Fw: dry cell Odyssey batteries

["Peter Kemos" <pskemos@domain.elided>]

Walter Cox asked about drycell, specifically Odyssey batteries in regard to
their capabilities.

My recent experience with one seems to back their claims up:
I had a very small Odyssey 680 mounted in the trunk of my GTV track car.  The
battery was in a custom fabricated metal box, open at the top, right next to
the fuel cell.   During the course of an AROSC race/TT at Laguna Seca, I
managed to fry both my (external) voltage regulator as well as my alternator
and idiot dash light, likely due to high rpms.  The problem was diagnosed and
I went in search of a replacement alternator, borrowing one from a fellow
competitor whose car was sidelined with a blown head gasket.
The new alternator (this time internally regulated) put out the appropriate 14
volts and off we went.

Once back home I replaced my failed alternator but found my new Odyssey
battery to be utterly dead and not accepting a charge.
I was also informed by the guy who loaned me his alternator that after
reinstallation his unit was now also shot.  Anyway, I couldn't figure out what
was wrong, because the Odyssey battery, of which I could only see the top (in
a metal box, remember) seemed perfectly ok.  I finally decided to pull the
battery and take it to some shop that might have a better charger or some
means of diagnosing a fault.
So, I try to pull the unit out, initially just by hand but then also with some
prying tools, and it would NOT budge.   Finally had to fabricate a puller and
use the threaded battery terminals to gradually raise it out of the box, and
there was the evidence:

Massive distension on all sides of the battery had wedged it into the box.
The bottom of the battery was also completely dried and cracked, and gave
every sign of having been badly cooked, no doubt due to the initial voltage
regulator failure.  The punch line however is that there was NO sign of any
gas or fluid leakage, nor did any subsequent corrosion occur anywhere on or
near the metal battery box.
The odyssey had not emitted anything, even during/after an incredible amount
of abuse.

The warranty explicitly stated that this type of damage was not covered, so I
ordered another identical unit, this time from an online vendor due to a
slightly better price.  The new unit came and was installed and all was well,
alternator and battery performed flawlessly at the recent AROSC race/TT at
Willow Springs.  On a lark, I phoned the dealer of the initial battery,
honestly explained what had happened and they suggested I mail in the top
cover piece (with all of the critical data) to them anyway, and they would see
if the manufacturer would honor some portion of the warranty.  As it turned
out, they decided to replace the unit free of charge and just sent me another
one.  So now I have an extra one, in the box, sitting in my garage.

Which brings me the last part of this saga.  If you have read this far, I have
for sale, one new in box Odyssey 680 battery, very small and light, probably
not ideal for a daily/street only car but excellent for the occasional use or
track vehicle.  I just received it about a month ago and it is of very recent
production.  I will offer it for $80 bucks plus actual shipping costs from
Santa Cruz, CA.

No financial connection to Odyssey, just a very satisfied customer.
Have a nice Alfa day.

Peter Kemos
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