulator, or other charging devices. You should not kill batteries like this. Phone Odyssey for some help.

[Stampw]

Replaced my Odyssey battery thinking it was going bad, but not much improvement with a new Odyssey. Was about to return what I thought was a bad battery when I, along with my mechanic, checked the Skytec starter. Sure enough that was the problem. Replaced the starter and the battery works like a champ.

Just a thought.

[RVG8tor]

I was starting to see a weakness in my less than 2 year old battery a year ago. After reading stuff on here I stopped using the battery maintainer (not Odyssey model) and everything has been find since, not more signs of battery weakness.

I fly nearly every week and more often than that now that the weather is better.

Cheers

[db1yg]

Luv2fly,

I offer the following assuming that you can detect no "cold" voltage drains.

What I, and several others on this site have found, is that keeping the Odyssey charger connected at all times prevents the charger program from going through a high charge voltage cycle designed to break up accumulated sulfate. The battery must be discharged by a significant amount before the charger steps up the charge rate sufficient for this process to take place--and connecting the charger after a flight, when the battery is fully charged, prevents this cycle from ever happening. This in turn significantly shortens the battery life. This is also why, in many cases, Odyssey's "rejuvenation process" works. I know that the charger info says that it can be connected continuously, but since stopping this practice, my batteries have been much happier and last far longer.

Oh, and by the way David, what you describe is the definition of insanity--not stupidity--neither of which applies in this situation!

Cheers,

db

[Neal@F14]

My friend's RV-8 was completed in 2010 with a PC680 battery purchased early that year. It's got a 9.2 compression IO-360 with Skytec lightweight starter and a Plane Power alternator that charges at about 14.5 volts. The battery is still going strong after 4 years and he never uses any kind of external charger or maintainer on it. The aircraft is not flown nearly as frequently as it used to be, maybe once a month when it used to be flown weekly/several times per week, but it still always cranks right up even after sitting for a full month.

[60av8tor]

My results are the same as others - better performance without using a tender. My flying (usually at least once/week) has slowed recently mainly due to work and secondly due to starting my -10. 2 weeks between flights, no tender, no problems - this PC680 since Nov '12.