Hawker Odyssey Battery

[David Morton]

Question: One of the battery terminals is fixed solid and the other(-ve) rotates. Does any forum member know this type of battery and is this the norm? Can the -ve terminal be fixed solid as well?
Dave

Hi Dave

The hawker battery is the same as a red top, I beleive the company was bought and renamed along the way but not definite on that. I have Hawker batteries for the Lotus 51 and Red Top in the 40. Neither have terminals that rotate so I would guess that you have a problem.

Also you have to be careful on using the right charger (DMS Technologies at about £70) to keep max volts in battery. Normal chargers do work but the capacity is not at maximum, so I am told! And never use a starter booster unit as this will kill your battery.

The only other tip I have on these batteries is that they are very good. Life span of up to 15 years compared to 3 or 4 for wet batteries which means they are also value for money at only twice the price of a good wet battery.

Hope this of help and interest.

Malcolm

[David Morton]

Thank you for that. I have been using a normal charger but I'll sort out where the other charger can be bought on Monday.
The -ve terminal , in fact both terminals have like a helicoil insert though I have clamps as connectors. Its only the actual top that rotates and the battery seems unnaffected as it cranks quite normally.
I'll email Hawker energy tonight to see what gives.
Regards
Dave

[ March 09, 2003: Message edited by: David Morton ]

[Bart Carter]

If we are talking about the Optima Red Top batteries, they are definitely NOT Hawker batteries.

For great information on these batteries, go to Battery Info

Most true dry cell batteries are Hawkers. They are rebadged and sold for a LARGE markup. Odyssey is Hawkers model name.

The most important thing about these batteries is they must be charged correctly. You cannot pump in too high a voltage and you must not overcharge or undercharge. For this reason, there is a special Deltran Battery Tender that is programmed to do just that. 6 amps.

The automotive terminals on Hawkers are put on with internal screws. I believe you can just tighten them down if they become loose. Link to the Hawker site through the above link. I got their number and called their tech staff for all my answers. They put out an awsum battery. But you need to charge it correctly.

[David Morton]

Very grateful for the info.
Very good leads and I've now sent Haker a message for clarification
David M

[David Morton]

Thanks Bart, you were correct - first you just snap off the drive peg in the Helicoil then use a hex driver to tighten up the screw. I was beggining to think a had a dud but it kept working in spite of the loose terminal.
Regards
Dave M