Odyssey PC-680 Battery Problems: Please Chime In

[dougmattson]

I purchased my pc680 in April of 13. Worked great in my 9a with a O320 till today. No warning just refused to spin the prop. Voltmeter showed 12.3 volts before I used the starter and then 11.4 afterwards.

[bhester]

Originally Posted by Sam Buchanan

'Til it quits?

I recently replaced my eight-year-old PC680. It was still crankin' the O-320 but the new battery spins it faster.

Got mine about 8 yrs age also. Getting ready to swap it out in Dec. I hope the new last as long as the old one.

[Canadian_JOY]

Originally Posted by Canadian_JOY

My experience is much like Sam's... six year old PC680 is still going strong. It has never been on any form of external charger, just the aircraft alternator. Sometimes it goes a month without being flown, and often in the winter it might be more than a month of bitterly cold weather before we get a break and can go flying. The 680 has been like a tank - zero problems.

I just ordered a pair of 680's, one for my wife's Mazda Miata, the other to replace the 6-year-old battery in the airplane. The airplane battery would be replaced solely as preventative maintenance, not because it's showing any signs of deterioration. If/when I replace the airplane battery I'll be putting the old one in the Miata, just to keep it charged up through the summer months. I suspect it will soldier on for many more years in that application. In this part of the world, six years is about all one can expect from an automotive OEM battery - if it makes it to six years then you can safely bet it will let you down the next time the temperature hits -20C.

As a follow-up... The "new" PC680 in the Miata is still working perfectly. Cruddy cold weather this summer meant infrequent driving and short trips. Battery still cranks the car very well. Soon we begin the true torture test called Canadian Winter!

The "old" PC680 in my flying airplane is also still working perfectly. It's getting far less flying than I would like it to, but it still cranks like crazy.

So much for the concept that we may be hearing only from a few disgruntled owners here. I'll keep my PC680's, thanks!

[kjlpdx]

I always pull my prop thru 8-12 times before starting. seems to loosen the oil up and definitely makes it turn over faster than when cranking without the tugs. I am going to try not using a battery tender and see what the difference is. with the tender I have not been getting anywhere near the life expectancy that others are reporting. I fly average every 2 weeks.

[Bubblehead]

I've been using a PC-680 since early 2010 without any problems. I don't use a battery tender, just go fly and let the alternator do its job.

I did leave accidentally drain it all the way down once. I installed a USB charging port and assumed (incorrectly) that the current draw would be very low if nothing was attached and charging. I was wrong. I came back to the hanger 2 weeks later and the battery was dead. My small battery tender would not charge it, it would only trip off the line, presumably on over current. A full-sized charger got the voltage back up enough to let the battery tender bring it the rest of the way up. That happened in February and the battery has run fine ever since.

The PC-680 has worked fine for 4+ years now. I should probably put a new one in but if it works, don't fix it.

[MarkW]

I also believe that the Odyssey battery likes to be charged at 14.7 volts and most planes charge under 14 v. I am a believer that this is part of the problem for some.

[AZtailwind]

Originally Posted by dougmattson

I purchased my pc680 in April of 13. Worked great in my 9a with a O320 till today. No warning just refused to spin the prop. Voltmeter showed 12.3 volts before I used the starter and then 11.4 afterwards.

Yep, same thing last week- put a blinker light on it to discharge at a .7 amp rate. did take hours to get down to 80%, around 10 volts- then an 8 amp charge on it to full. It's back at good cranking power. I'll be watching (maintaining) this battery more than the last one-

[Crank73]

Alright guys, so what's the solution? I too have a PC680 that has good voltage but not enough cranking amps to start the aircraft. Is that it for the battery then? I plan to troubleshoot the 'why' the cranking amps got so look again (second battery in 3 years), but is there a way to revive this Odyssey?

[flyingriki]

My understanding is that 'they' can charge it up properly to get full power back if not damaged. I can't seem to get more than a couple years out of one before the cold weather makes it unreliable. Have had to get out and jump my 9.5 to 1 compression O-320 twice now at around 60 degrees. Works fine after flying and both warmer oil and good charge, I guess....

Thanks to Mike S. I ordered one of these:
Big Crank ETX20L Battery
http://www.batterymart.com/p-Big-Cra...FZFefgodSUYAYg

Has 310 CCA and 17.5 Ah versus 170 CCA and 16 Ah for the PC680, big difference.

Will report on how well it works after some experience with it.

[krw5927]

Originally Posted by Crank73

Alright guys, so what's the solution? I too have a PC680 that has good voltage but not enough cranking amps to start the aircraft. Is that it for the battery then? I plan to troubleshoot the 'why' the cranking amps got so look again (second battery in 3 years), but is there a way to revive this Odyssey?

There's a sticky in the Maintenance section of the forum on just this issue, and the procedure to desulfate:

http://www.vansairforce.com/communit...d.php?t=108220